The Red List of World Heritage in Danger

There is not only a list of all world heritage sites, but also a kind of red list of endangered world heritage sites. Changes can affect the heritage to such an extent that it no longer has its original value. Whether it is neglect of care, active destruction through wars and conflicts, or urban intervention.

According to the guidelines for the implementation of the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, criteria for vulnerability are the following:

For cultural heritage sites:

Danger identified

• Severe deterioration of material, structure and/or ornamentation (An example from Germany: Dresden lost its World Heritage status through the construction of a bridge over the Elbe, which significantly changed the cityscape).
• Substantial loss of historical authenticity
• Considerable loss of cultural significance

The Buddha statue of Bamijan (Afghanistan), left 1928 - right after the destruction by the Taliban in 2016. (public domain, www.wikipedia.de)

Possible danger:

• Change in the legal status of the property which reduces the degree of its protection.
• Lack of a conservation policy
• Impending impacts of regional development projects or urban planning
• Outbreak or threat of armed conflict
• Gradual change due to geological, climatic or other environmental factors

For natural heritage sites:

Danger detected

• Serious decline in the population of endangered species or other species of exceptional universal value for the protection of which the World Heritage was created
• Serious damage to the natural beauty or scientific value of the site
• Human interventions at borders or headwaters threatening the integrity of the natural heritage

Possible danger

• Change of legal status as a protected area or lack of protection project (One example was the planned expressway through the Serengeti National Park, which would have severely affected the world-famous migrations of large herds of animals.)
• Outbreak or threat of armed conflict
• Gradual change due to geological, climatic or other environmental factors (One example is the large barrier reef in Australia, which is massively threatened by global warming.)

Wildebeest migration in the Serengeti plain 
picture: CC-BY-SA 4.0, Daniel Rosengren www.wikipedia.de

Criteria to become UNESCO world heritage

The inclusion in the UNESCO list is decided by a committee. The recording must be of exceptional general value. The place or property must meet one or more specific criteria.

There are 10 different criteria to become an UNESCO heritage:

I.                    Be a masterpiece of the creative spirit of man (such as the Würzburg Residence, the Porta Nigra in Trier, the Aachen Palatine Chapel or the Wieskirche).

II.                  Have a great influence in a certain cultural circle. Architecture, town planning or landscape design (e.g. St. Michael in Hildesheim or Speyer Cathedral on the development of Romanesque architecture, the Bauhaus in Dessau as the cradle of the international style of 20th century architecture, the old town of Bamberg, the architecture of which had an impact as far as Hungary).

III.                Be an unique or outstanding testimony of a vanished civilization or cultural epoch (such as Stonehenge, the Roman buildings of Trier, but also the Baroque Wieskirche in Bavaria).

IV.                Be an outstanding characteristic example of architecture, ensemble type or landscape design in an epoch of human history (Würzburg Residence, palaces and gardens in Potsdam, Old Town of Luxembourg, Maulbronn Monastery, Bamberg Old Town). This criterion is most frequently used.

The Old Town of Lübeck has become a world heritage site 

CC-BY-SA 4.0 Andreas Murmann

V.                  Be an excellent example of an endangered settlement or land management of a culture (e.g. rice terraces in the Philippines).

VI.                Be directly linked to important events, traditional lifestyles, ideas or beliefs, or to artistic or literary works of exceptional universal significance. (Golden Bull as Basic Law of the Holy Roman Empire, blast furnace in Völklingen)

VII.              Show outstanding natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty (such as the Yellowstone National Park)

VIII.            Present extraordinary examples of the different periods of the earth's history (such as the Messel pit near Darmstadt)

IX.                Be exceptional examples of important biological processes and habitats (such as the Galapagos Islands or the Serengeti National Park with its migrating animals)

X.                  Contain the most important and typical habitats for the conservation of biodiversity (such as the wadden sea)

To be considered a property of outstanding universal value, the heritage must also meet the conditions of integrity and/or authenticity and have a protection and management plan sufficient to ensure its preservation. There is no financial support through the UNESCO. The countries are obliged to care for the heritage themselves.

How to become an UNESCO world heritage

The UNESCO headquarter is in Paris. The exact meaning of the name is United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization - so it deals with issues around education, science and culture. UNESCO consists of 195 member states, 193 of which come from the United Nations.

