Cultural Property and Heritage

Both cultural property and cultural heritage have a variety of legal definitions. Generally, however, cultural property, also known as tangible cultural heritage, is defined as movable or immovable property of great importance to the culture of people, such as works of art and monuments. Cultural property is afforded greater protection than other property. Article 27 of the 1907 Hague Convention Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land and Article 1 of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict elucidate the main definitions of cultural property for military purposes.

The term cultural heritage is broader than cultural property, can be tangible or intangible, and is more commonly accepted today, especially in international circles, than is the ...