Historical heritage represents material or natural assets that have an importance in the history of a particular society or community.
It can be buildings, ruins, statues, sculptures, temples, churches, squares, or even part of a city, for example, the historic center.
This concept began to be disseminated in the 19th century after the French Revolution (1789).
Importance of historical heritage
These goods were built or developed by societies over time. They are closely related to the identity of the place and represent an important source of current research.
Through historical heritage we can, therefore, get to know history and everything that surrounds it. For example, the art, traditions, knowledge and culture of a specific people.
For this reason, there are currently several bodies that aim at the conservation and preservation of these assets.
Thus, the historical heritage brings together the set of events that have been developed over time and that carry symbolic aspects.
According to Decree Law No. 25 of 1937:
“Art. 1st – The set of national and artistic heritage constitutes the set of movable and immovable property existing in the country and whose conservation is of public interest, either due to its connection with memorable facts of the history of Brazil, or for its exceptional archaeological or ethnographic value bibliographic or artistic. ”
Historical and Cultural Heritage
Allied to the concept of historical heritage is that of cultural heritage. According to Article 216 of the Constitution, cultural heritage represents assets:
“(…) of a material and immaterial nature, taken individually or together, bearers of reference to the identity, to the action, to the memory of the different groups that form Brazilian society “.
Thus, cultural heritage can be divided into:
Material Cultural Heritage : as its name implies, it represents material cultural assets, for example, museums, libraries, universities, etc.
Intangible Cultural Heritage : also called “intangible heritage”, it gathers diverse cultural expressions, for example, knowledge, customs, parties, dances, legends, music, etc.
Note : In addition to Historical and Cultural Heritage, we can also mention Artistic Heritage (artistic goods) and Natural Heritage (natural goods).
