Use of Façadism in Divided-Walled Nicosia, Cyprus

Christina Pieri

doi:10.4038/besl.v13i1.7665

Abstract

Nicosia, the last divided European capital has been dealing with the scars of conflict since its permanent division in 1974. This division has had a detrimental impact on the historic part of the city, currently split half between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. This paper offers a critical examination of the use of facadism as an urban regeneration and heritage conservation approach, and contributes to a stronger understanding of the impact of conflict as well as division in the management of walled Nicosia’s heritage. The literature review reflects on existing theory and research on the topics of heritage conservation and heritage authenticity, while a historical overview of the Cyprus conflict aims to set the ground for the analysis of the introduced data. In doing so, the paper focuses on selected areas where the use of facadism has been observed, and concludes by demonstrating that the rehabilitation of the historic city varies, with selective heritage management due to conflict and division continuing to reflect on the built environment of the city.

Highlights

According to Article 14 of the revised 1979 Burra Charter, conservation can be classified into different processes depending on the type and circumstances of each heritage
Bandarin et al (2012) argue that conservation of heritage simultaneously concentrates on the past and the future by enabling an “[...] intellectual process of mediation between diverse forces, searching for an equilibrium centred on the interpretation of the value systems of a social formation.”
This paper examines the use of façadism as a method of conservation and urban regeneration in the south part of divided walled Nicosia, and critically discusses the impact of this approach on the authenticity of the historic built environment of the city

Summary

Introduction

According to Article 14 of the revised 1979 Burra Charter, conservation can be classified into different processes depending on the type and circumstances of each heritage. In the context of Cyprus, the ongoing conflict and division between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities has had a major impact on the management and protection of the island’s tangible and intangible inheritance with ethnic and political differences marking the urban, social and economic structure of its capital, Nicosia. The physical and aesthetic qualities of the city are being influenced by political, administrative, social and economic issues, which in turn, impact on the effective collaboration between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot municipalities of Nicosia The reason for this outcome is inevitably engrained in the on-going intercommunal conflict in Cyprus, and the continuous struggle for cultural prevalence against the ‘other’. Material authenticity emerges as key considerations in the restoration of historic buildings within the walls

Authenticity in Heritage Conservation

Authenticity in Divided Societies

Conclusions

List of Figures