Conservationists and archaeologists in Saxony are warning of a "paradigm shift" with drastic consequences for the protection of historical buildings and ground monuments in the Free State in view of the administrative reform planned by the state government. The background to this are cabinet resolutions according to which the State Office for Archaeology and the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments are to be incorporated into the State Directorate of Saxony and thus become part of a large enforcement authority.
In an open letter entitled "No dismantling of archaeology, no destruction of monument preservation in Saxony", the Saxon Heritage Society, the Archaeological Society in Saxony, the Friends of the State Museum of Archaeology Chemnitz (smac), the Saxon Academy of Arts and the Association of Restorers criticize the plans as a de facto abolition of independent monument preservation. The letter is co-signed by numerous initiatives, heritage and history associations and nationwide professional associations.
