Report of the ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring Mission to the Ancient City of Nessebar (Bulgaria), 20 -25 November 2012

As requested by the World Heritage Committee at its 35th session, a reactive monitoring mission to the Ancient City of Nessebar was carried out from 20 November to 24 November 2012. The objective of the mission was to review the overall situation of the World Heritage property of the Ancient City of Nessebar (Bulgaria), inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1983, with regard to its state of conservation, as well as to evaluate the status of any development, construction or restoration projects within the property and its buffer zone which might affect the Outstanding Universal Value, authenticity and integrity of the property.

The mission was able to consult with a range of stakeholders, including representatives of the Ministry of Culture, the local authorities of Nessebar. The presence of the Deputy Minister of Culture during the mission was a clear sign of the importance given by the Bulgarian authorities to the implementation of the decisions made by the World Heritage Committee.