L'viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre

• New constructions within the historic centre
• Lack of valid detailed planning documents
• Inadequate infrastructure including the sewage system
• Housing
• Management systems/ management plan
• Solid waste

The cultural and natural heritage of Ukraine remains under constant threat since the outbreak of the war on 24 February 2022.

UNESCO has expressed its deep concern, including through its statements, over the consequences of the war for the people of Ukraine and for culture in Ukraine, while reiterating the obligations of international law, including the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols.

The war significantly raises the level of threat to Ukraine’s properties, especially those located in big cities such as Kyiv, L’viv and Odesa. The ‘Historic Centre of Odesa’ was inscribed simultaneously on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger on 25 January 2023, at the 18th extraordinary session of the World Heritage Committee. On 6 July 2023, a missile attack hit historic buildings in L’viv located in the buffer zone of the property, some 2 km from the property’s nearest component, the ensemble of St. Yuri.

On 18 January 2023, the World Heritage Centre, after having been alerted by the media of the approval of Law 5655 ‘On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Concerning the Reform of the Urban Development Sphere’ by the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament) requested the feedback of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy and any other competent body in the field of heritage protection on this new law. In particular, clarity is being sought about the impact this law may have on the protection of cultural properties and the fulfilment of Ukraine’s obligations under the Convention.

Actions implemented by UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies to assist the State Party

UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies are cooperating closely with the Ukrainian authorities and other cultural heritage stakeholders as well as international partners in order to support Ukraine in the protection and safeguarding of its cultural heritage.

With the support of UNESCO, cultural property in Ukraine was marked with the Blue Shield emblem of the 1954 Convention, in particular within the World Heritage property ‘L'viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre’. On 18 March 2022, the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict invited Ukraine to request enhanced protection for all cultural properties inscribed on the World Heritage, including ‘L’viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre’ (Decision 2 EXT.COM 5).

Moreover, in cooperation with UNITAR/UNOSAT, UNESCO is monitoring cultural sites through satellite imagery analysis. As of 20 July 2023, UNESCO has verified damage to 270 sites since the beginning of the war. In. In this context, the status of the World Heritage property ‘L’viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre’, consisting of two component sites: the larger area, encompassing the castle, its surrounding area and the city centre, and a smaller area to the southwest, on St. Yuri’s Hill comprising the ensemble of St. Yuri’s Cathedral, is being monitored on a regular basis.

On 9 March 2022, the World Heritage Centre organized an online consultation meeting for the Ukrainian National Focal Points for the implementation of the Convention and World Heritage site managers, with the participation of the Advisory Bodies. The meeting, attended by the Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, aimed at giving the Ukrainian authorities and cultural heritage managers a platform to share information on the state of conservation of the World Heritage properties and possible damage and threats, as well as to identify needs to protect the properties from the threats and impacts of the war. Among the concerns shared by site managers, the following stand out:

• The protection of vulnerable structures and the storage of movable heritage in safe shelters;
• The impact of the armed conflict on restoration work;
• The lack of risk preparedness plans for World Heritage properties prior to the war.

ICCROM through its flagship programme on First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis (FAR), in partnership with the Maidan Museum and the Heritage Emergency Response Initiative (HERI), organized a two-day online workshop in April 2022 on developing a collaborative damage and risk assessment methodology for heritage sites damaged or at risk of destruction. The workshop brought together more than 77 professionals representing museums, art institutions, memorials, archives, departments of culture, research institutes, universities, and non-governmental and private cultural institutions from L’viv and 14 regions in the country. ICCROM is continuing to work with partners on other potential capacity building activities according to the needs expressed by the Ministry of Culture. In addition to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, potential partners for these initiatives include HERI, ICOMOS, and the European Commission.

UNESCO, ICCROM and the Maidan Museum have translated the manual Endangered Heritage: Emergency Evacuation of Heritage Collections (Спадщина у небезпеці – Екстрена евакуація культурних цінностей https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381112), into Ukrainian. UNESCO has supported the distribution of some 2,000 printed copies across Ukraine, to areas with limited internet access. The First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis – Handbook and Toolkit are also currently being translated in collaboration with the Prince Claus Fund. ICCROM is also working with professionals in Ukraine on the design and development of damage assessment forms and an accompanying App for use in the field for damage assessment. With the support of the Government of Poland, the “Warsaw Recommendation on Recovery and Reconstruction of Cultural Heritage” (https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1826), which was developed in May 2018, was translated into Ukrainian.

