Bridges in the World Heritage List Between Culture and Technical Development

Author(s):  
E. Siviero ◽  
V. Martini

The aim of this paper is to present some bridges inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List and their Outstanding Universal Values, which explain the importance of these works of art in terms of engineering, technology, culture and technical development. The Iron Bridge, the first metal bridge in the history of construction, is of considerable importance, not only in historic, technological and constructive terms: here, architecture and engineering are revealed to the full, making the bridge into a place. The Forth Bridge is a globally-important triumph of engineering, representing the pinnacle of 19th century bridge construction and is without doubt the world’s greatest trussed bridge. The Vizcaya Bridge, completed in 1893, was the first bridge in the world to carry people and traffic on a high suspended gondola and was used as a model for many similar bridges in Europe, Africa and America, only a few of which survive. The Mostar Bridge is an exceptional and universal symbol of coexistence of communities from diverse cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds. The Oporto bridges, interpreted in Vitruvian terms, represent a heritage, a “set of spiritual, cultural, social or material values that belong, through inheritance or tradition, to a group of people...”, a complex grouping that marks and symbolises an era, the Eiffel's masterpiece. Because the bridge is not only a work of art, but also a thought.

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-184

Today, limes is an en vogue term in Romania. Scientific research, heritage protection and, more recently, politic discourse – they all deal, directly or indirectly, with issues regarding the Frontiers of the Roman Empire in today’s Romania. In the context of nominating the Frontiers of the Roman Empire as a serial site of UNESCO World Heritage, each of the previously mentioned domains has its responsibilities towards the monument itself. In this study I focus on explaining the different understandings of the term limes. Next, I found it rather important and well-timed to discuss the main tasks and obligations of archaeological research, of the industry of tourism and of archaeological heritage protection in Romania throughout the entire process of nominating and inscribing the Limes on the UNESCO List, as well as after this process is long over.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 669-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Long

This paper examines the history of the restoration, or more accurately, reconstruction of Bagrati Cathedral in western Georgia. Constructed in 1003, Bagrati Cathedral is an important cultural monument in the political and architectural history of Georgia. Destroyed by an explosion in 1691, the cathedral was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1994 in its ruined state. However, the Georgian government under President Mikheil Saakashvili and Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) officials made the reconstruction and reconsecration of the cathedral a priority. The reconstruction of Bagrati Cathedral, completed in September 2012, brought the differing aims of Georgian politicians, GOC officials, and architectural historians – the major players in the process – into sharp focus. This paper maintains that the rebuilding of Bagrati Cathedral was part of Saakashvili's political agenda, which merged with the interests of the GOC and worked against the objectives of architectural historians and the aims of academic principles of restoration and preservation. The result is that Bagrati has been rebuilt but is under threat of removal from the World Heritage List. The story of Bagrati's reconstruction has implications for the future of monument preservation and restoration in Georgia.


2017 ◽  
pp. 21-30
Author(s):  
Andrzej Michałowski

The central organisation around which Polish cooperation with UNESCO on implementing the World Heritage Convention has been concentrated from the beginning is the Polish National Committee ICOMOS.The cooperation has been organised by institutions and people connected in some way with the Committee. Specialised institutions were gradually joining the cooperation. One example of such measures was the appointment of the Board of Historical Gardens and Palaces Conservation, transformed subsequently into the Centre for the Protection of Historic Landscape in Warsaw. A „garden” conservation society has gathered around this institution, composed of art historians, landscape architects, architects and gardeners. They have been carrying out interdisciplinary works concerning historic gardens and cultural landscapes in Poland. Their cooperation with the Polish National Committee ICOMOS andthe International Committee of Historic Gardens and Sites ICOMOS – IFLA was connected with the activities of UNESCO. Major activities of the Centre include: valuation and assessment of cultural landscapes for the World Heritage List; drawing up, in collaboration with the Fürst-Pückler-Park Bad Muskau Foundation, an application for the inscription of Park Muskau in the UNESCO World Heritage List; organisation of international conference: „The Regional Expert Meeting on Cultural Landscapes in Eastern Europe” in Białystok in 1999 at the request of WHC UNESCO; organisation of international conference „Cemetery Art” in 1993 at the request of WHC UNESCO, along with accompanying exhibitions concerning specific issues, organised by the Board of Historical Gardens and Palaces Conservation in Warsaw.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S260) ◽  
pp. 494-496
Author(s):  
Anna P. Sidorenko

AbstractProperties with a relationship to science are amongst the least represented on the UNESCO World Heritage List and the values of these properties, located in all the regions of the world, are not sufficiently recognised. The UNESCO and IAU encourage the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention to actively participate in the development and implementation of the Thematic Initiative “Astronomy and World Heritage” aiming to provide an opportunity to identify the properties connected with astronomy and for keeping their memory alive and preserving them from progressive deterioration, through the inscription of the most representative properties on the World Heritage List.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Jerzy Wowczak

The article presents an analysis of the interventions carried out as part of the revitalisation of the complex of tenement houses on Strona Dekerta Starego Miasta na Rynku (Dekert’s Side of the Old Town Market Square) in Warsaw. The design works in question took place between 2014 and 2017, resulting in the reconstruction of the Museum of Warsaw and the adaption of its space to the current needs. The article describes the conservation activities undertaken in the tenement houses over the last one hundred years, the main focus being put on the conditions, project process and final outcome of the revitalisation. As highlighted by the author, the most recent interventions in the Museum of Warsaw’s tenement houses were completed with awareness of the object’s great historic value as an important component of the Old Town inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. They are an example of typically Polish conservation interventions and a specific attitude towards architectural monuments, which were in great part lost by Poland as a result of warfare.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 18-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Олег Афанасьев ◽  
Oleg Afanasiev

