Royal Building of Mafra – Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park (Tapada)

• Management and institutional factors (need to strengthen the research activities, management activities, the management system/management plan)

N/A

On 14 November 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report. An executive summary of this report is available at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1573/documents/. Progress on a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in this report, as follows:

• The Committee’s previous recommendations regarding the Advisory and the Cooperation Units have been implemented and Rules of Procedure have been adopted. Prospective members have been invited to join the Advisory Unit and most have accepted the invitation. The Advisory Unit will first meet in 2023 and then annually. The Cooperation Unit will meet biannually;
• The National Tapada de Mafra has continued to develop its Strategic and Management plans which include a research, innovation and scientific programme for the Hunting Park. The Strategic Plan, which includes a communications plan, was due to be completed by mid-2023. A funded project, titled ‘Ancient Landscapes of the Tapada de Mafra: Archaeological Chart and Paleoenvironmental Characterization 2022-2030’ has commenced and includes LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and on-site paleontological and archaeological investigations;
• A Memorandum of Understating (MOU) between the School of Arms and the Mafra City Council is being implemented to develop a project to enhance Portuguese equestrian tradition and to upgrade and rehabilitate the Military Parade Square. The project includes the demolition of derelict buildings dating from the mid-20^th century, the relocation of storage for tactical vehicles, archaeological research and the return of areas to equestrian use;
• A ‘preliminary study’ for the Management Plan for the Cerco Garden was appended to the State Party report (also referred to as the “Cerco Garden Conservation Plan”). It reports on general issues, preliminary studies to be undertaken, roles and responsibilities, action principles and a management structure. It also includes an extensive implementation programme for the period 2021-2030. The Management Plan for the Cerco Garden will be presented in 2025;
• The project to install the National Museum of Music in the north wing of the Mafra palace has been the subject of a Technical Review by ICOMOS.

The State Party has continued to address previous Committee Decisions with alacrity, making notable progress on the research programme for the Hunting Park. The multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional paleontological characterisation and archaeological mapping research programme entitled ‘Ancient Landscapes of the Tapada de Mafra’, is welcome. The progress in setting up the Advisory and the Cooperation Units, and implementation of the Committee’s request that these bodies not be chaired by the same person for the sake of independence, is noted. The State Party also provided timely information on the planned relocation of the National Museum of Music to the Mafra Palace. This allowed for a beneficial process of exchanges which resulted in the conclusion of the ICOMOS Technical Review that the proposal was to be welcomed as an overall improvement to the property’s authenticity. ICOMOS noted, however, that the Cooperation Unit and the management system in general would need to be amended to give the National Museum of Music a place in the management and the development of an Integrated Management Plan for the property.

The development of the various plans such as the Strategic Plan and the Management Plan for the Hunting Park, the Management Plan (alternatively referred to as the ‘Conservation Plan’, as per Decision 44 COM 7B.54) for the Cerco Garden, and the Integrated Management Plan for the entire property, is welcome. Integrated management of the property is necessary for the successful operation of the Cooperation Unit. It is therefore essential that the constituent plans and the Integrated Management Plan be developed rapidly. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to expedite the development of these plans and to request their review by the Advisory Bodies.

The MOU between the School of Arms and the Mafra City Council was due to lapse in July 2023. As much of what it proposes has not yet been executed, the Committee may wish to request it to be prorogued. This is provided for in the MOU. Before completing the demolition of the identified buildings from the mid-20^th century, they should be carefully documented as part of the historic development of the property. It would also be welcome if the State Party would provide a report from the landscape architect who assisted in the land usage review, as requested by the Committee at the time of inscription. This report would then be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies. The MOU also foresees the construction of a new storage building for tactical vehicles within the property. The implementation plan included in the ‘preliminary study’ for the Management Plan for the Cerco Garden outlines a notable number of construction projects to be implemented in the medium-term in the Cerco Garden. Projects include a new aviary and enlargement of the Winter Greenhouse, the Administrative Office and the visitor’s shop. The State Party should be requested to ensure the timely provision of design details and plans for the construction projects for the School of Arms and the Cerco Garden to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies to ensure their appropriateness for the maintenance of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value. It would be useful to receive an update on the functioning of the Advisory and the Cooperation Units in the State Party’s next state of conservation report.