Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra
Factors affecting the property in 2014*
- Housing
- Legal framework
- Management systems/ management plan
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
- Urban development pressure;
- High-rise buildings that could compromise the panorama of the historical monastic Dnieper river landscape;
- Lack of legal protection and planning mechanisms;
- Lack of management system and mechanisms of coordination between all stakeholders including the City Municipality.
International Assistance: requests for the property until 2014
Total amount approved : 44,720 USD
| 2009 | Organization at the St. Sophia Cathedral of Kyiv of the ... (Approved) | 5,000 USD |
| 2000 | The Church of the Savoir at Berestove (Kyiv-Pechersk ... (Approved) | 19,970 USD |
| 1998 | Equipment to preserve ancient wall paintings, ... (Approved) | 19,750 USD |
Missions to the property until 2014**
May 1999: ICOMOS expert mission; April 2006: expert mission (Italian Funds-in-Trust); November 2007: World Heritage Centre information meeting for site managers; March 2009 and November 2010: joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS reactive monitoring missions; April 2013: joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission.
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2014
On 30 January 2014, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, available athttps://whc.unesco.org/en/list/527/documents/. The State Party submitted a draft Management Plan for review by ICOMOS.
The State Party acknowledged that some inappropriate high rise developments have had an adverse impact on the property’s setting and reported that draft legislation imposing a moratorium on high rise development within the property and buffer zone has been introduced. The State Party reported that a recently completed independent expert assessment of the Dneiper river landscape had been used in developing the Management Plan and creating appropriate zoning regulations within the property and confirmed that the Urban Master Plan has been completed. The State Party provided a summary report on a research project into significant views, panoramas and visual features of buildings, which included an assessment of the adverse impact of some recent high rise development, and recommendations for development control to protect significant views to and from the property including proposed height restrictions for new buildings in different zones of the property. A plan for a creative lighting effect to reduce the impact of the tall bulding on Klovsky descent is being studied.
The State Party also reported that in 2013 the Plan for Kyiv-Perchersk Lavra area was compiled with special reference to preparedness against landslide risk. The report lists the conservation projects undertaken recently, with an inventory of buildings in the property itemising their conservation status, and incorporates a progress report on the conservation of Varangian caves. In 2012 the plan for the Saint Sophia complex was compiled with an inventory of assets, incorporating monument protection zones and guiding conservation proposals. The State Party reported that plans are being developed to protect the buffer zone by the introduction of zoning, permitting only development appropriate for specific areas.
Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2014
The progress made by the authorities and in particular those concerning conservation projects is noted. However, all documents, regulations and measures still require urgent validation and implementation to prevent any inappropriate development.
ICOMOS will provide a separate technical review of the draft Management Plan for the State Party. The methods for the implementation of the Management Plan and for the involvement of stakeholders and specialists are unspecified.
The importance of enhancing effective protection and management of the property, its buffer zone and setting, as well as of reinforcing its regular monitoring should be highlighted.
It is recommended that the Committee reiterate its regret that the building on Klovsky descent has been completed despite the requests made at its previous sessions, and its concern that, rather than by modifying its height, mitigation through lighting effects are now being considered. The Committee may also wish to reiterate its request to the State Party to reduce its adverse effect by demolishing constructed levels to an appropriate scale.
Finally, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to implement all relevant measures specified in its previous mission recommendations and Committee’s decisions in order to prevent any potential threats to the property’s OUV.
