Kizhi Pogost

• Structural integrity issues at the Church of the Transfiguration
• Lack of an integrated management plan addressing the overall management of the World Heritage property
• Tourism development pressures including development of infrastructures 

On 13 December 2017, the State Party submitted a detailed state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/544/documents/ and provides update information on the following issues:

• Restoration work of the Church of the Transfiguration has continued in accordance with the approved restoration project, supporting ICOMOS guidelines and recommendations. As a result, the domes have been dismantled and are being restored, the iconostasis of the heaven ceiling has been restored and the walls of the Church have been strengthened with traditional binding posts;
• Following the ICOMOS technical review of the Management Plan, the plan was substantially revised and subsequently approved by the Coordination Council for the property "Kizhi Pogost", all stakeholders including the local communities, and the Government of Karelia in August 2017;
• No further works for reconstruction of the museum entrance have been undertaken. The museum entrance development project has been revised taking into account all comments and suggestions by ICOMOS and the World Heritage Centre. The revised study of the project and Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) were technically reviewed in December 2017 and will be resubmitted. The reuse of existing facilities and removal of temporary buildings located in the visual corridor of the architectural ensemble are some of the main outcomes of the study;
• The museum has developed its own excursion programmes and purchased small boats and hovercrafts to offer tours around the island and thereby improve the flow of tourists around the buffer zone. A commission set up in 2014 oversees monitoring and compliance with land-use.

The State Party has made noteworthy progress with the state of conservation of the property thanks to the dedication and efforts invested by people from the Department of the Ministry of Culture, museum administration and staff, as well as engineers, architects and craftsmen. The ICOMOS Advisory mission, carried out in March 2018, reviewed the technical aspects of the restoration project of the Church of the Transfiguration and assessed the management plan and visitor management strategy, notably projects related to the development of the entrance zone.  

The restoration project of the Church of the Transfiguration has now entered its final stages as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd tiers have been completely dismantled and taken to the restoration complex for restoration.  Since the 2015 mission, restoration and conservation of the church interior has also been carried out on the decorated rafters of the heaven ceiling, as well as the royal doors. The 2018 ICOMOS Advisory mission was satisfied with the overall progress made and the very high quality of workmanship.

The mission team noted that the challenges of structural reinforcement of the building had been addressed positively in the direction of earlier recommendations. The mission made further detailed recommendations related to vertical movements of the binding posts, the support of the ring for the heaven ceiling, the iconostasis, and surface treatment.

The mission was presented with plans for the restoration of the Church of the Intercession. The mission recommended that the same principles for restoration should apply to this project as have been applicable for the current project. It was noted that the timber of the Church is in a very bad condition and ways need to be considered as to how to minimize new interventions. Details of alternative proposals should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before a decision is taken.

Concerning the Museum entrance project, the mission has reviewed the proposed Kizhi Open Air Museum entrance area on Kizhi Island zone B, and in particular the proposed buildings (the restoration and storage complex, the reconstruction of the warehouse building and the architectural and ethnographic sector “Northern Vepsians”) as regards their location, size and construction materials. The mission underlines that the development plans for zones A and B will reach the maximum permissible level of development of administrative and other service buildings on the island. Therefore, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party not to permit any further new constructions in the future.

With regard to the revision of the Management Plan and its implementation, the State Party has made substantial efforts to respond to the Committee recommendations. However, the ICOMOS Advisory mission noted that the provision of tourist services should be combined with the development of the rest of the traditional economy  ̶  cultivation of land, development of traditional handicrafts, etc., in view to create the conditions for the long-term settlement of the inhabitants based on mixed economic sources.

It is recommended that the Committee reiterate its request to the State Party to focus on the establishment of sufficient protection measures both within and outside the buffer zone, including land-use and non-constructive zones legislation, as well as to strictly apply fluvial regulation in order to prevent any impact on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property.