KulturGutRetter
One vision.
One Network.


One Vision
Developing an emergency mechanism for cultural heritage in crisis situations.
One Network
The Archaeological Heritage Network (ArcHerNet) was founded in 2016 and harnesses German expertise to safeguard and protect cultural heritage worldwide.
KulturGutRetter
The KGR project is developed out of the Archaeological Heritage Network and is carried by three strong partners:
German Archaeological Institute (DAI)
Founded nearly 200 years ago, the DAI is a globally active scientific institution. Operating as a federal agency within the area of responsibility of the Federal Foreign Office, it is committed to protecting, preserving and disseminating information about cultural heritage.Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW)
For 70 years now the THW has provided technical and humanitarian aid in crises and natural disasters in Germany and abroad on behalf of the federal government. It falls within the area of responsibility of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA)
The LEIZA is an archaeological research facility founded in 1852. Part of the Leibniz Association, it combines the humanities and natural sciences with restoration expertise and is active in an international context.
2022 was a very eventful and successful year. In our review of the year, we offer an insight into the work of the Cultural Heritage Response Unit project.

Aid from the Cultural Heritage Response Unit’s logistics network of the DAI, THW and other partners consisting of about 10 tonnes of packaging material and supplies for the protection of collections, libraries, monuments and museums in Ukraine has been distributed to 13 cultural institutions.
Cultural Heritage in Crisis
An emergency mechanism for cultural heritage in crisis situations
In the past crisis such as earthquakes, floods and fires have shown that in the event of such a disaster, action must be taken quickly. Climate change with its very different local effects also entails a wide range of threats to the cultural heritage of the past. To protect and preserve cultural heritage in all phases of a crisis effectively and sustainably, the essential requirements are well-prepared and rapidly available digital information as well as well-trained and competent decision-makers. For this reason, the project “KulturGutRetter (KGR) – An emergency mechanism for cultural heritage in crisis situations” was initiated in the framework of the Archaeological Heritage Network (ArcHerNet).
A network to safeguard cultural heritage
The Archaeological Heritage Network was founded in 2016 in the presence of Dr. Frank Walter Steinmeier, now President of the German Federal Republic. ArcHerNet pools the expertise that exists in Germany and makes it available internationally via a network of contacts. The experience gained through the project Zero Hour – A Future for the Time after the Crisis and the modules it comprised were then used to further develop ArcHerNet’s approaches and objectives. Its scope has expanded to encompass new regions. The Middle East and North Africa in their entirety as well as other regions in Africa have come into focus more and more. Moreover there has increasingly been an effort to develop formats that are universally deployable rather than specific to certain countries or localities. ArcHerNet is coordinated by the DAI and supported by the Federal Foreign Office.

PROCULTHER-NET
Since the beginning of January 2022, two of KGR’s partners have been involved in the PROCULTHER-NET project, co-funded by the European Union DG-ECHO. The German Archaeological Institute (DAI) and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) have joined forces with partners from Italy, Spain, Portugal, France and Turkey, to better integrate the protection of cultural heritage in the civil protection mechanisms, at national and European levels.
Kontakt
- KulturGutRetter | Deutsches Archäologisches Institut | Podbielskiallee 69-71, 14197 Berlin
- info@kulturgutretter.org
- presse@kulturgutretter.org
- ArcHerNet Webseite | www.archernet.org


