The experience of Pelotas city in the process of cultural properties preservation

Abstract

This paper is about the experience of Pelotas City and its research for cultural properties preservation in the town. It shows that only hard work and persistence can guaranty the over lasting of real historic witnesses of the city formation. In many years defenders of the cultural properties preservation have been trying to find means to protect the memory and the history of the city. Many advance and retrogress happened in this long period since the implementation of the II Master Plan, in the 1980's, until nowadays. Specific preservation laws, approved during 80th, were attempts that actually weren't realised either because of the non- preservationist awareness of socio- economic groups in the city involved with the dynamic and the development of the town and specially because of the discontinuity of preservation actions of public administration in the mentioned period. Although, in the 2000th, with the creation of a new legislation involved with the society and with effective politic- administrative support, the process of cultural properties preservation had definitely set up. The recognition of urban areas as preservation zones and the protection of inventoried properties, it had transformed gradually the perception of the urban place and the respect to the pre- existent environment, now considered for new interventions in the urban mean. The incentive for preservation of properties established through the exemption from building tax, is also a prominent factor in the rescue of the preservationist culture, such for recuperation of the historic- cultural properties, as for the patrimonial education promoted through the direct contact to the owners of the cultural properties. Nowadays Pelotas lives a good moment in the properties preservation area, but its important to maintain the conscience that this is a long and continuing process, where every time new challenges come up which always requires new victories.