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1998 World Monuments Watch

The World Monuments Watch is a flagship advocacy program of the New York–based private non-profit organization World Monuments Fund (WMF) and American Express to call to action and challenge government authorities responsible for important cultural resources to identify sites immediately at risk, and to stimulate public awareness of the tremendous need to preserve and create sustainable uses for significant heritage made by man.[1][2]

Selection process

Every two years, the program publishes a select list known as the Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites that is in urgent need of preservation funding and protection. The sites are nominated by public authorities, local preservation groups, and qualified individuals.[2] An independent panel of international experts then select 100 candidates from these entries to be part of the Watch List, based on the significance of the site's overall significance, the urgency of its situation, the viability of action plans to save it, and the ability of a local constituency to sustainably maintain the site in the future with the means to do so.[1] WMF and American Express award grants to sites included on the Watch List. In addition, the leverage from the listing spurs government agencies and local donors to allocate funds and take an active role in protecting the cultural landmark.[2]

1998 Watch List

The 1998 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites was launched on September 8, 1997, by WMF President Bonnie Burnham.[2]

List by country/territory

Irretrievable losses from the political turmoil that followed the collapse of Albania's communist regime in 1992 led to the Butrint archaeological site's inclusion on the 1998 Watch List.
Benin's Royal Palaces of Abomey, a group of earthen structures built by the Fon people, is one of the most famous and historically significant traditional sites in West Africa.
Built in 1894 to produce canned salmon, Gulf of Georgia Cannery has been declared as a National Historic Site of Canada.
Along with Herculaneum, its sister city, Pompeii was destroyed, and completely buried, during a long catastrophic eruption of the Italian volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in AD 79.
Mexico City's Palace of Fine Arts is known for both its extravagant Beaux Arts exterior in imported Italian Carrara white marble and its murals by Diego Rivera[3]
Mnajdra Prehistoric Temples are among the most ancient religious sites on Earth.
The highly ornate wooden structure of Green Palace, built without nails, is a sacred monument for Mongolians and continues to have an active function as a museum of cultural artifacts.
The wooden architecture of Trondheim is at risk of being compromised with inappropriate new materials and additions.
An example of the revival of Gothic architecture in the Philippines, the San Sebastian Basilica is the only all-steel church or basilica in Asia.[4]
The "Ransom Room", in Cajamarca, Peru, is considered by most Peruvian historians to be the place where the Inca Empire came to an end with the capture and eventual execution of the Inca Emperor Atahualpa.[5]
Famous in particular for its massive dome, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and to have "changed the history of architecture."[6]

Statistics by country/territory

The following countries/territories have multiple sites entered on the 1998 Watch List, listed by the number of sites:

Notes

^ A. Numbers list only meant as a guide on this article. No official reference numbers have been designated for the sites on the Watch List.
^ B. Names and spellings used for the sites were based on the official 1998 Watch List as published[permanent dead link].
^ C. The references to the sites' locations were based on the official 1998 Watch List as published[permanent dead link].

References

  1. ^ a b "Palpung named to list of endangered monuments". World Monuments Fund. September 1997. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d "1998 World Monuments Watch" (PDF). World Monuments Fund. Retrieved 8 September 2009. [dead link]
  3. ^ Klinglesmith, Dan; Patrick Soran (2 October 1994). "Capital city wears legacy of muralist Diego Rivera". Travel. The Denver Post.
  4. ^ "World Heritage: San Sebastian Church". Tentative List for the World Heritage List. UNESCO. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
  5. ^ Ravines, Rogger; El cuarto del rescate de Atahualpa, 1532-1986; Lima : Instituto Nacional de Cultura, 1987. OCLC 21464899
  6. ^ Simons, Marlise (1993-08-22). "Center of Ottoman Power". New York Times. Retrieved 4 June 2009.

External links