Dealing with the legal aspects of the protection of cultural heritage we get confronted with a bundle of questions. For example, there is a question of the criteria which are to be satisfied in order to number a historical building among the World Heritage monuments. We can also examine the institutional factors. What procedures of heritage protection exist in this or that national legislation? What are the authorities to execute them?
The variety of the legal systems, administrative levels and involved persons in fact corresponds to the variety of questionable aspects. To what extent the government has to take the issues of monument protection into consideration making regional development plans? What maintenance measures a private owner of a historical monument can be burdened with without breaching his constitutional rights? What sanctions can be applied against someone who violates the law demolishing a historical monument or exporting goods which belong to the national cultural property?
Thus, the legal issues of protection and preservation of the cultural heritage seems to be a conglomerate of different legal norms - those of the public law, civil law, penal law - which are framed by the international conventions and complemented by statements and recommendations of the independent expert organizations.
Sometimes, the legal problems concerning protection and preservation of the cultural heritage can be solved just by taking a single look at the national legislation. But there is also often a necessity of a comparative dialogue. The rubric "LAW" should make a contribution to this dialogue.