“Techno Culture in Berlin” has been added to the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Rave The Planet Initiative Succeeds: TEchno Culture in Berlin Now is Cultural Heritage
On Wednesday, March 13, 2024, we received the long-awaited response from the German UNESCO Commission regarding our application to include “Techno Culture in Berlin” on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This is a huge achievement, with signaling effects beyond the borders of Berlin!
Congratulations to everyone who has been shaping Berlin’s techno culture for almost 40 years and making it what it is today: a vibrand, colorful, divers and multi-national culture.
A big thank you to everyone who has been with us on this long journey, supporting us from Hans Cousto’s idea in 2011 until now.
Berlin culture creators, like Ellen Allien, Dimitri Hegemann, Alan Oldham, Alexander Kürger, Hans Cousto, and more, explain in our short documentary what techno culture in Berlin is about and why it’s important to protect it.
What is an Intangile Cultural Heritage?
Culture refers to values, traditions and different identities. A heritage is something that is handed down from generation to generation. Intangible means that it is not physical, but rather spiritual or intellectual.
In summary, Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) means living traditions and expressions, such as community gatherings, music, beliefs, cultural practices and crafts. For example, the Gay Pride Parade in Amsterdam, Reggae from Jamaica, HipHop Culture in Heidelberg and Zurich Techno Culture are already considered cultural heritage or living cultural practices.
Since March 14, 2024, thanks to our initiative, “Techno Culture in Berlin” has been added to the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.
Why Techno Culture in Berlin?
Berlin isn’t the only place where Techno Culture has emerged. The origins in Detroit, Chicago, Belgium, among others, but also in early electronic music genres, such as electronic body music, synth-pop and new beat.
However, the city’s peculiarities, such as the historical situation with the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the resulting euphoria, made it crucial for its development.
During the 1990s, vacant, administration-free spaces provided the ideal breeding ground for the creative cultural scene and fostered its exponential growth, which is reflected in the Love Parade, among other things, and has led to the close connection between techno and Berlin.
This is why the international techno family now refers to Berlin as the “world capital of techno”.
How to become ICH?
The nationwide register of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Germany
Every two years, applications for recognition as ICH can be submitted to the UNESCO. For this purpose, UNESCO provides a standardized form, which must also be accompanied by a technical cover letters and 10 photos, film or audio documents depicting the culture in its practice and diversity.
The nationwide Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage is compiled in a multi-stage process, by the German UNESCO Commission, the federal states, the Conference of Ministers of Culture and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Proposals for inscription are submitted by the respective municipalities.
What are the social benefits?
The recognition of techno culture and its inclusion in UNESCO’s nationwide directory has a huge symbolic effect. It puts pressure on authorities to act and guarantees international attention.
The status of ICH raises awareness of the fact that techno has long since emerged from its niche and become a cultural form in its own right. The public is made aware of the need to protect and preserve this culture so that the society can continue to benefit from it in the future.
For players in the cultural scene, access to spaces is simplified and obstacles imposed by the legislature can be overcome more easily.
What are the legal benefits?
The status of ICH lowers obstacles and requirements for the opening and maintenance of cultural venues, e.g. clubs. It also makes it easier to access government subsidies and non-profit funding. This will allow places that have been around for a long time to be much better protected.
In addition, the constitutional protection of art is improved by the status (German Basic Law, article 5 para 3). When it comes to considerations and decisions by the administration, e.g. with regard to sound insulation, fire, noise or monument protection, the UNESCO protection status makes it easier to decide in favor of the cultural sites.
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