Historical Monuments of Mtskheta

• Lack of a management mechanism (issue resolved)
• Lack of definition of the unified buffer zone
• Lack of Urban Master Plan of the City of Mtskheta (under development)
• Insufficient coordination between the Georgian Church and the national authorities (issue resolved)
• Privatisation of surrounding land
• Natural erosion of stone
• Loss of authenticity during previous works carried out by the Church
• Inappropriate urban development within a sensitive historical environment (under control)

• Lack of a management mechanism
• Privatisation of surrounding land
•  Loss of authenticity of some components due to restoration works conducted using unacceptable methods

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4103

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4103

Total amount provided: Funds-in-Trust. Georgia-UNESCO Agreement: Cultural heritage advisory service to the NACHP (National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia) to be implemented under the Third Regional Development Project (RDP III). Total budget: USD 250 000

On 29 January 2016, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/708/documents/, providing updated information on the implementation of the corrective measures, as well as details on conservation efforts and archaeological excavations at the property as follows:

• Progress has been reported on the development of the Urban Land-Use Master Plan (ULUMP), expected to be finalized by 2016. Further work on the Master Plan is required following the recommendations made by the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (NACHPG) and the World Heritage Centre technical assistance missions in November 2015 and February 2016. Until the official adoption of the ULUMP, the August 2015 adopted Decree on the Enactment of Special Regime of Urban Development Regulation in the Cultural Heritage Zone of Mtskheta imposes a strong moratorium on new constructions;
• The Draft Code on Cultural Heritage is in its finalization stage and expected to be submitted to the Georgian Parliament for approval in the first quarter of 2016;
• A special chapter on protection and management of World Heritage in Georgia is included in the Draft Code on Cultural Heritage and will serve as a basis for the official approval of the Management Plan. The Draft Code was prepared in the framework of the EU-funded Twinning programme. No further progress was reported by the State Party;
• The new Archaeological Museum project is one of the activities to be implemented under the third Regional Development Project (RDP III) by the Government of Georgia with World Bank funding. The new museum should allow for the proper conservation and presentation of the archaeological collection of the former Mtskheta museum, which is currently in storage. The new museum will reuse the former cinema, built during the Soviet period, designed as a cultural building with two functions, a showcase for the archaeological site and a cinema theatre. This project was submitted by the State Party to the World Heritage Centre in June 2015 and submitted to ICOMOS for a technical review as per Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines. ICOMOS’ main recommendations were to further define the museographic functional programme and to respect the modern heritage values of the former cinema building.

The State Party reports that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between NACHPG and ICCROM in December 2015 concerning the creation of a training platform in the field of cultural heritage in Georgia.

It is recommended that the Committee acknowledge the important work and commitment by the State Party to ensure that the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) forms the core of the development of the ULUMP. Although the ULUMP has yet to be finalized and adopted, the State Party has advanced its contents and taken measures through the Decree on Urban Development to provide further protection to the property. This Decree halts building activities in the sensitive areas along the banks of the river, particularly those on the side of the Jvari monastery.

The signature in October 2015 of the Georgia/UNESCO agreement project Cultural heritage advisory service to the NACHP to be implemented under the Third Regional Development Project (RDP III) should also be acknowledged. This project mainly focuses on technical and upstream assistance, including assisting the elaboration of the Mtskheta ULUMP. 

The guiding principles and primary goals of the ULUMP are strongly supported. However, as highlighted by the November 2015 World Heritage Centre technical assistance mission and the ICOMOS technical review, there is a need to strengthen the strategic spatial planning vision for the whole of the City of Mtskheta and revise the methodology used to establish the ULUMP and refer to international standards as recommended by the technical mission.

In terms of governance and decision-making, the technical mission recommended that the governance issue at the local level needs to be addressed in order to ensure adequate planning, efficient management and decision making.

Capacity building should be provided to the local government. The local authorities with the support of the national authorities should also be encouraged to develop a stakeholder involvement strategy and methodology, together with communication tools. Furthermore, it is recommended that the Committee commend the State Party for setting up a stakeholder committee for the ULUMP and encourage the creation of a technical working committee to ensure that a shared and integrated approach is used for the ULUMP. In addition, it is recommended that the urban dimension of the property be fully reflected in the policies, measures and tools adopted to ensure the conservation of the latter, using if necessary the approach carried by the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (2011).

With respect to the administrative borders of the self-governing city of Mtskheta, the mission noted that the existing municipal borders are inadequate for correct planning and management of the World Heritage property, as the Jvari church, one of the components of the property, which is included in the national park, lies beyond the Mtskheta town borders. Furthermore, the property remains without an adequate buffer zone encompassing the landscape surrounding the heritage components. Therefore the Committee’s request for a minor boundary modification of the unified buffer zone of the property remains crucial and needs to be addressed by the authorities in conjunction with the further development of the ULUMP.

The 2015 technical assistance mission recommended, in line with the ICOMOS technical review, that the museum project should respect the archaeological site, meet the requirements of the museum collection currently in storage and preserve the architectural integrity of the modern building. The State Party has decided to undertake a specific urban landscape study concerning the integration of the museum project within the surrounding urban context and in connexion with all components of the World Heritage property.

Therefore, it is recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to take into consideration the recommendations provided by the World Heritage Centre technical assistance mission and by ICOMOS and that it retain the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (Georgia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.