Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue
Factors affecting the property in 2008*
- Effects arising from use of transportation infrastructure
- Other Threats:
Lack of conservation of residential housing in the area inscribed as World Heritage
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
a) Inappropriate use of public areas and street amenities;
b) Lack of conservation of residential housing in the area inscribed as World Heritage;
c) Increased volume of traffic.
International Assistance: requests for the property until 2008
Total amount approved : 0 USD
Missions to the property until 2008**
20 to 22 March 2005 : World Heritage Centre-ICOMOS advisory mission ; 4 to 7 November 2007 : ICOMOS advisory mission.
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2008
The main issue concerns the demolition of old buildings and the construction of new ones in their place in a part of the buffer zone, in particular the old « Jewish quarter » in the 6th and 7th districts:
a) Between 2004 and the present day, the demolition of several large or important buildings in this area may be noted. These buildings are of great architectural and urban quality. They date from the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century;
b) In the framework of real estate projects, these old buildings are replaced by higher buildings, of denser housing and mediocre architectural quality. They modify the urban integrity and authenticity of the quarter;
c) The urban regulations presently in force in the buffer zone would appear to be ill-adapted.
A clear negative effect to the urban value of the buffer zone and the outstanding universal value of the property is noticeable.
Demolition problems and reconstruction of old buildings in the Jewish quarter appear more to be an economic problem of rentable property rather than a heritage one. The buildings being demolished are generally of high architectural interest and conserve an evident contemporary urban potential that could lend itself to rehabilitation or restoration appropriate to the integrity of the property.
Summary of the interventions
Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2008
32 COM 7B.94
Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrassy Avenue (Hungary) (C 400 and 400 bis)
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-08/32.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 26 COM 23.10/11/12 and 27 COM 8C.2, adopted at its 26th (Budapest, 2002) and 27th (UNESCO, 2003) sessions respectively,
3. Expresses its utmost concern regarding the ongoing demolition of old buildings of great architectural and urban quality in the buffer zone of the inscribed property, particularly in the "Jewish quarter";
4. Also expresses its grave concern regarding the reconstruction, in their place, of contemporary buildings of questionable quality that profoundly transform the architectural and urban value of this quarter;
5. Requests the State Party to act, without delay, to:
a) re-examine, case by case, the demolition permits already granted with a view to equity with the holders of permits already granted, but giving priority to the conservation of the existing built heritage;
b) consider establishing an urban conservation and development plan for the buffer zone, fully respecting the principal architectural and urban values of each quarter, and for which enforcement would be stricter than it is at present in each quarter;
c) seek additional funding (for example tax incentives, grants) and in a dynamic manner, direct private building investment to rehabilitation operations and restoration rather than demolition and reconstruction;
6. Also requests the State Party to undertake archaeological work to identify the physical traces of the ancient ghetto and to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2009, a detailed report on the urban situation in the "Jewish quarter" and on conservation measures in force.
