Pay dearly, but get nothing out of it

Created: 01/11/2023, 02:00 p.m

By: Hans Moritz

Stefan Kluthe (2nd from right) was delighted with the Erding Archeology Prize.

He was congratulated by (from left) 3. District Administrator Rainer Mehringer, Social Affairs Minister Ulrike Scharf, AAE Chairman and Museum Director Harald Krause and Mayor Max Gotz.

© Bernd Heinzinger

The new Bavarian monument protection law is driving the Archaeological Association.

Above all, the high costs for builders who ultimately have nothing left.

The association hopes to be able to influence the state government.

Erding - After two corona-related failures, the New Year's reception of the Erding Archaeological Association (AVE) took place again this year in the Museum Erding.

Chairman Harald Krause dubbed the eleventh edition in front of numerous guests as the "most important of all time".

Because in addition to insights into the activities in the past three years, a planned change in the Bavarian Monument Protection Act took up the largest part of the event.

According to Krause, some positive innovations have been incorporated, such as the introduction of a Bavarian treasure shelf and the fact that finds will automatically become the property of the Free State in the future: "Upon application, a transfer to the municipality of the place of discovery can take place, provided there is professional archiving and storage is guaranteed," emphasized Krause and added: "Here in Erding that is the case."

He also saw the ban on technical tracking devices as positive, but the big but followed: "We are very critical of the planned anchoring of the initiator principle."

Builders would still have to bear the costs for excavations - regardless of whether it is a private, municipal or commercial project.

The addition "at a reasonable cost" is useless.

So far there has been little prospect of financial compensation from the Free State of Bavaria for excavations in the city and district of Erding, and the new version of the Monument Protection Act would not change that.

Krause: “Something has to happen.

Prime Minister Markus Söder said that Bavaria should not be a forced state.

But the initiator principle means exactly this compulsion.” Because builders would have to dig up and then pay for it themselves.

Despite the potentially high costs, the finds no longer belong to them.

There is still some time until the law is actually passed by the state parliament in April 2023.

The AVE therefore started a signature campaign with some demands.

For example, the cushioning of costs from a certain amount by a state fund or possible tax write-offs afterwards: "We are still at the very beginning, I would like to hand over the signatures to the Minister of Science Markus Blume at the end", Krause wished and looked above all to the Minister of State Ulrike Scharf who was present.

In addition to many words of praise for the association, she had a surprise in store for the AVE chairman: "I called the Minister of Science and received the promise that you could meet him for a conversation." Krause was clearly happy about it.

Mayor Max Gotz wants to see where the signature lists are in the city of Erding, but he still has to check a few legal matters.

For Gotz, too, it is “inexplicable that someone who fulfills their dream of owning their own home may be charged an additional 40,000 euros for archaeological finds”.

The delay in the construction project added to this.

The evening continued more positively, because Krause was allowed to present the Erding Archeology Prize.

Of the 212 members of the association, 57 percent took part in the election.

Stefan Kluthe won with a narrow majority.

With his camera-equipped drones, he makes everyday excavation work much easier.

Since 2015 he has discovered more than 100 new discoveries throughout Bavaria with considerable expenditure of time, Krause acknowledged.

Kluthe is currently also the honorary leader of a two-year project to introduce drone-based thermography in the preservation of archaeological monuments.

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Regarding the activities of the AVE, the chairman said that the association had participated in more than 50 excavations with positive results in the past three years.

In the town of Erding alone, the archaeologists discovered 47 historical finds, and nothing was found in a further 72 excavations: "There was something in at least every third excavation pit," emphasized the AVE chairman.

Whether traces from the Middle Ages under the former municipal brewery or settlements and ditches from the Hallstatt and Early La Tène periods on the Rotkreuzberg - there was a lot to explore.

At the Erding-West commercial area, there were “very exciting finds” on 20 hectares, according to Krause: “Here we discovered something like the development plan of the past 5000 years.” Among other things, the archaeologists found over 100 graves, a large building with more than 40 meters front length, smaller buildings and also some gold.

The find at the Kaiser gravel pit was also spectacular: "The first complete stone figure in Erdinger Land was found there, a lion griffin," Krause rejoiced.

Negotiations about ownership are currently underway, because according to the old version of the law, the figure still belongs to the client.

In this context, the AVE chairman also thanked the various excavation companies that involved the members of the association in the excavations: "They don't have to, and it's not a matter of course either." The New Year's reception then continued with intensive discussions at the buffet the musical accompaniment was provided by Rudi Koller and Andreas Biller.

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