Preservation Of Monuments Research Articles

Travel Notes

The article describes a trip to four Siberian cities. The author characterizes their main sights, urban development, preservation of monuments and mood of their inhabitants.

Preventive conservation – a means of sustainability of cultural heritage: The case of the M’Zab Valley

Abstract The management of heritage sites is fundamental to their conservation and sustainability, and more broadly, it contributes to the preservation of the environment. This article highlights the conservation plan developed for one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Algerian context: the M’Zab Valley in Ghardaïa. It has managed to preserve its specific character over the centuries thanks to the management operations that have been necessary for its continuity. The main question of this study is what are the management actions adopted in the M’Zab Valley with regard to the Ksourian architectural heritage to ensure its sustainability? Given the exploratory nature of this research, we chose a qualitative and inductive method. The study is based on a combination of several investigative tools: interviews, observations and photographs. The aim of the article is to highlight the efforts made by the Algerian public authorities and the local community to implement cultural heritage management measures in a particular context. The results of the analysis reveal, first, that the implementation of the permanent plan for the safeguarding and enhancement of the protected sector of the M’Zab Valley has proven itself in the preservation of monuments, sites and historic buildings, but also all the contexts associated with the daily life of people. Second, the rehabilitation operations of the historic ksour shall ensure the authenticity of the buildings and their integrity with the environment will be kept while adapting them to the current needs of users. Third, the combination of efforts between public institutions, the Office for the Protection and Promotion of the Valley of M’Zab, the local community and associations avoided the weakening of traditions and ancestral values through awareness missions, heritage education programmes, the application of heritage laws and regulations, and scientific and historical documentation of local heritage. Finally, the involvement of the local community in all operations on their local heritage ensures the transfer of local knowledge.

SOVIET POSTWAR CITY: ISSUES OF IMPROVEMENT

The paper examines the peculiarities of the perception of Soviet reality in 1945–1952. The basis of the research are regional archival materials – letters written by residents of the city of Gorky to the local authorities during those years. The paper presents their opinions about issues related to the postwar city – the state of housing and communal services, and the preservation of cultural monuments.

Introduction to the Point of View on Conservation – Promotion and Succession – Development for the Oral Music Backgrounds of Ethnomusicology Industry

The achievements of the branch of Ethnomusicology (Ethnomusicology) have become views, theories and methods used by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - UNESCO in its progressive activities around the world. The views and theories of this science have also begun to appear, strongly developed in the music studies of ethnic groups in Vietnam since the 1980s of the twentieth century, impact, influence and are used in many state policies for the preservation and promotion of historical monuments, types of culture and art. However, in some places, there is still a need for analysis, explanation as well as introduction to use. This article aims to introduce the views, theories and methods of the ethnographic music industry on the issue of Conservation - promotion or Inheriting - development of the music of ethnic minorities in Vietnam.

Towards the problem of preserving temporary revolutionary monuments of Petrograd: the case of the Central State Archive of St. Petersburg

The temporary monuments of Petrograd, installed as part of implementing Lenin’s plan, were conceived as one of the methods of propaganda of the population by means of art. However, hastily created from gypsum and inaugurated, the objects soon began to crumble. Purpose of the article: to study the activity of the city authorities in 1923 to preserve the monuments, namely, the busts of A. Blanqui, G. Garibaldi, H. Heine, A. Herzen, N. Dobrolyubov, T. Shevchenko, installed in Petrograd. The article is based on the analysis of the file of the Central State Archive of St. Petersburg, which demonstrates the process of repair work on the temporary monuments mentioned in the article. The analysis of these archival documents gives an idea of the existence of the problem of preservation of temporary monuments, its scale and possible ways of its elimination. The article publishes photographs from the funds of the Central State Archive of Cinema, Photographic, and Phonographic Documents of St. Petersburg. The methodology of the work is based on the principle of historicism and objectivity, the methods of comparative analysis were used. The research has shown that in 1923 the Petrograd authorities made attempts to save the mentioned commemorative signs. The result of the activity was the prolongation for a certain period of time of the deliberately short life of the studied monuments — busts. The main reason for the fragility of the objects was the material of construction, which was unsuitable for a long stay in the landscape of the city. The problem was aggravated by the climatic conditions of the northern capital. In the future, the monuments of the Soviet era were made of “permanent material”.

Churches and Monasteries in Northern Transylvania in Planning Documents and in Tourism Development Projects Financed by European Funds

Churches and Monasteries in Northern Transylvania in Planning Documents and in Tourism Development Projects Financed by European funds. In the present paper we studied the manner in which county and regional authorities from Northern Transylvania view churches and monasteries located in this area as tourist landmarks. In order to do that, we analyzed the county and regional policies and strategies and looked for projects addressing cultural heritage in the area that were financed by European programmes. While highlighting the diverse tourism potential of the religious buildings, the counties’ development strategies also recommended the preservation and rehabilitation of the historical monuments and promoting them in an integrated manner, as parts of cultural and/or religious routes. These objectives have been realized mostly with the help of the European funds – more than 40 churches were renovated and more than 80 have been promoted using REGIO and INTERREG funds, and wooden churches in Maramureș and Sălaj counties and medieval churches in Satu Mare County were included in thematic routes. Moreover, the creation and promotion of more cultural tourism routes is one of the main objectives of the Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, adding more value to the region’s tourism potential. Keywords: cultural heritage, tourist routes, European funds, churches, Northern Transylvania.

