CULTURAL HERITAGE

The research focus Cultural Heritage deals with the analysis of historical cities, settlements, cultural landscapes, buildings, constructions as well as design and process methods. The focus is on forms and practices of use and conversion, technologies of construction, building and preservation, as well as questions of the social and conservational handling of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The scientific exchange between the disciplines anchored in the institutes allows the linking of methods from the humanities and engineering sciences. Interdisciplinary research topics at the intersection of historical building research, excavation science and urban redevelopment strategies are developed in close cooperation with non-university research institutes, such as the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), the Leibniz Institute for Spatial Social Research (IRS), the Brandenburg State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments and the Brandenburg State Archaeological Museum (BLDAM) as well as international partners.

The research focus gains particularly recognized importance and international visibility through its close linkage with extensive support for young researchers: on the one hand, in the PhD program Heritage Studies, and on the other hand, in the DFG Research Training Group 1913 Cultural and Technical Values of Historic Buildings, whose internationally acclaimed work can be continued thanks to a successful extension. In addition, the DFG Priority Program 2255 Cultural Heritage Construction began its work at the beginning of 2021, in which an interdisciplinary research network on the cultural heritage of high modernity will be coordinated from Cottbus for 6 years. Future collaborative projects to continue the successful work will be developed in interdisciplinary networking with civil engineering, urban and regional planning, environmental engineering, and mechanical engineering, among others.

The BTU is also a founding member of the expert network Archaeological Heritage Network (ArcHerNet) - based at the German Foreign Office. The network runs the pilot project The Zero Hour - for a post-crisis future for reconstruction in Syria. The BTU is particularly involved in the project for the reconstruction of war-damaged cultural sites in northern Syria. Important cooperation partners include UNESCO, the International Council on Monuments and Sites ICOMOS, the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), the German National Committee for Monument Protection (DNK), the DAAD, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK).

At the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, the Cultural Heritage Centre was founded to bring together, expand and make visible the existing expertise of excellent research and teaching in the field of cultural heritage at the BTU.