At the request of Minister Bruins of Education, Culture and Science, the Council for Culture advised on the draft Designation Programme for 12 national monuments from the period 1965-1990, also known as Post 65. During these years, as many as four million properties were realised in the Netherlands. Many buildings and areas from this era are now under pressure due to preservation, rezoning and other spatial tasks.
To prevent valuable heritage from this period from disappearing unseen or randomly, more knowledge, recognition and support are needed. With the designation programme, the minister wants to take a first step towards more positive attention, appreciation and preservation of this relatively young heritage.
The council endorses the importance of public support and preservation of characteristic objects from the Post 65 period. The social significance of this heritage is great, but at the same time the council notes that public recognition is still limited. According to the council, the current programme can contribute to strengthening public support.
Provincial support
According to the council, it is essential that all provinces recognise and connect with these initial national designations. The designation of a special, nationally evocative monument in each province can contribute to the necessary provincial (and within it municipal) support. This not only increases regional support, but also emphasises the national value of the Post 65 heritage. In the council's opinion, every province should be represented in the initial designations from the State, including Drenthe, North Brabant and North Holland, which are currently not represented in the initial selection.
Strengthening underpinning
The council also recommends strengthening the substantiation of the choices made. The council finds the current selection of twelve objects appealing, but the motives for selecting these monuments as examples of the period are insufficiently clear. In the follow-up process towards a larger Post 65 designation programme, the council therefore recommends a more careful justification of the individual designations and clear substantiation of their national importance.
Greater focus on green public spaces and rural areas
Finally, the council notes the importance of green public spaces and rural areas in the Post 65 period. These elements are now underexposed in the selection. This is precisely where the council believes there are opportunities to promote greater awareness around Post 65, for example by explicitly focusing on special monuments in village communities and the land consolidation process.
