Monument protection, who actually cares about that?

Hello,
of course I would never do something like that, but just out of curiosity:

Let's assume I bought a half-timbered house with historic preservation status and would like to tear down a wall, which is not allowed because of the preservation status.

If I now call in a structural engineer because of the wall, does he care about the historic preservation status?

And if the structural engineer says the wall can go and I would call a company and say the wall should go, do they care about the historic preservation status?

Or in other words: If I just damn well tear down the wall, who cares?

Best regards

Of course you wouldn't do it! Violating the [Denkmalschutzgesetz] is an administrative offense. The fine can be up to €250,000.

It does not concern anyone as long as it goes unnoticed. Otherwise: see above. The monument protection authority can order the dismantling and additionally impose a fine. The restrictions associated with monument protection are, of course, clarified before the purchase of the house. For this, there is, if necessary, the professional purchase consultation of an architect experienced in half-timbered and old buildings. Incidentally, based on the assessment of numerous damages to half-timbered buildings, I can conclude that vigor and ignorance of the subject matter is not a promising combination. Unfortunately, this often happens.

That is clear, the question now was how should someone from the [Denkmalbehörde] find out about it? They certainly do not check all half-timbered houses in Germany every year.

Hi,
if the change is visible from the outside and the house is not exactly completely secluded in the forest, someone can notice it pretty quickly.
And if you change anything inside, your neighbors will notice your construction work. And unfortunately, in this country, there are always many people who feel called upon, in the best block warden manner, to ensure that every regulation is followed exactly.

Best regards,

Andreas

Or in other words: If I now just tear down the wall without a care, who cares?
[...]
How should someone from the monument authority find out about it?

If it is a load-bearing wall, you will be very interested in that very quickly. If it is not a load-bearing wall, the monument authority will of course only find out if there is a proper formal building application or if the house is ever inspected (possibly after a tip-off).

The consequences have already been pointed out.

Best regards
Dirk Grafe