ICOMOS has been closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and has provided a variety of assistance, ranging from advice and capacity building on monitoring and documentation to the provision of funding and equipment, including a supply of water-mist fire extinguishers for wooden churches with instructions and advice on their use prepared by heritage professionals, in order to contribute towards the safeguarding of Ukrainian properties and the implementation of effective crisis management and risk assessment measures. ICOMOS is working to support the functionality of its Ukrainian National Committee, to advocate for the enhancement of local heritage and traditions as key values for reconstruction, to provide expert training and to support the involvement of local communities in the recovery process. To this end, an active database of support, initiatives, scholarships, and opportunities for individual Ukrainian professionals, scholars or students in the arts and the heritage field has been set up and is available on the ICOMOS website.

UNESCO is continuing its efforts to support the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy in the coordination of international initiatives in support of the culture sector. Three meetings were convened in March, May and November 2022, gathering Ukrainian and international partners, including the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee, to share information on actions undertaken to assess damage to cultural property in Ukraine. The fourth international coordination meeting for Culture in Ukraine was held on 27 March 2023, to present the latest update of the impact of the war on and the priorities of the culture sector, detailed findings of the Culture chapter of the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA2) undertaken jointly by the Government of Ukraine, the World Bank, the European Commission and the United Nations and coordinate the next steps for the safeguarding of Ukrainian cultural heritage, in particular through a joint Action Plan for Culture in Ukraine for 2023 and beyond.

A UNESCO mission to Ukraine was undertaken from 6 to 11 July 2022. The mission aimed at consolidating an initial assessment of the impact of the war on Ukraine’s culture sector, to coordinate UNESCO’s support with the government authorities and partners, and to define priorities for recovery and reconstruction. The mission visited the World Heritage property of ‘L’viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre’ and observed the safeguarding measures implemented in the property against foreseeable effects of armed conflict, such as the installation of fire protection equipment, measures limiting the negative effects of blast waves and the preparation for possible evacuation of movable property.

An ICOMOS and ICCROM mission was undertaken to Ukraine from 9 to 16 July 2022. The mission aimed to provide support to the efforts made by the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, as well as heritage organizations and professionals in the country, in the current conflict situation. The main purpose was to assess the damage caused to cultural heritage, identify immediate needs, and offer technical assistance for the preparation of a systematic and coordinated national strategy for first aid interventions and rapid response and coordination mechanisms for cultural heritage in crisis, and recovery planning for cultural heritage. The mission visited L’viv and briefly visited the World Heritage property of ‘L’viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre’ and could observe the measures implemented for mitigation of the negative effects of blast waves on the most decorative façades, stained glass windows of various churches and other important exterior and fragile ornamentation.

Following the signing of a letter of intent between UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine on 30 August 2022 by which priority areas of cooperation were defined, two major projects relevant to the World Heritage property of ‘L’viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre’ are underway. With the support of the UNESCO/Spain Funds-in-Trust, the creation of a cultural hub is underway in L’viv. It will host a series of capacity building activities in the field of culture for governmental actors at all levels, cultural professionals, stakeholders and communities. The premises to host it, located in the buffer zone of the property, are being renovated. The hub is expected to open in autumn 2023.

Another major project implemented by UNESCO in close cooperation with ICCROM and ICOMOS is supported by the UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust. The project focuses, inter alia, on the development of emergency preparedness and risk mitigation plans for Ukraine’s World Heritage properties and Tentative List sites, as well as on damage assessment of other cultural properties and first aid work.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies consider that, as a result of the war in Ukraine, optimal conditions are no longer met to fully guarantee the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the World Heritage property ‘L’viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre’. In accordance with Article 11.4 of the World Heritage Convention and paragraphs 177 to 179 of the Operational Guidelines, the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies consider that the property is threatened by serious and specific dangers. The war constitutes a potential danger to the property, as set out in paragraph 179 of the Operational Guidelines that defines the criteria for the inscription of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies suggest that the World Heritage Committee should call upon the parties to refrain from any action that would cause direct or indirect damage to the cultural heritage of Ukraine, in particular to its World Heritage properties and their buffer zones and wider settings, as well as sites included on the Tentative List of Ukraine, and to fulfil their obligations under international law, including Article 6 of the World Heritage Convention.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies remain concerned that risk preparedness measures for the property are not yet sufficient in terms of analysis of potential vibrational impacts on building fabric of nearby missile strikes, and measures to address these impacts. an emergency preparedness and risk mitigation plan, in collaboration with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.