FINANCING THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL BUILDINGS IN TURKEY

Abstract

According to the Turkish legal system, immovable cultural properties are identified either as single properties or as conservation sites. Once registered as a cultural heritage by the state, development rights on immovable properties is strictly restricted, and the owner is responsible for the building’s maintenance, repair and restoration costs. Since maintenance expenses of a building increase with time, owners of historic buildings eventually face greater financial burdens than most can bear, resulting in the deterioration and decay of historical buildings. The aim of the paper is to trace the historical development of the state’s share in the restoration of the immovable cultural heritage of the country. Total state budget designated for credits and donations for the owners of such buildings has increased over the years, but its percentages compared to other items of the national budget did not show dramatic change in the last 50 years. In the paper, the evolution of the different financial instruments utilized by Turkey’s central and local governments for restoration of qualified historical buildings will be presented and criticized in terms of their performance based on archive research and an empirical study for calculation of an estimate financial need for restoration of all registered historical buildings in Turkey. Finally a proposal will be made for developing new financial instruments to enable the preservation of immovable cultural properties.