The article discusses the concept of “agrоcultural (agricultural) heritage” and composing it objects in rural (agricultural) tourism, for which they are the most important destinations. This research object is interdisciplinary, affecting a variety of spheres, particularly, agroourism, sightseeing, services and so forth, and economy in general. Agricultural heritage includes tangible objects of agricultural and technical culture, created for the production. Such objects are saved for better and complete study and understanding of their nature, not for contemplation; they are not works of art. This heritage is anthropogenic and technological. From the scientific and methodological point of view the very understanding of the term of "agricultural heritage" is still quite uncertain. The article presents a comprehensive understanding of it based on the nature-use concept as a binary object system "Man - Nature". The available experience of classification of agricultural heritage objects is considered. Starting 2002, at the initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) the criteria are developed and an inventory of objects of the world agro- cultural heritage, Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), is conducted. One of the GIAHS goals is identifying objects of agricultural heritage that are most corresponding to the status of "global agricultural heritage" and their promotion for including to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The article presents for the first time ever full GIAHS list in Russian as of October, 2016. We have separated in special list 114 objects from 58 countries, corresponding in our view to the concept of "agricultural heritage" from the UNESCO World Heritage List current at the end of 2016. The article presets the attempt to classify them by 12 categories. The rating of countries in the world by the number of Agricultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites is submitted. The author notes that exactly this category of objects forms a primary resource base for the agricultural (rural) tourism development as the most important attractive destinations, especially in Europe. As the conclusions the reasons are formulated, under which agricultural tourism is a promising form of tourism organization both for individual agricultural enterprises on the basis of objects of agricultural heritage, and for the regions in which these objects are presented.


2019 ◽  
pp. 14-23
Author(s):  
Olexander Zarakhovskyі ◽  
Serhii Neilenko

The purpose of the study is to analyze the current state and geography of the Ukrainian UNESCO World Heritage, and potential sites for the inclusion into the World Heritage List. Methods: The study used logical methods, methods of analogy and comparison, the cartographic method. Results: The current state, geography of the Ukrainian UNESCO World Heritage and potential sites for the inclusion into the World Heritage List have been analyzed. Ukrainian UNESCO sites are not widely represented in the World Heritage List, also they are distributed irregularly on territory of the state. It was determined that the largest number of potential UNESCO sites in Ukraine are historical fortification sites. Scientific novelty: The results of the reserch expand the theoretical and methodological foundations of the study of the structure and geography of UNESCO World Heritage, and of the potential for replenishing it with Ukrainian historical and cultural sites. Practical implications: The results of the reserch can be used as a theoretical basis for expanding the UNESCO World Heritage List in Ukraine.


2010 ◽  
Vol 133-134 ◽  
pp. 555-560
Author(s):  
Umut Almaç

The Church of Pantokrator (Zeyrek Mosque) is a Byzantine located in the Zeyrek district of Istanbul which was included in the World Heritage List in 1985 by UNESCO. The church suffered from earthquakes, fires and alterations in its history. In this paper, a brief history of the church, description of the northern structure with its damages and a preliminary analysis of the structure including an intervention proposal is presented. The reason to choose the northern part of the complex was due to its fragile condition in comparison with the other parts of the monument. This part has severe cracks on its structural elements and consequently during a possible repair and conservation work, it has priority.


2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 437-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Meskell ◽  
Claudia Liuzza ◽  
Nicholas Brown

Abstract:UNESCO World Heritage regions are historically constructed categories that do not easily map onto global geographies, yet they still continue to have important political and ethical implications in the international arena. Since their inception, regional categories have been at the heart of debates over global representation and equity in the World Heritage Committee. We include the recent controversy over uneven regional representation in elections to the Committee and the measures adopted to remedy this for the future. Specifically, the “Europe and North America” regional group has historically been the most dominant region and, as we demonstrate, continues to be so despite measures such as the Global Strategy. In the last decade, however, the “Asia and the Pacific” regional group has exhibited a growing presence in many aspects of World Heritage. We go on to examine overall trends from annual sessions of the World Heritage Committee from its start in 1977 to 2014 in terms of site inscription on the World Heritage List, membership on the Committee and size of national delegations in order to look in greater detail at the rising profile of Asia. This leads to a discussion of the different forms and understandings of regionalism, whether for Europe or Asia, and how some Asian delegations see their increased role and visibility in World Heritage.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 109-127
Author(s):  
M. Kuleshova

The Russian estate is a characteristic phenomenon of Russian culture, which had a significant impact on the images of Russia and the formation of its cultural landscape. At the same time, this cultural phenomenon is not yet represented in the World Heritage List for Russia. The article reveals the main values of Leo Tolstoy’s estate Yasnaya Polyana, which are of universal importance; presents interconnectedness and interdependence of its natural and cultural characteristics. It is stated, that the territorial complex of Leo Tolstoy’s estate Yasnaya Polyana fully complies with the UNESCO criteria for assigning objects to the of World Heritage.


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