The basic idea behind UNESCO is to preserve natural and cultural heritage sites of exceptional universal value for present and future generations. Member States are called upon to designate significant sites (material heritage) on their territory and to present their significance as irreplaceable human heritage in a nomination process. On the basis of the evaluation by two different institutions, it will be decided whether the inscription in the World Heritage List is justified or not.

The first step in the nomination procedure is the national lists of nominations, so-called "Tentative Lists". The lists should cover a period of 10 years. In Germany, due to the given situation, countries are responsible for nominating and financing heirs. Applications for natural heritage sites are the responsibility of the competent authorities of the countries (usually ministries for the environment/nature conservation) in coordination with the Federal Environment Ministry.

The Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the countries in Germany then leads the list drawn up by the countries to a uniform German list. After that the list will be forwarded via the Federal Foreign Office to Paris for a second review. Since February 2018, it will not be permitted to submit 2 nominations per year, as previously, but only one nomination per year.

Julien

The Grimm brothers’ fairytale collection

Grimm’s fairytales are the common name for a famous collection of fairytales collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the years 1812 to 1858.

At the suggestion of the Romantic Clemens Brentano and others, the brothers originally collected fairy tales from their circle of acquaintances and from literary works for Brentano’s folk song collection “Des Knaben Wunderhorn” from 1806.

Since 2005, the fairy tales have been part of the World Heritage List. Listed are 14 books of collected fairytales and 2 books filled with commentaries. They all date back to the years between 1812 and 1857. Those first editions of the personal heritage of the Grimm family have lots of handwritten comments and additional notes made by the Grimm Brothers. The first edition contained 155 fairy tales - by the time the sixth edition was published, there were more than 210 fairy tales. The best known are "Snow White", "Cinderella" and "Hänsel and Gretel".

Along with the Luther Bible the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm are the best-known and most widely distributed book in German cultural history worldwide. They are also the first systematic summary and scientific documentation of the European fairytale tradition.

Kahoot games

During our project we were creating Kahoot games about heritage. You want to try some? Here you are!

Game 1

Game 2 (easy version)

The institute of town history - the City Archive of Frankfurt

Main entrance of the Institute of town history in Frankfurt. 

Picture: A.Murmann CC-BY-SA 4.0

The archive of the city of Frankfurt am Main is one of the largest municipal archives in Germany. Under the name Institute for City History, it collects all historically and legally significant documents of Frankfurt city history. This includes files from city authorities, maps and plans, court files and newspapers. The collection of historical photos and films is particularly in demand among users. The archive has existed since 1436 and is now housed in the rooms of the former Carmelite monastery in Frankfurt's old town. In addition to the underground magazines at the main location, there is also a branch office where the restoration workshop is located. The most important document of the archive is the Frankfurt copy of the "Golden Bull", the law, which regulates the election of the German kings. This document from 1356 has been listed as an UNESCO World Heritage in 2013. Its name refers to the golden seal attached to it.

Our students had the chance to visit the archive with three different groups and also to see the restoration workshop two times. Thanks a lot to the people of the institute.

Sanssouci - Potsdam

The Sanssouci Castle is located in Potsdam. Between 1745 and 1747 the Prussian King Friedrich II had built a small rococo summer palace with a baroque garden. He commissioned the architect Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff with the planning.

It is a synthesis of the art movements of the 18th century in the cities and courts of Europe. The castle has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. The name Sanssouci - without worries - is to be understood as a wish and leitmotif of the king, because this is where he preferred to retreat with his dogs

View from the south

Picture: MbzT, Wikipedia.de, CC BY-SA 3.0

.
The rooms are characterised by elegance and stylish splendour. To the left and right of the castle are two other buildings: the New Chambers, which serve as guest houses, and the picture gallery with paintings by Rubens, Caravaggio and Tintoretto.

In death, the king wanted to be close to his Sanssouci. Since 1991 the tomb of Friedrich the Great has been located on the upper terrace of the castle. Sanssouci Castle and Park are a synthesis of 18th century art in the cities and courtyards of Europe. For this reason, this World Heritage Site has been protected by UNESCO since 1990.


Alea

The castles Augustusburg and Falkenlust

The castle Augustusburg from the back

CC BY-SA 4.0 Martin Falbisoner (Wikipedia.de)

The castles Augustusburg and Falkenlust are in the city of Brühl. The city of Brühl is located in the Rhineland. The castle Augustusburg is connected to the castle Falkenlust by a huge castle park area. The two castles are built in the architectural styles Baroque and Rococo. Augustusburg and Falkenlust were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984 as the first important creations of the Rococo style in Germany. In the 12th century, the archbishops of Cologne owned a farm and a park at that location. The castle Augustusburg was the summer residence of the archbishops of Cologne. The castle Falkenlust was a hunting lodge. Castle Falkenlust was planned and built between 1729 and 1737 by François de Cuvilliés for the Elector of Cologne, a supporter of hawk hunting. The castles haven´t been changed and still preserved in the authentic style of Rococo.

