From 25 to 28 September 2024, the first full-scale exercise of the Cultural Heritage Response Unit (CHRU) took place at Demerthin Castle (Brandenburg). In a fictitious earthquake scenario, experts from Germany were trained in the international protection of cultural heritage after a disaster. The CHRU is expected to be operational by 2025.
During the full-scale exercise organized from 25 to 28 September 2024, the volunteers of the KulturGutRetter’s Cultural Heritage Response Unit (CHRU) had their first opportunity to apply what they had previously learned in a large-scale exercise scenario. The fictitious earthquake scenario was set at the Renaissance castle of Demerthin in the district of Prignitz, in Brandenburg. On arrival at the exercise site, the 41 CHRU participants were confronted with the following scenario.
Disaster scenario
A major earthquake has struck the region. National and international relief organisations have completed the life-saving phase and a cultural heritage monument and its collections now need to be secured. The existing international requests for assistance implemented through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) were extended to include the protection of cultural heritage. Germany thus offered the assistance of the international response unit CHRU. The unit flew to the affected area, where a castle now has to be secured and cultural artefacts are being recovered.
Arrival of the CHRU at the castle of Demerthin | Photo: DAI, Marccel Pasternak
Salvage, documentation and emergency conservation of cultural heritage
“There is no blueprint for this project. As the leader of the CHRU operation, I will always remember how well the cooperation and transfer of expertise worked. I am surprised that we came together as such different people – THW workers, archaeologists, restorers and engineers. But the desire to protect something of value to us and the common focus on a meaningful goal brought us together”, said Stefan Tahn, CHRU team leader.
During the exercise, volunteer experts in building research and monument conservation, with the support of THW emergency services, carried out a damage survey of the castle, assessed the damage and documented the building. The use of the site was made possible through the mediation of the Brandenburg State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and the Prignitz County Department for the Preservation of Monuments and with the kind permission of the Gumtow community.
Documentation and damage assessment of cultural heritage | Photos: DAI, C.Domenech | DAI, M.Pasternak
Together, the CHRU team members removed debris from the castle’s rooms to relieve the load on the structure. Volunteers filled cracks in the building and salvaged sculptures, decorative elements and other movable cultural artefacts, which received emergency conservation measures in the laboratory on the castle grounds. Experts used the DAI’s QField-based digital documentation system to record paintings, statues and other cultural artefacts. In the mobile emergency conservation laboratory developed at LEIZA for rapid transport to disaster areas, the CHRU experts in conservation and restoration photographed, cleaned and packed the recovered cultural artefacts.
CHRU experts securing immovable and movable heritage | Photos: DAI, Constance Domenech
THW, with its many years of operational experience, provided the technical and logistical components of the team, ensuring the team’s self-sufficiency during the operation, organising the transport of equipment and running a camp for the team. It also facilitated communication and provided expert advisors. THW led the whole operation and provided experienced volunteers to lead the team on-site. The team structure, special equipment and procedures of the CHRU unit were tested by the participants for the first time in an operational scenario after the training sessions organized in 2024.
Aerial view of the castle and base camp |Photo: DAI, Bernhard Fritsch
The training of the team and the associated major exercise in 2024 are important milestones in the KulturGutRetter project. The basic operational capability of the CHRU for the international protection of cultural heritage in disaster situations is planned for early 2025.
PROCULTHER-NET2 Beobachter
Arch. Veronica Piacentini and Arch. Cosmo Mercuri, expert members of the Italian Civil Protection Department cultural heritage working group involved in the PROCULTHER-NET2 project, were invited as observers and were able to appreciate the remarkable technical, organisational and logistical capabilities deployed in this exercise.
According to Cosmo Mercuri: “The operational capability of the module proved to be effective with respect to the scale of the exercise. Among the most noteworthy aspects for its effectiveness and innovation, is a tool used during sites inspections that enables the efficient documentation, cataloguing and tracking of registered cultural assets, through a process that identifies them by the mean of a unique code, and continues with the digitalisation of all subsequent processing steps up to their temporary storage.”
PROCULTHER-NET2 observers discussing with the CHRU support team | Photo: DAI, Constance Domenech
Veronica Piacentini, declares to be impressed by the organisation put in place, and positively surprised by the very well-equipped emergency laboratory set outside the castle and agrees on the innovative aspects of the technology used for documenting the cultural items. In her opinion, the exercise was an excellent practical application proving the importance of the collaboration between cultural heritage experts and disaster risk management workers, a key principle on which PROCULTHER initiatives have been based and continue to strengthen. Another key aspect considered by the exercise is to facilitate dialogue between the two sectors that shall cooperate to find a common language in peace time, so as to be better prepared for managing major emergencies. She finally added “the CHRU is a first concrete application of the implementation of civil protection modules within the Mechanism entirely dedicated to the protection of cultural heritage at risk. This confirm that PROCULTHER-NET is on the right track, in the not-too-distant future we hope to have many such modules to support the Mechanism’s efforts to protect cultural heritage”.
CHRU team | Photo: DAI, Constance Domenech
