Historical Monuments of Mtskheta

• Lack of a management mechanism (issue resolved)
• Lack of definition of the unified buffer zone
• Lack of Urban Master Plan of the City of Mtskheta
• Insufficient coordination between the Georgian Church and the national authorities (issue resolved)
• Privatisation of surrounding land
• Natural erosion of stone
• Loss of authenticity during previous works carried out by the Church
• Inappropriate urban development within a sensitive historical environment

• Lack of a management mechanism;
• Privatisation of surrounding land;
•  Loss of authenticity of some components due to restoration works conducted using unacceptable methods.

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4103

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4103

On 30 January 2015, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/708/documents. It provides information on archaeological excavation and conservation works, and the progress made with the implementation of the corrective measures adopted by the Committee at its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010), as follows:

• Urban Land-Use Master Plan: The proposed tripartite co-operation agreement with the World Bank, UNESCO and Georgia, shall provide further assistance in the development of this Master Plan, as well as address the remaining corrective measures.
• Zoning regulations: Recommendations regarding the modification of the boundaries of the cultural heritage protection zones and the buffer zones of the World Heritage property were transmitted to the town administration and shall be taken into consideration in the Urban Land-Use Master Plan.
• Management plan: The management plan, completed in 2012, has to date not been formally adopted. The State Party expects that the national Law on World Heritage in Georgia will provide the necessary legal basis for its adoption. In addition, the management framework for Mtskheta has been improved by the 2014 adopted Local Self-Government Code, which bestows the city administration with its own funding and decision making rights. Improved cooperation is foreseen through the memorandum of cooperation signed between the Ministry of Culture and the Representative of the Patriarchate of Georgia.
• Development projects: The Third Regional Development Project, funded by the World Bank, includes numerous rehabilitation, construction and archaeological works, such as, among others, construction of a visitor centre at Jvari Church. Two projects “The Mtskheta Jvari (Holy Cross) infrastructure project (II stage)” and “The church of Holy Transfiguration of the Saviour, Tomb of Holy Father St. Gabriel and Fool for Christ, Samtavro Monastery in Mtskheta” were submitted by the authorities for ICOMOS review.

In November 2014, a joint ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission to the property assessed its state of conservation, as well as the progress achieved in implementing the corrective measures, in view of the eventual removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger. The mission has made a number of observations and recommendations which are essential for implementing the remaining corrective measures.  

Moreover, a joint World Heritage Centre/World Bank mission to the property defined the priorities for development of a project on Sustainable Development of the World Heritage City of Mtskheta within the framework of the implementation of the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) recommendations. Both mission reports are available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/708/documents.

The State Party’s efforts to address the corrective measures and to develop a range of legal measures and protection mechanisms are acknowledged. It is recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to address all remaining measures, such as the development of the Urban Land-Use Master Plan, to increase the levels of protection to the property. The property has neither appropriate buffer zone nor conservation master plan. These tools have been discussed during the recent missions and are part of the Georgian authority’s commitment.

The mission noted that the Committee´s decisions regarding the cultural landscape setting have not been addressed and no attempt has been made to prevent inappropriate constructions on the Aragvi and Mtgvari rivers banks which have an impact on the setting of the property. Due to the absence of master plan, new developments have resulted in numerous heterogeneous buildings being constructed which, in terms of morphology, volume and layout, reflect patchy city-planning in this most sensitive site area of the city.

The mission recommended that a more effective monitoring mechanism should be developed in the Urban Master Plan regarding the location, density, control of volumes, heights and views of any new town buildings, in order to maintain the dominating presence of the historical monuments over the Mtskheta City. The mission further recommended including zoning regulations with particular emphasis on the establishment of no-construction zones, clearly detailed and outlined development zones and a conservation master plan which should take into consideration the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, its specific landscape setting, as well as important views and visual connection lines.

Work on the new Justice House had started but has been stopped at the request of the Committee as the new building had negative impact on one of the components of the property. A new proposal for the House of Justice was reviewed by the mission. A new location has been chosen by the authorities and the design has been reviewed after taking on board comments by ICOMOS. The mission agreed that the new location is more suitable but at the same time the mission report notes that some minor changes to the design are recommended, such as breaking up the mass. It is also recommended that the space next to the river should not be built upon and developed, as it ensures visual connection between the property components and has an important cultural significance. The State Party is invited to develop a project for the recreation area along the Aragvi river bank which should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre, in conformity with paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies, before any commitment is made. The recommendations and suggestions made by the mission should be addressed by the State Party.

A proposal for a modification of the boundaries of the buffer zones of the World Heritage property should be transmitted to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies for review, prior to any further works being completed on the Urban Land-Use Master Plan.

It is hoped that the planned tripartite cooperation between the State Party, the World Bank and the World Heritage Centre can assist the State Party in implementing the remaining corrective measures.

It is recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to suspend any construction in the zone next to the Aragvi and Mtgvari rivers banks and promote the adoption of a non aedeficandi zone as long as the Urban Master Plan and unified buffer zone are not approved and implemented to curb uncontrolled development.

Finally, it is recommended that the World Heritage Committee retain the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (Georgia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger until the examination of its state of conservation by the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session in 2016.