The intersectoral strategy for the protection of cultural property in Switzerland: an overview of the “Leonardo” exercise in the City of Geneva

In Switzerland, events such as floods, fires, and landslides have highlighted the urgent need to implement protective measures against these hazards. The Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP) coordinates these efforts nationwide, collaborating with various partners, including international, federal, cantonal, and municipal actors. In Geneva, the Department of Culture and Digital Transition (DCTN) launched a large-scale Protection of Cultural Property (PCP) project 16 years ago, in accordance with the Federal law on the protection of cultural property of 1966, revised in 2014.
This project includes the creation of a PCP Committee and an emergency intervention structure. It also involves the training of teams from museums, libraries, and archives in crisis management and collection rescue, with the help of FOCP experts, civil protection units, and firefighters. The article illustrates these collaborations through concrete examples, such as tabletop and full-scale exercises. It also reviews recent disasters in Geneva, including incidents at the Museum of Art and History (2019), the Conservatoire and Botanical Garden (2023), and the Geneva Library (2024), with particular focus on the operation of the crisis management team.

KEYWORDS: trainings, exercises, cultural heritage, preparedness. In PROCULTHER-NET 2 Project. Technical Bulletin N. 4, December 2024, pp 36 - 43