In Marl, there have been discussions in recent years about monument protection for buildings from the period after 1945. The town hall as well as the Scharoun and Marshall schools feature prominently. Some older buildings, on the other hand, have been added to the city's list of historical monuments quite unanimously and silently. Such approval or rejection of listed buildings arises from "public awareness". This should not be confused with the legally formulated "public interest" of protecting and maintaining architectural testimonies to the history of the city and the country. The terms complement each other. Using the example of some architectural monuments in Marl and comparable objects in other places, we will show how the legal protection of monuments has developed over time within the framework of the public interest and public awareness. Last but not least, the occasion, history, structure and responsibilities of state monument protection will also be discussed.

Dr. Hans H. Hanke, historian and monument conservator, was a scientific consultant for the LWL monument conservation, landscape and building culture in Westphalia from 1992 to 2022. He has been a lecturer in the Department of Art History at the Ruhr University Bochum since 1995. He is the author of numerous publications on architecture and urban development in the Ruhr region.

Baukultur in Marl is organised by the Skulpturenmuseum and the VHS in cooperation with the Initiative ruhrmoderne e.V.. The event will take place at the insel VHS (Wiesenstraße 22, 45770 Marl) in room P1 and is free of charge - please register at 02365/50356699 or www.vhs-marl.de.