Summary of the interventions
Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2014
38 COM 7B.33
Kiev: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (Ukraine) (C 527 bis)
The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7B,
- Recalling Decisions 35 COM 7B.112, 36 COM 7B.90 and 37 COM 7B.88, adopted at its 35th (UNESCO, 2011), 36th (Saint-Petersburg, 2012) and 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013) sessions respectively,
- Acknowledges the detailed information provided by the State Party on the progress made in the implementation of its previous decisions;
- Reiterates its regret that the building on Klovsky descent has been completed despite the requests made at its previous sessions, and that, instead of modifying its height, mitigation through a lighting effect is envisaged, and also reiterates its request to the State Party to reduce its adverse effect by demolishing constructed levels to an appropriate scale;
- Urges the State Party to finalize and adopt documents, regulations and measures specified in all its previous decisions to prevent any inappropriate development and potential threats to the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
- Also urges the State Party to complete development and ratification of the new cultural heritage legislation and the plans for the protection of the buffer zone, to complete and issue the Urban Master Plan, including zoning regulations with particular emphasis on the establishment of no-construction zones, strict limits to development rights, which should take into consideration the OUV of the property, its specific landscape setting, as well as important views and inter-visibility lines, and to implement the moratorium on high rise and inappropriate constructions;
- Encourages the State Party to continue its efforts with the finalization of the Management Plan taking into account the recommendations made by the ICOMOS technical review and to clarify methods of implementation, and requests the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to advise the State Party on completing the Management Plan;
- Also requests the State Party to ensure the implementation of the Management Plan by a qualified management team underpinned by effective consultation with local stakeholders, specialists and conservation experts;
- Also encourages the State Party to continue monitoring, conservation and repair works within the property, and, in particular, the stabilisation work on the Varangian caves;
- Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2015, a progress report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015.
38 COM 8E
Adoption of Retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value
The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/8E,
- Congratulates the States Parties for the excellent work accomplished in the elaboration of retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for World Heritage properties in their territories;
- Adopts the retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value, as presented in the Annex of Document WHC-14/38.COM/8E, for the following World Heritage properties:
- China: Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area;
- Japan: Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu; Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara; Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama; The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome);
- Sri Lanka: Sinharaja Forest;
- Vietnam: Hoi An Ancient Town; Complex of Hué Monuments;
EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA:
- Albania: Butrint;
- Armenia: Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley;
- Austria: Semmering Railway; Wachau Cultural Landscape;
- Azerbaijan: Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower;
- Belarus / Estonia / Finland / Latvia / Lithuania / Moldova / Norway / Russian Federation / Sweden / Ukraine: Struve Geodetic Arc;
- Belgium: Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels); Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes (Mons); Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai; Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex;
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar;
- Cyprus: Paphos;
- Denmark: Ilulissat Icefjord;
- Finland: Bronze Age Burial Site of Sammallahdenmäki; Fortress of Suomenlinna; Old Rauma; Petäjävesi Old Church; Verla Groundwood and Board Mill;
- Georgia: Historical Monuments of Mtskheta; Upper Svaneti;
- Germany / Poland: Muskauer Park / Park Mużakowski;
- Germany: Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch; Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar and Dessau; Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl; Collegiate Church, Castle and Old Town of Quedlinburg; Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz; Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg; Monastic Island of Reichenau; Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin; Pilgrimage Church of Wies; St Mary's Cathedral and St Michael's Church at Hildesheim; Völklingen Ironworks; Wartburg Castle; Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square; Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen;
- Holy See / Italy: Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura;
- Holy See: Vatican City;
- Iceland: Þingvellir National Park;
- Italy: Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico), Padua; Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta; Historic Centre of Florence; Historic Centre of Naples;
- Lithuania / Russian Federation: Curonian Spit;
- Lithuania: Kernavė Archaeological Site (Cultural Reserve of Kernavė);
- Malta: City of Valletta; Hal Saflieni Hypogeum; Megalithic Temples of Malta;
- Mongolia / Russian Federation: Uvs Nuur Basin;
- Montenegro: Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor;
- Netherlands: Historic Area of Willemstad, Inner City and Harbour, Curaçao;
- Norway: Vegaøyan -- The Vega Archipelago; West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord;
- Poland: Centennial Hall in Wrocław; Historic Centre of Warsaw;
- Portugal: Historic Centre of Évora; Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture; Monastery of Alcobaça; Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon;
- Russian Federation: Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoye; Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl; Kizhi Pogost;