32 COM 8D
Clarifications of property boundaries and sizes by States Parties in response to the restrospective inventory
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-08/32.COM/8D,
2. Recalling Decisions 30 COM 11A.2 and 31 COM 11A.2, adopted at its 30th (Vilnius, 2006) and 31st (Christchurch, 2007) sessions respectively,
3. Recalls that, as decided at its 31st session (Christchurch, 2007) by Decision 31 COM 11A.2, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies will not be able to examine proposals for minor or significant modifications to boundaries of World Heritage properties whenever the delimitation of such properties as inscribed is unclear;
4. Congratulates States Parties in the European Region and the States Parties of Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia on the excellent work accomplished in the clarification of the delimitation of their World Heritage properties and thanks them for their efforts to improve the credibility of the World Heritage List,
5. Takes note of the clarifications of property boundaries and sizes provided by the following States Parties in the European and Arab Regions in response to the Retrospective Inventory, as presented in the Annex of Document WHC-08/32.COM/8D:
- Armenia: Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin;
- Austria: Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg; Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn; Hallstatt-Dachstein-Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape;
- Belgium: Flemish Béguinages;
- Bulgaria: Boyana Church; Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak; Rila Monastery; Ancient City of Nessebar;
- Croatia: Old City of Dubrovnik; Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian; Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basilica in the Historic Centre of Poreč;
- Czech Republic: Historic Centre of Telč; Pilgrimage Church of St. John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora; Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape; Gardens and Castle at Kroměříž;
- Denmark: Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church; Roskilde Cathedral;
- Egypt: Memphis and its Necropolis - the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur; Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis; Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae; Historic Cairo; Abu Mena; Saint Catherine Area;
- Estonia: Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn;
- Germany: Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square; Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl; Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin; Town of Bamberg;
- Greece: Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae; Mount Athos; Medieval City of Rhodes; Archaeological Site of Mystras; Delos;
- Hungary: Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue; Old Village of Hollókö and its Surroundings; Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment; Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst (presented jointly with Slovakia);
- Ireland: Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne; Skellig Michael;
- Italy: Historic Centre of San Gimignano; City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto; Historic Centre of Siena; Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta; The trulli of Alberobello; Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna; Historic Centre of the City of Pienza; Residences of the Royal House of Savoy; Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico), Padua; Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto); Costiera Amalfitana; Archaeological area of Agrigento; Su Nuraxi di Barumini; Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia;
- Latvia: Historic Centre of Riga;
- Luxembourg: City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications;
- Morocco: Medina of Marrakesh; Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou; Archaeological Site of Volubilis;
- Poland: Cracow's Historic Centre; Historic Centre of Warsaw; Old City of Zamość; Medieval Town of Torún; Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork;
- Portugal: Monastery of Batalha; Cultural Landscape of Sintra; Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley;
- Romania: Danube Delta;
- Slovakia: Historic Town of Banská Štiavnica and the Technical Monuments in its Vicinity; Spišský Hrad and its Associated Cultural Monuments; Vlkolínec; Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst (presented jointly with Hungary);
- Spain: Garajonay National Park;
- Tunisia: Ichkeul National Park;
- Ukraine: Kiev: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra;
- United Kingdom: Durham Castle and Cathedral; Ironbridge Gorge; Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites; Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd; Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church; Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church; Maritime Greenwich;
6. Requests the European and Arab States Parties which have not yet answered the questions raised in 2005, 2006 and 2007 within the framework of the Retrospective Inventory to provide all requested clarifications and documentation as soon as possible and by 1 December 2008 at the latest.
Draft Decision : 32 COM 7B.94
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-08/32.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 26 COM 23.10/11/12 and 27 COM 8C.2, adopted at its 26th (Budapest, 2002) and 27th (UNESCO, 2003) sessions respectively,
3. Expresses its utmost concern regarding the ongoing demolition of old buildings of great architectural and urban quality in the buffer zone of the inscribed property, particularly in the so-called “Jewish quarter”;
4. Also expresses its grave concern regarding the reconstruction, in their place, of contemporary buildings of mediocre quality that profoundly transform the architectural and urban value of this quarter;
5. Requests the State Party to act, without delay, to:
a) Declare and immediately apply a moratorium on all demolitions in the buffer zone;
b) Re-examine, case by case, the demolition permits already granted with a view to equity with the holders of permits already granted, but giving priority to the conservation of the existing built heritage;
c) Establish an urban conservation and development plan for the buffer zone, fully respecting the principal architectural and urban values of each quarter, and for which enforcement would be stricter than it is at present in each quarter;
d) Seek additional funding (fiscality, grants, etc.) and in a dynamic manner, direct private building investment to rehabilitation operations and restoration rather than demolition and reconstruction;
6. Also requests the State Party to undertake archaeological work to identify the physical traces of the ancient ghetto and to submit to the World Heritage Centre,, by 1 February 2009, a detailed report on the urban situation in the “Jewish quarter” and on conservation measures in force.
Hungary
* :
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.
