A National monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of national importance such as a war or the country's founding. The term may also refer to a specific monument status, such as a national heritage site, which most national monuments are by reason of their cultural importance rather than age. The National monument aims to represent the nation, and serve as a focus for national identity.
A series of structures or areas deemed to be of national importance and therefore afforded protection by the state are part of a country's cultural heritage. These national heritage sites are often called something different per country and are listed by national conservation societies. Romania has listed at least one plant as a national monument, Nymphaea lotus f. thermalis.
Examples include:
A National Monument in the United States is a protected area that is similar to a National Park, but can be created from any land owned or controlled by the federal government by proclamation of the President of the United States.
National monuments can be managed by one of several federal agencies: the National Park Service, United States Forest Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Bureau of Land Management. Historically, some national monuments were managed by the War Department.
National monuments can be so designated through the power of the Antiquities Act of 1906. President Theodore Roosevelt used the act to declare Devils Tower in Wyoming as the first national monument.
The Antiquities Act of 1906 resulted from concerns about protecting mostly prehistoric Native American ruins and artifacts (collectively termed "antiquities") on federal lands in the American West. The Act authorized permits for legitimate archaeological investigations and penalties for taking or destroying antiquities without permission. Additionally, it authorized the President to proclaim "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest" on federal lands as national monuments, "the limits of which in all cases shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected."
The current legislation regarding historical monuments in Spain dates from 1985. However, Monumentos nacionales (to use the pre-1985 term) were first designated in the nineteenth century. It was originally a fairly broad category for national heritage sites protecting, for example, the Alhambra. The overarching category for Spanish heritage sites is now Bien de Interés Cultural (Heritage of cultural interest).
Now there are some 13,000 monuments registered by the Ministry of Culture within the wider category of Bien de Interés Cultural. As well as monuments, the category of Bien de Interés Cultural includes the following sub-categories of non-movable heritage:
Forged in Fire, in the Pits of Hell
Death Desire, deep Down We dwell
Passing the Cauldron We stand aback
As the Gods do their Bidding
Carved out of Moonstone, a devoted Existence.
Of Fire is our Path, a Gate to the Dark Side of Creation.
This once unified Us all, these were the Rites of the Black Mass
They build Us this Monument, everlasting, an ancient Heritage of Dark Creation
Being born of Hatred and Disgust, an ancient Lore of Death
You had to desecrate It all, had to lead a Soulless Life
Had to Destroy not Create, but our Cult will persevere
Of Fire is our Path, a Gate to the Dark Side of Creation
This once unified Us all, these were the Rites of the Black Mass
They build Us this Monument, everlasting, an ancient Heritage of Dark Creation
Being born of Hatred and Disgust, an ancient Lore of Death
You had to desecrate It all, had to lead a Soulless Life
Had to Destroy not Create, but our Cult will persevere
Forged in Fire, in the Pits of Hell.
Death Desire, deep Down We dwell.
Passing the Cauldron We stand aback
As the Gods do their bidding
Carved out of Moonstone,