Town planning and the archaeological cultural heritage
Planning will guarantee that the archaeological cultural heritage, i.e. the stationary relics and other archaeological entities, are protected and documented.
Why must the archaeological cultural heritage be marked on the plan?
Planning provides a way to convey information about the archaeological cultural heritage to the designers and authorities involved in land use. It is in the public interest that a plan provides accurate information about the land-use possibilities. Furthermore, when planning land use, the surroundings of a relic or other type of archaeological entity must be taken into account. The aim is to form a natural, protective buffer zone around the entity, determined by the landscape or the historical context. This makes planning the most important means of protecting the surroundings of archaeological entities.
How can the plan’s designer receive information about archaeological cultural heritage?
The plan designer is responsible for appropriately factoring in any archaeological cultural heritage when designing a plan. The museum authorities as the experts on the subject will provide information on the archaeological cultural heritage entities, i.e. which entities are protected by the Antiquities Act as stationary relics and which other archaeological cultural heritage entities should also be accounted for in the planning.
Updated information on stationary relics and other archaeological cultural heritage entities is available in the Ancient Relics Register maintained by the Finnish Heritage Agency. The information contained in the Ancient Relics Register can be browsed and downloaded via the Kulttuuriympäristön palveluikkuna service.
Read more from the Finnish Heritage Agency’s instructions Arkeologinen kulttuuriperintö ja kaavoitus(‘Instructions regarding archaeological cultural heritage and town planning’, in Finnish, updated February 20th 2020)