Likewise, over 200 archaeological sites bear witness to a history of settlement over many millennia.
Destination
The aim of monument protection is to preserve original building fabric, the appearance of cultural monuments and archaeological sites. A building or a soil find is a cultural monument if, for example, it is of public interest for historical, artistic, scientific or urban planning reasons. The Lower Saxony Monument Protection Act preserves architectural monuments, ground monuments, movable monuments and monuments of the history of the earth and declares them to be cultural assets worthy of protection.
All these monuments are listed in a register that can be viewed at the city's Lower Monument Protection Authority.
If a change is to be made to a cultural monument that interferes with its substance or alters its appearance, this must be approved by the responsible lower monument protection authority before the measure is started. This also applies to the interior of a monument. The obligation to apply exists in principle and irrespective of whether the project requires a building permit or not. Construction measures in the vicinity of a monument, excavations and the search for cultural monuments using technical aids, as well as earthworks at a site where there is mere suspicion of archaeological monuments, are also subject to approval.
Monument owners can receive funding
For owners of monuments or buildings that are particularly worthy of preservation, the city of Wolfsburg's grant campaign is taking place again this year. Financial support is available for structural measures on listed buildings and facilities as well as on properties located in the historic town centers of Fallersleben and Vorsfelde, which are protected by a preservation statute. Applications for funding are also possible for owners of buildings for which a certificate of particularly worthy preservation has been issued. The measures must be agreed and approved in advance with the Lower Monument Protection Authority.
Only measures on private buildings are financially supported by the city's voluntary funding. A total of 50,000 euros is available for this in the 2024 funding year.
An informal funding application in digital form is sufficient. The corresponding invoices must be submitted to the Lower Monument Protection Authority after completion of the approved construction measure and the structural condition before and after the measure must be documented photographically. The deadline this year is September 29, 2024.
Questions about the subsidies can be answered by the Lower Monument Protection Authority on 05361/28-2969 or susanne.dreissigacker@stadt.wolfsburg.de.
Historic Building Preservation
Susanne Thirtyacker
City Hall B, Room 324
Tel: 05361 28-2969
Friederike Hansen
City Hall B, Room 324
Tel: 05361 28-2166
Rado Velkavrh
City Hall B, Room 325
Tel: 05361 28-2720
Archaeological Heritage
Daniel Pollok
City Hall B, Room 325
Tel: 05361 28-2491
Cityscape maintenance
Nicole Froberg
City Hall B, Room 323
Tel: 05361 28-1643
With the Lower Saxony Monument Atlas, which has been publicly accessible since the end of January 2020, Lower Saxony's monuments are not only better recorded, researched and protected, but also presented in a more comprehensible way. The Monument Atlas is based on the monument database of the state of Lower Saxony, which contains more than 100,000 architectural and artistic monuments and around 25,000 archaeological monuments in Lower Saxony.
For Wolfsburg, more than 1,600 individual monuments of the young city as well as 100 groups of buildings can be researched with their core data. Texts and illustrations provide background information and explain their respective significance as legally protected monuments. In addition, further publications and collections are offered.
The "denkmal viewer" function additionally offers the monument inventory as a map view. It is based on the data of the State Office for Geoinformation and Land Surveying of Lower Saxony (LGLN) and shows current maps as well as historical plans.
The possibility of online research in the Lower Saxony Monument Atlas serves as an initial entry point and supplements the existing information options on cultural monuments. Legally binding information is still provided by the Lower Monument Protection Authority.
Permission from the monument protection authority is required for anyone who wants to destroy, alter, repair or restore a cultural monument (Section 10 NDSchG). Permission is also required for installations in the vicinity of a monument that affect the appearance of the monument (Section 8 NDSchG).
The scope of measures on a monument requiring approval is broad. This includes, for example, painting and plastering work, window replacement and roofing, as well as the repair of damaged half-timbering, the installation of advertising structures or the repair of enclosures.
Approval procedure
Application form monument permit
The application for approval under monument protection legislation must be made in writing and submitted in duplicate with all the necessary documents. It is recommended to coordinate all measures with the Lower Monument Protection Authority of the City of Wolfsburg before submitting the application.
The use of the application form facilitates the application.
Note
Fees
Comment
Tax depreciation
Approval procedure
The use of the prepared application form facilitates the application.
Notes:
The implementation of the planned measure may only be started after receipt of the permit.
If measures requiring approval are carried out without approval under monument law, this is an administrative offense in accordance with Section 35 of the NDSchG.
All archaeological finds must be reported immediately to the Lower Monument Protection Authority of the City of Wolfsburg. This authority checks whether the soil find is a cultural monument in the sense of the NDSchG. In this case, the site is to be left unchanged.
The approval under monument law does not include the private-law approvals for access and use of land and is granted subject to further public-law approval requirements.
Fees
A permit in accordance with Section 173 of the German Building Code (BauGB ) is required for anyone intending to erect, demolish, alter or change the use of buildings in the area covered by a preservation statute.
Structures worthy of preservation within the meaning of the statutes are those which alone or in conjunction with other structures are characteristic of the townscape or urban design, i.e. which exhibit defining design features, or which are otherwise of urban, historical or artistic significance.
Approval procedure
The application for approval in accordance with Section 173 BauGB must be made in writing and submitted in duplicate with all required documents. It is recommended that all measures be coordinated with the City of Wolfsburg's Stadtbildpflege before submitting the application.
The use of the application form facilitates the application process
Fees
Comment
Sample application for the issuance of a certificate pursuant to sections 7i, 10f and 11b EStG
In accordance with the German Income Tax Act (EStG), the state promotes the preservation of historical buildings through increased tax depreciation. In the case of a listed building, all expenses are taken into account that are absolutely necessary for the preservation of the building (interior and exterior) or for its sensible use.
You can apply for the corresponding certificate for submission to the tax office at the lower monument protection authority.
The responsible tax office will determine whether these are taxable production or maintenance costs within the meaning of Sections 7i, 10f, 11b of the German Income Tax Act (EStG) or other costs that are not eligible for tax relief.
Use of the application form facilitates the application process.
The following form must be used for the special case of a tax allowance for cultural assets worthy of protection, which are neither used to generate income nor for own residential purposes according to section 10g EStG.
Requirements for certification:
Required Documents:
- Statement of costs, arranged according to trades
- Original invoices, numbered according to the cost statement (copies of invoices cannot be accepted).
- Approval under monument protection law, showing that the construction measures have been agreed with the monument protection authority
- If applicable, proof of grants/subsidies from public funds
Fee for the preparation of a certificate
Note
Since the search with the metal detector involves the possibility of unearthing a cultural monument, a permit is required in Lower Saxony under the Monument Protection Act in accordance with Section 12 of the NDSchG.
In order to prevent damage to you and the cultural monument, prior theoretical and practical training at the Lower Saxony State Office for the Preservation of Monuments is usually a prerequisite for the issuance of this permit. If you are interested in probing with a metal detector - or are already "probing" - please contact the Lower Monument Protection Authority of the City of Wolfsburg.
Approval procedure
The application for approval under monument protection legislation must be made in writing and submitted in duplicate with all the necessary documents. It is recommended to coordinate all measures with the Lower Monument Protection Authority of the City of Wolfsburg before submitting the application.
The use of the prepared application form facilitates the application.
Link: Application form for approval under monument law(§ 10 NDSchG)
Notice:
The use of a metal probe may only be started after obtaining the permit.
Searching with a metal detector without a permit under monument law constitutes an administrative offense under Section 35 of the NDSchG and may be punishable by a fine.
The monument law permit does not include private law permits for access and use of land and is issued subject to further public law permit requirements.
