Pictures from a living past [antikvár]

A universal heritageStriving to rise above his earthly existence, man has adorned the earth for 15,000 years with steles, tombs, palaces, caves and sanctuaries. On a more humble scale, he has combined beauty and commodity to create 'vernacular' architecture, which expresses the experience of centuries and the distinctive idiom of each society. Together they form the cultural heritage of the twentieth centurya heritage that belongs to the nations to whom it has been bequeathed but that also belongs to us all. It is worldwide, going beyond frontiers, and all states should ensure its respect. These are the ideas which Unesco seeks to further and which inspire its action. They are new ideas.The notion of a universal literary heritage goes back at least as far as the eighteenth century, to the Age of Enlightenment. But who, in those days, would have given a thought to a universal cultural heritage, a material one, made of brick, wood and stone? At the very end of the eighteenth century, a merchant in France was able to buy for next to nothing the largest Romanesque church of Europe, called 'the eighth wonder of the world'.He saw fit to have it torn down and resold piece by piece.We can be certain of the outrage which would be widely felt today if a similar fate threatened the temples of Luxor, the Taj Mahal, the cathedralof Chartres, or the Royal Mosque of Isfahan. However, 60 or 100 years ago such outrage would be by no means certain, for the idea of a world heritage did not exist. Over the past century archaeologists have made great discoveries, bringing whole civilizations to light again. But what is even more important is the realization that there cannot be a cultural heritage for mankind unless it exists in the mind of man.In that sense, our cultural heritage has just been born. It will grow as chauvinism decreases and cultural barriers fall. It will grow with freedom and the progress of all the means of communication.But that is still not enough. Awareness of the cultural heritage means more than aesthetic appreciation; it implies commitment. A heritage is something to be claimed as a right, something to be defended. Connoisseurs of historical monuments have not always displayed the global sense of responsibility perhaps more often associated with nature conservationwhich would spur them to fight against vandalism, indifference and stupidity wherever they occur.None the less, there as well, we can claim some progress in recent years. Since 1940, wars have destroyed many works of art and priceless historic buildings. But the great majority of people born after 1940 regard such destruction as folly.This great majority includes millions3