The Dutch National Heritage Service: an interview by Christa Hijink

Christa Hijink The Dutch National Heritage Service: an interview
Het ORGEL 101 (2005), nr. 1, 32-40 [summary]

Organs in The Netherlands, if they are included on the national monument list, are protected by the heritage law of 1988: it is forbidden to damage them or change them without permission. The government can subsidise restoration and maintenance of these instruments.
Rudi van Straten and, since 2003, Wim Diepenhorst, are preparing, as employees of the Dutch National Heritage Service, the text of the Governmental Resolution “Subsidy for Maintenance of Monuments”; the conditions are explained in the paper Sounding Heritage, which can be found at www.monumentenzorg.nl  The Resolution mentions the use of monuments; this might be a future condition for subsidising restorations. The Service is also studying the possibility of appointing ‘organ guardians’, whose task would be to monitor the state of historic organs and the activities using them.
Another important development is that organs from the 20th century can now be placed on the national heritage list. Not only are some (electro)pneumatic organs from the early 20th century accepted; a special committee is researching which organs of the period up to 1961 deserve protection as well.