The cultural heritage provides a physical record of our history. Buildings, burial mounds, all kinds of man-made objects, cultural environments and features of the landscape yield information about people’s lives and activities throughout history. About 1 per cent of Norway’s cultural heritage is irreplaceably lost every year, even though many valuable monuments, sites and environments are protected. With them, we also lose valuable information. Nowadays, Norway focuses more on the conservation of integrated cultural environments, monuments and sites where ordinary people have lived and worked, rather than on protecting individual monuments and imposing buildings.
Commercial activities destroy the cultural heritage
Agriculture, forestry, industry and road construction can all damage or destroy cultural monuments and sites. Construction activities are a growing threat. Changes in the way buildings are used and poor maintenance can affect entire cultural environments. However, many local communities are showing a growing interest in looking after their cultural heritage.
Conservation of the cultural heritage
Norway’s target is to minimize annual losses of cultural monuments, sites and environments and ensure that a representative selection is permanently protected. Norwegian law requires local, regional and national authorities to take cultural heritage considerations into account in planning and development processes. The Norwegian government has designated 2009 as being our cultural heritage year. The main theme is cultural heritage in everyday life.