ABSTRACT
The Netherlands is a physically small, densely peopled, and governmentally centralised country, with a high degree of social homogeneity, centrally located between major European cultural blocs of Germany, France and Britain. In The Netherlands the Monumentenwet (Monument Act) 1961 consolidated previous legislation about individual monuments, increased the possibilities of governmental subsidy for restoration but also recognised the importance of ensembles by creating the beschermde stads(dorps) gezicht (Protected urban (village) scene). The expansion of the lists of monuments and the designation of ever-wider conservation areas has not only increased the number of buildings but also altered their nature. The expanding number of preserved buildings and areas and the increasing role of conservation within local planning have shifted the focus from architectural preservation to the place of fostered historicity within much wider issues. In The Netherlands these have included sharp debates upon the social consequences of area designation and the role of built environment conservation within functioning of inner cities in particular.