- Slovakia: Bardejov Town Conservation Reserve; Vlkolínec;
- Slovenia: Škocjan Caves;
- Spain: Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida; Burgos Cathedral; Historic Centre of Cordoba; Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid; Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias; Mudejar Architecture of Aragon; Old City of Salamanca; Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches; Old Town of Cáceres; Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct; Poblet Monastery; Route of Santiago de Compostela; Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe; San Cristóbal de La Laguna; Santiago de Compostela (Old Town); Works of Antoni Gaudí;
- Turkey: Archaeological Site of Troy; City of Safranbolu; Hattusha: the Hittite Capital; Xanthos-Letoon;
- Ukraine: Kiev: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra;
- United Kingdom: Gough and Inaccessible Islands; Henderson Island; Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda;
- United States of America: Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site; Chaco Culture; Independence Hall; Mesa Verde National Park; Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville; Statue of Liberty;
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARRIBBEANS:
- Argentina: Ischigualasto / Talampaya Natural Parks; Los Glaciares; Península Valdés;
- Belize: Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System;
- Bolivia: City of Potosí;
- Brazil: Brasilia; Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia; Historic Centre of São Luís; Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina; Historic Centre of the Town of Goiás; Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda; Historic Town of Ouro Preto; Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas;
- Colombia: Los Katíos National Park;
- Costa Rica / Panama: Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park;
- Cuba: Archaeological Landscape of the First Coffee Plantations in the South-East of Cuba; San Pedro de la Roca Castle, Santiago de Cuba; Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos; Viñales Valley;
- Dominican Republic: Colonial City of Santo Domingo;
- Guatemala: Tikal National Park;
- Panama: Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection; Fortifications on the Caribbean Side, Portobelo and San Lorenzo;
- Suriname: Central Suriname Nature Reserve; Historic Inner City of Paramaribo;
4. Decides that retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for World Heritage properties in Danger will be reviewed by the Advisory Bodies in priority;
5. Further decides that, considering the high number of retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value to be examined, the order in which they will be reviewed by the Advisory Bodies will follow the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting, namely:
- World Heritage properties in the Arab States;
- World Heritage properties in Africa;
- World Heritage properties in Asia and the Pacific;
- World Heritage properties in Latin America and the Caribbean;
- World Heritage properties in Europe and North America;
6. Takes note that the World Heritage Centre is in the process of harmonising all sub-headings in the adopted Statements of Outstanding Universal Value and, as appropriate, reflects name changes of World Heritage properties throughout the text of the Statements as requested by the Committee at its 37th session, and requests the World Heritage Centre to also update the size of the property and/or its buffer zone, as appropriate, following subsequent Decisions of the World Heritage Committee concerning Minor Boundary Modifications.
7. Requests the States Parties to provide support to the World Heritage Centre for translation of the adopted Statements of Outstanding Universal Value into English or French respectively, and finally requests the Centre to upload the two language versions on its website.
Draft Decision: 38COM 7B.33
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 35 COM 7B.112, 36 COM 7B.90 and 37 COM 7B.88, adopted at its 35th (UNESCO, 2011), 36th (Saint-Petersburg, 2012) and 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013) sessions respectively,
3. Acknowledges the detailed information provided by the State Party on the progress made in the implementation of its previous decisions;
4. Reiterates its regret that the building on Klovsky descent has been completed despite the requests made at its previous sessions, and that, instead of modifying its height, mitigation through a lighting effect is envisaged, and also reiterates its request to the State Party to reduce its adverse effect by demolishing constructed levels to an appropriate scale;
5. Urges the State Party to finalize and adopt documents, regulations and measures specified in all its previous decisions to prevent any inappropriate development and potential threats to the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
6. Also urges the State Party to complete development and ratification of the new cultural heritage legislation and the plans for the protection of the buffer zone, to complete and issue the Urban Master Plan, including zoning regulations with particular emphasis on the establishment of no-construction zones, strict limits to development rights, which should take into consideration the OUV of the property, its specific landscape setting, as well as important views and inter-visibility lines, and to implement the moratorium on high rise and inappropriate constructions;
7. Encourages the State Party to continue its efforts with the finalization of the Management Plan taking into account the recommendations made by the ICOMOS technical review and to clarify methods of implementation, and requests the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to advise the State Party on completing the Management Plan;
8. Also requests the State Party to ensure the implementation of the Management Plan by a qualified management team underpinned by effective consultation with local stakeholders, specialists and conservation experts;
9. Also encourages the State Party to continue monitoring, conservation and repair works within the property, and, in particular, the stabilisation work on the Varangian caves;
10. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2016, a progress report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session in 2016.
Ukraine
Exports
* :
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.
