Historic Centre of Oporto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar
Factors affecting the property in 1998*
- Water infrastructure
International Assistance: requests for the property until 1998
Total amount approved : 0 USD
Missions to the property until 1998**
Information presented to the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee in 1998
The secretariat received information from ICOMOS-Portugal about infrastructural works in Porto with the aim to improve navigability of the river and the protection of the shorelines. The Secretariat has requested the Government of Portugal for a report on this matter.
Action Required
The Bureau, based on information that may be available at the time of the twenty-second session of the Bureau, may recommend appropriate actions to the consideration of the State Party and the Committee.
22nd extraordinary session of the Bureau in 1998:
The Bureau at its twenty-second session took note of a report on the impact of infrastructural works in the River Douro on the World Heritage values of the site of Porto. It requested the State Party to submit by 15 September 1998 detailed information and an assessment report on the impact of the works on the World Heritage site. The State Party was informed of the decision of the Bureau by letter on 7 July 1998. At the time of the preparation of this document no information has been received.
Decision required: The Bureau may wish to examine information that may be available at the time of its session and take appropriate action thereupon.
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 1998
The Bureau at its twenty-second session took note of a report on the impact of works at the River Douro on the World Heritage values of the site of Porto. In response, the State Party by letter dated 16 November 1998, informed that:
- the works would be undertaken at three kilometres distance from the World Heritage site
- due to the distance and the geography of the area they would not be visible from the World Heritage site
- at this moment no finances have been allocated and no date has been established for its execution.
The Bureau took note of the assurance from the Portuguese authorities that the works that would be undertaken in the River Douro in the vicinity of the World Heritage site of the Historic Centre of would not have any impact on, nor would be visible from the World Heritage site.
Summary of the interventions
Decisions adopted by the Committee in 1998
22 BUR V.B.58
Historic Centre of Porto (Portugal)
The Bureau was not able to examine the eventual impact of infrastructural works in the River Douro on the World Heritage values of Porto, due to the lack of response from the State Party to enquiries made by the Secretariat.
The Bureau requested the State Party to submit detailed information and an assessment of the impact of the works on the World Heritage site by 15 September 1998 for examination by the Bureau at its twenty-second extraordinary session.
The Bureau urged States Parties to respond in due time to Secretariat’s requests for information which would greatly facilitate the work of the Secretariat and the Bureau.
At a later stage during the examination of the state of conservation reports, the Observer of Portugal informed the Bureau that the works at the marina in Angra do Heroismo had been interrupted until the 17th century shipwrecks have been recovered. The legislation adopted by the regional authorities specifically covered the protection of the historic site of Angra. On the Historic Centre of Porto, he informed the Bureau that there was indeed an infrastructural project but that no works were being undertaken yet and that, even so, these would not affect the values of the site. The Bureau took note of his intervention.
22 COM VII.43
Reports on the State of Conservation of Cultural Properties Noted by the Committee
VII.43 The Committee noted the decisions of the twenty-second extraordinary session of the Bureau as reflected in the Report of the Bureau session (Working Document WHC-98/CONF.203/5) and included in Annex IV of this report on the following properties:
Rapa Nui National Park (Chile)
The Mountain Resort and Its Outlying Temples in Chengde (China)
The Potala Palace, Lhasa (China)
Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu (China)
Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains (China)
City of Quito (Ecuador)
Memphis and its Necropolis - the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur (Egypt)
Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis (Egypt)
Islamic Cairo (Egypt)
Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn (Estonia)
Collegiate Church, Castle and Old Town in Quedlinburg (Germany)
Historic Centre of Florence (Italy)
Quseir Amra (Jordan)
Luang Prabang (Laos)
Baalbek (Lebanon)
Tyre (Lebanon)
Vilnius Historic Centre (Lithuania)
Old Towns of Djenné (Mali)
City of Cusco (Peru)
Archaeological site of Chavin (Peru)
Historic Centre of Lima (Peru)
The Baroque Churches of the Philippines (The Philippines)
Historic Centre of Porto (Portugal)
Island of Gorée (Senegal)
Sacred City of Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka)
Ancient City of Polonnaruva (Sri Lanka)
Ancient City of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka)
Site of Palmyra (Syrian Arab Republic)
Historic Areas of Istanbul (Turkey)
Kiev: Saint Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings (Ukraine)
Complex of Hué Monuments (Vietnam)
Old City of Sana'a (Yemen)
No draft Decision
Portugal
* :
The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).
** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.
