„Was man tief in seinem Herzen besitzt, kann man durch den Tod nicht verlieren.“

In Prof Dr Dieter Planck (* 14 August 1944; † 1 July 2025), we have lost an outstanding personality in German archaeology. As President of the Baden-Württemberg State Office for the Preservation of Monuments for many years, he played a key role in shaping modern monument preservation and was highly committed to researching and communicating the Roman heritage.

He was particularly interested in researching and communicating the Roman heritage in Germany - especially the systematic research of the Upper German-Raetian Limes. As co-founder of the German Limes Commission, Dieter Planck played a central role in the successful application for the inclusion of the Upper German-Raetian Limes as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. From 2003 to 2009, he chaired the German Limes Commission and worked tirelessly for the scientific foundation, protection and public communication of the Limes. Without his efforts, the Limes would hardly have been recognised as an international cultural heritage site.

We mourn the loss of a great researcher and cultural mediator.

The Office of the German Limes Commission

A detailed tribute to him and his work will be published in the next issue of our newsletter DER LIMES.