Open Monument Day on September 12
The Open Monument Day has been around since 1993. The city of Jena has also taken part in this special day from the very beginning. It is coordinated by the German Foundation for Monument Protection. Guided tours and tours encourage people to set off to get to know our cultural heritage and the professions, trades, techniques and people involved in its preservation. This day thrives on encounters and conversations and provides enriching moments and new insights.
In 2021, the motto of the day is "Appearance & Reality in History, Architecture and Heritage Conservation"
A guiding principle that is ideal for reflection and discussion. It touches on the questions of image preservation and or versus substance protection, of reconstruction, copy and authenticity, of disguise and concealment, of lies and deception, of modesty and pomp, but also of transience and continuity.
There are, for example, the many historicist buildings, which sometimes take up the Romanesque, sometimes the Gothic or even the Italian Renaissance. You are welcome to take a tour with style guessing. The facades of the Volkshaus alone - which unfortunately is not included this year - offer interesting details. Or take a stroll through the Ladies' Quarter - here, too, you will find quotes from glorified past eras.
The examples of material and architectural illusionist surface designs also fit in wonderfully with the motto: marbled or precious wood imitating wooden surfaces, blind windows, painted wall surfaces that look like velvety wallpaper (e.g. Ricarda Huch House), wall paneling that was applied to the plaster using only paint and brush (e.g. Haeckel House, Komur House), deceptively real 3-D painting on ceilings and walls (e.g. Villa Straubel or Optisches Museum).
Conservation - Restoration - Reconstruction
Cultural monuments are physically defined. Monument protection serves to protect the physical testimony in its material existence. The historical substance in its form and materiality is the carrier of information. Its loss impairs the authenticity and the expressive value of the individual object or of the ensemble as a whole.
The aim of monument preservation is therefore not only to preserve the visual impression, but also the substance. Monument protection laws are not just laws for the mere preservation of the townscape. That is why every window, every rafter, every floorboard is fought over. The maximum preservation of the protected substance is the aim and task of the monument conservators and the conservation authorities when assessing every measure on cultural monuments.
This must be achieved in the best possible way for each individual object and in the object for each authentic component in consideration of other, e.g. user interests. The demolition of protected substance leads to its irretrievable loss. A copy can only preserve appearances, but cannot restore the cultural monument or the monument component.
Everything as usual on Monument Day 2021?
Last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the program for Jena consisted mainly of digital formats, from live events and new websites to 3D models, and only offered a few additional analogue viewing opportunities, mainly in open monuments without guided tours. In light of the pandemic, the city of Jena also thought long and hard this year about whether and how it could take part in Monument Day. Finally, in consultation with the monument owners and restorers, a small and fine program with appropriate hygiene regulations was created.
Examples include the walk through the Drackendorfer Park landscape garden, the opening of the "Villa Medusa", Ernst Haeckel's home, and the guided tours of many of Jena's churches.
Most events/guided tours are limited to small groups. In order to ensure contact tracking and to relieve the burden on those conducting the tours on site, advance registrations are required via the Lower Monument Protection Authority (in individual cases also directly with the organizer).
Pre-registrations for the correspondingly designated events will be accepted by telephone on Tuesday, 07.09.21 and Thursday, 09.09.21 09:00 - 12:00 and 15:00 - 17:00 by calling 0049 3641 49-5141 or can be sent by e-mail to denkmalamt@jena.de.
In addition, a medical mouth-nose protection / FFP2 mask must be worn in all rooms.
Of course, there may still be changes and cancellations at short notice. This will be announced in the press and online.