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Europe's Floods Threaten Heritage Sites - October
2002
The devastating floods of August wreaked havoc in Europe's Elbe and
Danube river valleys. What the German media dubbed the "Jahrhundertflut",
or once-in-a-century flood, claimed at least 30 lives, forced hundreds
of thousands of people to flee their homes, and caused billions of
dollars worth of damage. Several World Heritage sites were caught
up in the disaster, including two historic centres in the Czech Republic
- those of the capital Prague
and Cesky
Krumlov. Also threatened were the Historic
Centre of Salzburg, Austria; the banks of the Danube
and Buda Castle quarter in the Hungarian capital Budapest, as
well as the sites of the Bauhaus
architects in Dessau, Germany. Some of the worst flooding in built
areas swamped the historic Baroque centre of Dresden, Germany, which
is on Germany's tentative of possible future World Heritage List.
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Tens of thousands of people
- soldiers, firefighters and volunteers - rallied to fight the calamity,
building sandbag defences against the floods. In Prague, volunteers
helped pump water out of the basement of Dresden's Baroque Zwinger
Palace and move priceless Old Masters to upper floors by candlelight.
UNESCO Director General Koïchiro Matsuura launched an appeal
to the international community to help restore Europe's damaged cultural
heritage. In letters conveying his sympathy to Czech President Vàclav
Havel and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, he offered technical-emergency
assistance from the World Heritage Fund. |
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