Impact of Floods on Heritage Structures

Abstract

Throughout human history, floods have played a very important role, mainly due to their adverse impacts on cultural heritage. Floods lead to the loss of historical monuments, devastation of historic sites, changes in the cultural landscape, and also to the disappearance or substantial distortion of intangible heritage. Due to periodic changes in climatic conditions over recent years, we have witnessed increasingly frequent major floods and related events that pose a substantial threat to cultural heritage worldwide. These include the floods in Central Europe in 2002, the New Orleans flood in 2005, numerous floods in South Asia in 2007 and 2009, as well as severe floods in Central Europe again in 2010. Engineering experience acquired during the course of major floods has provided comprehensive knowledge and reliable data about the impact of flooding on historic objects and sites. This experience can serve as a basis for establishing guidelines and recommendations for the effective protection of cultural heritage in emergency situations. River floods are the most common type of natural disaster in many European and Asian regions. Recent European studies have pointed to a significant increase in the frequency and severity of river floods due to the apparent development of global warming. However, floods, being highly impactful phenomena, are well documented with details including social and economic impacts. Data on the height of water during the flood culmination are usually well documented in situ, in various types of high water