Vivien

Caves and Ice Age Art of the Swabian Alb

In the last part of the Ice Age (Würm Ice Age), the Swabian Alb was inhabited by people who left behind unique items in caves. Since 2017, six caves in the eastern part of Baden-Württemberg have been part of the "Caves and Ice Age Art of the Swabian Alb" World Heritage Site.

The density of archaeological sites there is extraordinary. Since their discovery in the 1860s, stone and bone tools as well as jewellery and art objects between 35,000 and 43,000 years old have been found at all sites. Caves and finds provide outstanding evidence of the culture of the first modern people to settle in Europe.

Flute from the bone of a griffon vulture, 
Museopedia / Wikipedia org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Unique testimonies of this culture, which have been preserved in the caves, are carved figures, jewellery and musical instruments. They are among the oldest examples of figurative art and the oldest musical instruments found in the world to date (flutes made of bird bones). More than 50 figures and remains of 24 flutes testify not only to the beginning of the fine arts, but also to music.


Tobi

Aachen Cathedral

Aachen Cathedral is a large church in western Germany, where kings in Germany used to be crowned. This cathedral was the first German monument to become a member of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 1978 and is thus once again under special protection.

Every seven years there is a great pilgrimage, where believers from all over the world can visit the Shrines of Aachen, the so-called Relics like a special one, the nappy of Jesus. In the cathedral there is also the tomb of Charlemagne, his crowning place and throne. The cathedral treasury has got one of the most important ecclesiastical cultural treasures of the world.

Aachen Cathedral as we know it today was built step by step over a long period of time, as it was also rebuilt or extended 

Frontview of the Aachen Cathedral

Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, Wikipedia

more often.
The church was built over the remains of a Roman spa, made of many different building materials from the entire Frankish Empire, as well as refined with Roman columns and other parts. 


Charlemagne has led a revolutionary policy. He introduced a forerunner of the Basic Law, a unified script, and the most important thing for mankind, he let himself become crowned as a Roman Emperor.

Sounding stupid? People believed that there will be only four big empires and the Roman empire was the fourth and last. At that time, people believed that the world will go down after the fourth empire has ended and that just did not happen because of Charlesmagne’s coronation as Roman Emperor. For this reason, his successors until 1531 were crowned and buryied in Aachen cathedral.

Finn

Wilhelmshöhe Mountain Park

It is the largest mountain park in Europe. More than 560 hectares of parkland on the slopes of the Habichtswald, a mountain range near the northern Hessian city of Kassel, show garden artistic ideas for the representation of absolutist rule.

Water games at night - the Hercules statue in the background. 
Picture: Malte Ruhnke, www.wikipedia.de, CC-BY-SA 3.0

There are also mountain parks in Italy, mostly in the form of terraces on mountain slopes, but never in size. Baroque gardens in the French style lie on the plain. Today - especially the lower part - follows the ideas of the English landscape garden with its simulation of nature. The combination of styles and size make “Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe” unique.

Wilhelmshöhe has been attracting curious visitors from all over Europe and the world for several centuries. The water games are regularly played with 750,000 litres of water, which are unleashed on a mountain top and artistically guided in lifts. Over a length of many kilometres, five different stage sets can be seen: the baroque cascades, the Steinhöfer waterfall, the Devil's Bridge, the aqueduct and the fountain pond, which has a 50-metre-high fountain. The complex is dominated by a statue of Hercules, which today is the landmark of the city of Kassel.

The park was laid out by the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel from 1696. In the following 150 years it was extended several times. Since 2013, the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe with its historic fountains has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


Loris

Viking town Haithabu

The former Viking settlement of Haithabu lies on the German-Danish border. It was known as an important trading place. The town was founded in 770 AD and soon became very famous. In the 9th century a second settlement was built

Reconstructed Viking settlement Haithabu

© Kai-Erik Ballak / CC-BY-SA-3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)“

further north on the Haithabu stream. Towards the end of the 9th century parts of the settlement to the north and south were abandoned, while the Haithabu brook was further used. Its use offered a strong shortcut across the Jutland peninsula towards the North Sea. From the 9th to the 10th century almost one thousand inhabitants inhabited the trading centre. For centuries Haithabu was the decisive south-north connection from Hamburg to Viborg in Jutland.
Goods from Norway, Sweden, Ireland, the Baltic States, Constantinople, Baghdad and the Frankish Empire were traded in Haithabu. Between the 8th and 11th centuries, the settlement was at the centre of the trade networks between northern and western Europe and formed a hub between Scandinavia and Europe.

