site.btaICOMOS Writes to Bulgarian State Institutions about Cultural Monuments in Jeopardy

ICOMOS Writes to Bulgarian State Institutions about Cultural Monuments in Jeopardy

Sofia, May 11 (BTA) - The International Council on Monuments and
Sites (ICOMOS) have written to the President, government and
Parliament of Bulgaria to tell them that a number of Bulgarian
cultural monuments have been "substantially and visibly"
endangered by the current approaches to conservation and
restoration, the Bulgarian National Committee of ICOMOS said on
its website.

Lots of culture monuments in Bulgaria were included in the so
called socialization projects aimed to include them in the
efforts of the local community at developing the local tourism
industry. "While policies benefiting local communities are
welcome, the cases presented in the report submitted to the
ICOMOS Board make it immediately clear that this process has
stimulated a widespread trend of large-scale conjecture-based
reconstructions on top of the ruins of archaeological sites in
Bulgaria. Rather than enhancing the significance of the
monuments involved, the large-scale replacement of missing
original materials and forms is destroying the authentic spirit
of these monuments and sites," the statement goes. It says that
such projects falsify history, cause an irreversible loss of
authenticity and may hamper further scientific research.

Such reconstructions go against international documents that
Bulgaria has signed: the Venice Charter, the Nara Document of
Authenticity and the Operational Guidelines for the
implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

ICOMOS urge the Bulgarian State to immediately halt ongoing
conjecture-based reconstructions and ensure appropriate
scientific assessment of their effects. They also call on the
authorities to ensure expert involvement in all national
procedures for calls for tender under the EU-funded operational
programmes to ensure that internationally acknowledged
scientific principles of conservation are applied in all
projects.

ICOMOS suggest that a continuous training programme be
established, with expert assistance of ICOMOS and its Bulgarian
committee, in the field of heritage conservation aimed at
building capacity within the competent local authorities for
addressing issues related to heritage protection and cultural
tourism.

Undersigned by ICOMOS President Gustavo Araoz, the message
assures all cultural authorities in Bulgaria of the Council's
willingness to help and offer advice.

ICOMOS are ready to organize an on-site mission to Bulgaria in
support of a scientific assessment of the implementation of
internationally accepted conservation principles to the cultural
heritage of Bulgaria.