This conference will take up the current problems in the preservation of national monuments facing UNESCO World Heritage sites in Germany, focusing on preventive conservation.

Preventive conservation is more complicated in the domain of conservation of national monuments than in the case of museums. The conservation of national monuments not only investigates and deals with the sources of material degradation, e.g. unfavorable climatic conditions, the influence of light and microorganic infestation, but has to seek solutions for other sorts of problems such as the legal protection of UNESCO World Heritage sites and the loopholes therein, the quality of and the potential risk to the protection of the surrounding areas of cultural sites or the consideration of potential risks inherent in applications for inclusion in the World Heritage List. The topic of the conference, preventive conservation, is quite relevant for the conservation and protection of national monuments in general. University study programs and workshop training programs should reflect the concerns of experts and specialists responsible for developing concepts and methods in preventive conservation and those who put them into practice.

As Hildesheim is the venue of the conference, the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Hildesheim Cathedral and St. Michael's Church will be involved. St Michael's Church is presently under restoration, which includes archaeological excavations. Following an architectural competition in 2005 the Cathedral will undergo comprehensive alterations.

The conference language is German.