Second Conference on Heritage Conservation and Site Management (2014)

PAST IMPERFECT. Communicating the Fragment and the Incomplete

Awareness and support for heritage sites depend upon the level of knowledge that people have about their significance. However, some sites do not lend themselves easily to being understood by an observer. Ruins and archaeological sites, for example, require special efforts to be interpreted for visitors due to their incomplete and damaged state. Equally challenging are landscapes of memory, i.e. places where important events occurred, but few material remains are left behind as testimonies thereof. For all three categories, it falls to heritage professionals to develop interpretation and presentation strategies in order to allow for a thorough visitor experience and accessibility of meaning to a wider audience.

Therefore, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and Helwan University organized an international conference from 15. - 17.10.2014. The conference aimed to facilitate an exchange on recent developments and project experiences in the field. The conference focused on three types of heritage sites: archaeological sites, ruins and landscapes of memory.