In short, Haithabu had been a trading town for Vikings. It was one of the most important trading cities in its time. In May 2018 it was officially declared a World Heritage Site. 

Gizem

Criteria to choose official hertiage (sites)

"According to which criteria cultural or natural objects should be on an official heritage list?"

A choice of the answers:

• It has to be unique to the country or if it is not, it has to be astonishing compared to others .It has to represent history of the country.
• Something that is historical and different from the others, it has to have a special meaning for the world/country/pernor
• Something that is historically important or represents a special kind of design or intelligence that someone reached
• Its impact on society
• It should be a special location or object, different from the others. They should have an exceptional value and a remarkable kind of beauty with some history behind it.
• They should have been around long enough that they represent something important. They should have made an impact on the society or have influenced a place's history in some way.
• They must be objects not common for other countries or regions, (like the human castles in catalonia) and they must identify the people too.
• Cultural and natural object shoud be on an oficial heritage list acording to if they are special and about their history, depending on if they have a unique geographic situation or a cultural aspect that should be kept.
• These objects should be representative and unique, also they may have something special or a history behind, so it's important and has a reason to be remembered and conserved.
• It should be something, which units more than two generation like some movies.
• It has to be old & has got an important history
• something old, important in history, beauty
• I think it is all about how old the object is or how important it is for the history according to the antiquity, the complexity and the beauty
• I think that a language like English would be a good criteria.
• They should have a generation-spanning history
• It is something important like when you think about the country you think about that like the Brandenburger Tor. It is not in the heritage list but that should be in the heritage list.
• They should be measured by the value of all and how important they are to our future or how
• If it important for a lot people or has a long history, than it has to be on an official heritage list.
• I think an object should be on a heritage list when it´s a fundamental part for many people or the history of the country (like the wall of Berlin which isn´t a heritage site yet).

The most famous heritage sites in our countries – Top 11

Asking students about the UNESCO-Sites they know within their countries led to the following Top 11-list. Unsurprisingly this list is heavily affected by nearby monuments and also shows the effect of working inside the project. Keeping in mind that lots of answers came from students of Babenhausen German UNESCO sites were mentioned more often than those of Barcelona, Lisbon or Lentvaris.


1. Cologne Cathedral / Kölner Dom

Cathedral of Cologne, Picture: Raimond Spekking

CC BY-SA 4.0 www.wikipedia.org

Cologne Cathedral is a Catholic Cathedral in North Rhine- Westphalia, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of. It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and was declared a World Heritage site in 1996. The towers are 157 m high and the construction started in 1248 and was finished by the end of the 19th century. It contains the grace of the three holy kings.

2. Messel pit/Grube Messel

The Messel pit, near the German city Darmstadt is a famous fossil site with a big geological and scientific importance. Since 1995 the Messel pit is a part of the UNESCO world heritage and the first natural heritage site of Germany. In the 1970s serious scientific excavation of fossils took place in this pit and it didn’t stop yet, still today are significant scientific discoveries being made and the site has increasingly become a tourist site as well.

What was found in the Messel pit?

The fossil finds from the pit Messel are very extensive and include not only plants but also invertebrates and vertebrates. There are more than 75 families of more than 200 species known for micro and macro fossil plants alone. Up to now, 130 taxa have been identified among vertebrates, including more than 40 species from more than 30 genera of the mammals alone – tiny primeval horses being the most famous. 

Primeval horse (Propalaeotherium hassiacum) in Senckenberg Museum,

picture by Daderot, wikipedia.org,

C0 1.0

3. Jerónimos Monastery/ Monteiro dos Jerónimos

The Jerónimos Monastery, is a former monastery of the Order Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in Belem close to Lisbon. It’s constrctution started on January 6th 1501. Did you know: the design of Jerónimos Monastery is a combination of Gothic, and early Renaissance styles.

