Describes the legal framework and the executive structures of protection and preservation of historical buildings, monuments, and sites in West Germany as well as the different kinds of direct and indirect financial support given to owners. The federal building law establishes criteria for urban and rural planning and includes provisions on the listing of protected objects, obligations for the owners of historical buildings, and a number of regulations on archaeological monuments. The administration responsible for the implementation of these laws has a two-or three-tier structure ranging from state government to local level. Consultative bodies of experts have to be referred to in the planning process. Financial support for the owner of a historical building or monument includes repayable and nonrepayable grants by state and communal authorities and advantages with income tax, inheritance tax, property tax, and real estate tax.