European orientation towards the preservation of cultural heritage in the light of historical losses: Institutional and legal issues

Abstract

Preserving cultural heritage is an important task for society, especially considering historical experiences of losses that affect cultural values. The study is relevant considering the threat to cultural heritage because of many negative impacts caused by the war in Ukraine. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate and analyse the effectiveness of European institutions and legal mechanisms aimed at preserving cultural heritage in the light of historical experiences of losses, including identifying the main problems faced by Ukrainian institutions and legal systems in preserving cultural property after tragic events. The study is based on such methods as analysis, synthesis, and comparison, chosen to identify the most effective institutional practices and legal solutions. The study found that European countries have made considerable progress in preserving cultural heritage after historical losses. It was determined that institutional mechanisms, such as specialised bodies, foundations, and agencies, play a key role in the coordination and implementation of measures. Legal instruments, such as cultural heritage legislation and international treaties, provide a legal framework for the preservation of property. The findings of this study demonstrated that many countries pay special attention to public involvement in heritage preservation. Furthermore, the study helped to analyse the correlation between access to heritage sites and their protection, and to identify this as one of the main challenges of modern time. Another issue highlighted in this study was insufficient funding, which limits the possibilities of restoring and preserving cultural heritage. The results obtained make a significant contribution to the understanding of effective approaches to the preservation of cultural heritage in the context of historical losses. The paper reveals the prospects of implementing the successful experience of European countries in the national practices of Ukraine in terms of the impact of the challenges of preserving cultural property