Roman bath of Fort Salisberg, Hanau-Kesselstadt, 

picture: Reinhard Dietrich, wikipedia.org, CC0 1.0

4. The Limes

The limes is an ancient roman border wall crossing almost all central Europe. Major parts belong to Germany. Close to Babenhausen are many town connected to the Limes. For example Hanau: Hanau lies at the point where the Kinzig and the Main rivers meet. Two forts were discovered in Kesselstadt – a part of town. The elder fort was built around 88 AD and the second around 100 AD. The fort bath was excavated in the old graveyard of Kesselstadt. Its walls are still visible. Below the current centre of Kesselstadt there was a 14 ha large marching camp that was only temporarily used.

5. Trakai castle

Trakai castle is an Island castle located in Trakai (Lithuania) on an Island in Lake Galve. The construction of the stone castle was begun in the 14th century by Kestutis and around 1409 major works were completed by his son Vytautas the Great who died in this castle in 1430.

6. Aachen Cathedral

Frontview of the Aachen Cathedral

Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, Wikipedia

Aachen Cathedra traditionally called in English the Cathedral of Aix-La-Chapelle is a Roman catholic church in Aachen. It is a historical importance because it was the center of the Carolingian empire in the early middle age. It contains the throne of Emperor Charlemagne. 










7. Sagrada Familia  

The Basilica “Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Famila” is a large unfinished Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. The construction started in 1882. Height: 172 m

8. Belém Tower

Belem tower, or the “Tower of Saint Vincent”, is a fortified tower located in the estuary of the river Tagus in Lisbon. The ship-shaped fortification was constructed in 1514 and is 30 m high. It is a World Heritage Site because of the significant role it played in the Portuguese maritime discoveries of the era of the Age of Discoveries.

9. Gediminas tower

Gediminas tower is he remaining part of the Upper castle in Vilnius Lithuania.

The first wooden fortifications were built by Gediminas grand duke of Lithuania. The first brick castle was completed in 1409 by Grand Duke Vytautas. The three floor tower was rebuilt in 1933 by Polish architect Jan Borowski and is 48 m high. Gediminas Tower is an important state and historic symbol of the city of Vilnius and of Lithuania itself.



10. Vilnius Old town

The well-preserved old town is known for historic buildings in a variety of different styles, including Baroque and Gothic churches. It is the largest preserved old town in Eastern Europe.

11. Paisagem de Sintra

In the 19th century Sintra became the first centre of European Romantic architecture. Ferdinand ll turned a ruined monastery into a castle where this new sensitivity was displayed in the use of Gothic Egyptain, Moorish and Renaissance elements and in the creation of a park blending dwellings, built along the same lines in the surrounding sera, created a unique combination of parks and gardens which influenced the development of landscape architecture throughout Europe.

Palacio di Pena - Sintra, CC-BY 2.0,

Wikimedia.commons, Picture by: Singa Hitam

Stella


All pictures except where mentioned: Andreas Murmann, CC-BY-SA 4.0

The art of organ building - an immaterial heritage of Germany

• The art of organ building has a long tradition in Germany. Organs have been built and played in Central Europe for over 1200 years. Organ playing has its greatest importance in the Christian liturgy . 
• Organ builders not only build the instruments, but also design and construct them. They determine the sound of the instrument and also take care of maintaining and cleaning organs and tuning them.
• Organ building, together with organ music, was included in the worldwide register of immaterial cultural heritage in

  

  The Beckerath-organ of St. Pius church in
  Obertshausen. The Beckerath company
  is an organ manufacturer from Hamburg.
  Picture: A.Murmann CC-BY-SA 4.0

  2017 as a form of culture and craftsmanship.
• Germany is the organ country - hardly any other country has so many organs. Since the Baroque period, many famous composers have written organ works, for example Johann Sebastian Bach or Brahms and Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
• The particularly rich and lively culture of organ building and organ music is demonstrated by 50,000 organs in Germany, 400 organ building companies with approx. 1,800 employees and 180 trainees as well as 3,500 full-time and ten thousand honorary organists.
• Most organs in Germany are located in churches.

 

Types of threat to cultural heritage

 1. Threat of decay

Many cultural heritage sites and treasures are endangered or even destroyed by natural influences.

Example: Organs in Northern Germany

The northwest of Germany has the highest density of playable historical organ instruments in the world. This is a unique cultural treasure. But this has been threatened by corrosion and mould. These organs are so important because they make it possible to feel how the music was played 400 years ago.


2. Destruction of the panorama

Many panoramas of cultural heritage and treasures are endangered by the construction of other buildings.

