The protection of fossils as cultural monuments in West Germany

The term 'cultural monument' - Kulturdenkmal in German- is usually at once associated with structures worthy of preservation, for example a half-timbered house or a Celtic hillfort. These are, however, only part of the range of items protected by the Law for the Protection of Cultural Monuments (Cesetz zum Schutz der Kulturdenkmale), passed by the Land (i.e. region in the Federal Republic of Germany) of Baden-Wurttemberg on 25 May, 1971. This law, the Monument Protection Law (Denkmalschutzgesetz) for short, became effective on 1 January, 1972, and includes fossils.