Example: Cologne Cathedral

The planned construction of five skyscrapers on the opposite side of the Rhine would endanger the significance of Cologne Cathedral.  This would be a considerable setback for Germany's reputation. However, for the reasons mentioned above, this planned construction was not carried out.

3. Destruction by fire

Some cultural heritage sites and treasures have been endangered or even destroyed by fires.

Example: Anna Amalia Library in Weimar

On the evening of September 2, 2004 there was a fire in the famous library of Anna Amalia. A defective electrical cable connection caused a huge fire in the library. It was the biggest library fire since World War II. There are about 50,000 books burned and 2 floors of the historic site.

4 Threats through tourism

Many cultural heritage sites are endangered by the ever increasing tourism or even whole parts are destroyed.

5 Threat of war

Cultural heritage sites have been and are under threat from wars or have already been destroyed. The destruction of the ruins of Palmyra by the IS.

Documentary heritage

Documentary heritage


Not only buildings can belong to the World Heritage, but also documents - from photos to portfolios. UNESCO has formulated admission criteria for this purpose.

Reasons for inclusion in the list are:

1. It is a masterpiece of human creative power.

2. It is a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to an existing or lost culture.

3. The document is directly linked to works of exceptional universal significance. This applies to events, ways of life, creeds, art or literature. (only in combination with reason 1 or 2)

Examples of documentary heritage from Germany

Criterion 1: A masterpiece created by a human being. For example, Beethoven's 9th Symphony. That is why the manuscript of the score is part of the documentary heritage

Criterion 2: A testimony or document that is of high importance for the culture in which it originated. For example the fairy tale collection of the Brothers Grimm. It is also important that it is not only a collection of stories, but also a scientific work on the fairy tales.

Criterion 3: Can only exist in conjunction with criteria 1 or 2: A document linked to works of exceptional importance.  This also applies to events. For example, the documents on the Auschwitz trial or the 42-line Gutenberg Bible.

The Golden Bull of 1356

The Golden Bull of 1356

Golden Bull (Frankfurt Copy)
© Uwe Dettmar, with kind permission of Institute for the history of Frankfurt

In addition to buildings, documents can also be included in the World Heritage List. An example from Frankfurt is the Golden Bull. The term bull refers to the large golden seal on the document.


Prehistory

In the middle ages the princes of the territories have chosen the king candidate. Who got the majority of votes, became the king. The king´s exercise was making the rival candidates his opinion. He did this with granting privileges.

After the Staufer´s reign time was an interregnum, a time of transitional government, in which the king always lost more influence. That happened because there was a disagreement over the election of the king and unstable might structures. Aristocrats got unlawfully very rich by oppressing less powerful people with new established taxes and duties. That contributed to the lesser might of the Roman Empire. Gradually the people were of the opinion, the king’s election had to be exactly regulated and the emperor should create law and justice.

Karl IV – the initiator

 In 1346 Charles IV paved the way to the throne. First he was an anti-king, he was set up against Ludwig IV. After Ludwig´s death Karl IV has been crowned und had to - like every king – grant special rights. When he had consolidated his position he wanted to rearrange the relationship to the prince-electors.

The Golden Bull

An imperial diet to create the bull

In 1356 Karl IV organized an imperial diet in the city of Nuremberg. Together this bishops and princes he discussed the modalities of the future elections of the kings of the Holy Roman Empire. The Golden Bull should fix these election modalities by accessing to older regulations and modifying just a few things. The princes and Karl IV discussed for a long time, then they agreed. To clear up discrepancies Karl IV granted privileges but he still could not enforce all of his ideals, like to strengthen the (well – his) central power.

Essential regulations

In the Golden Bull has been set that 7 prince-electors, 3 spirituals and 4 seculars, are entitled for electing the king in Frankfurt. These had to take an oath making decisions without secret collusion or bribery payment. Every prince had a certain function like the chancellorship or representing the military. The chancellor of the German area had the most important function and was allowed to make the decisive final vote in a case of a tie. The pope did not have a voice in the king´s election anymore. That was a sign of independence of the prince-electors of the Roman Empire.

As a compensation the princes were ascribed immunity and protection against prosecution, the inheritance of their titles also got regulated. The electoral rights were declared as heritable and indivisible. Furthermore, they got many special rights, like the coinage prerogative, the right to mint and issue coins and the customs law, with it they are allowed to raise taxes and duties in their own territories.