THE SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE KHOJA AHMED YASAWI COMPLEX IN TURKESTAN FEATURES

The problem of preservation and optimal demonstration of architectural monuments to local residents and tourists is of constant scientific and public interest. An interesting example of such a monument is the mausoleum-khanaka of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkestan, which remained unfinished. Studies of this building have been conducted for more than one century. However, not all new materials take into account some aspects disclosed in previous years. For example, studies of foundations and walls conducted in the 1950’s suggested that during the main period of construction in the fourteenth century, only the completion of the complex was carried out, and not the construction of a completely new building. However, despite the publications confirming it, including those of the 2010s, the version of new construction on the site of the purposefully completely destroyed original complex is still widespread. Based on the authors' research, which was conducted in late 2022, the assumption of reconstruction and rebuilding of the mausoleum-khanaka complex of the XIV century project was confirmed. An assumption is also made about the shape of the main dome and portal, which remained unfinished. Taking into account the importance of the mausoleum-khanaka of Khoja Ahmed Yassawi for self-determination of the culture of modern Kazakhstan, it seems appropriate to consider the evolution of the complex and the prospects of its development, which is done in the proposed article.

Civic Engagement and Cultural Heritage

In the current global context, the cultural sector faces various challenges related to funding, access, and participation. This paper aims to identify potential pathways for civic initiatives. The purpose of this narrative article is to discuss the role of civic engagement in protecting cultural heritage goods when public authorities fail to do so. The Romanian Law of Preserving Cultural Monuments is central to this discussion. It delineates the responsibilities of both governmental and non-governmental entities in safeguarding the nation's cultural heritage. Thus, the Herculane Project- situated in Băile Herculane (Herculane Baths), initiated by a Romanian non-governmental organization (NGO) offers invaluable lessons on the dynamics between civil society, public administration authorities, and the preservation of cultural monuments. The work presents a qualitative analysis of the mechanisms through which civic engagement has influenced the trajectory of the Herculane Project. It explores how local communities, NGOs, and grassroots movements have mobilized to advocate for the preservation of Băile Herculane's cultural heritage. The conclusion of this paper aims to demonstrate the relevance of contemporary civil societies in preserving cultural heritage goods. It underlines how the best practices employed by the NGO in charge of the Herculane Project can be applied to other cases while considering the dynamics of cultural heritage preservation.

Weakly Supervised SVM-Enhanced SAM Pipeline for Stone-by-Stone Segmentation of the Masonry of the Loire Valley Castles.

The preservation of historical monuments presents a formidable challenge, particularly in monitoring the deterioration of building materials over time. Chateau de Chambord's facade suffers from common issues such as flaking and spalling, which require meticulous stone and joint mapping from experts manually for restoration efforts. Advancements in computer vision have allowed machine-learning models to help in the automatic segmentation process. In this research, a custom architecture defined as SAM-SVM is proposed, to perform stone segmentation, based on the Segment Anything Model (SAM) and Support Vector Machines (SVM). By exploiting the zero-shot learning capabilities of SAM and its customizable input parameters, we obtain segmentation mask for stones and joints, which are then classified using SVM. Two more SAMs (three in total) are used, depending on how many stones are left to segment. Through extensive experimentation and evaluation, supported by computer vision methods, the proposed architecture achieves a Dice coefficient of 85%. Our results highlight the potential of SAM in cultural heritage conservation, providing a scalable and efficient solution for stone segmentation in historic monuments. This research contributes valuable insights and methodologies to the ongoing conservation efforts of Château de Chambord and could be extrapolated to other monuments.

A Study of the Kharkiv Architectural Avant-Garde

The article addresses the issue of preserving Kharkiv’s architectural heritage from the first third of the 20th century. The main focus is on the preservation of authenticity of the early modernist heritage in the context of a crisis situation associated with the overall state of heritage preservation in Ukraine and during active military operations. The research was conducted in the context of the planning development and spatial structure of the Kharkiv historical center and suburbs, where new workers’ settlements were formed, as well as considering the architectural layers within the structure of historical districts of Kharkiv. The main objective of the study is to determine the value and authenticity of the architectural heritage of early modernism. The study employed the methods of historical, retrospective, and comprehensive analysis. The general plan of the “Socialist Reconstruction of Kharkiv” from 1931-1933 and the historical-architectural reference plan of Kharkiv from 2019 were analysed as additional sources. The research results provide comprehensive information about the architectural and urban heritage of this period and emphasize the attention to the issue of preservation of authenticity. The conclusions of this work will serve as a basis for further development of specific measures for the conservation, restoration, and preservation of historical monuments in Kharkiv from the first third of the 20th century. The research will also contribute to raising public awareness about the value of early modernist architectural heritage and encourage the implementation of restoration programs to preserve these important landmarks.

Balancing Development and Heritage Conservation in Nepal: An Analysis With Reference to Legal and Policy Framework

The confluence of infrastructural development and heritage conservation manifests a complex challenge in a least-developed country like Nepal, which celebrates its rich cultural legacy. The sustainable development of Nepal is affected by a lack of a proper legal and policy framework for balancing infrastructure development and heritage conservation. This research delves into the analysis of the existing laws and policies of Nepal, which have been legislated to create anequilibrium amidst the two. The research further investigates the gap in the legislation and practice in Nepal. Nepal has several national laws and ratified conventions like the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act in 2013, and the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, 1972, etc. which have not been well-implemented. Most of Nepal's legal and policy frameworks for heritage conservation are adaptations of international frameworks, which might not be appropriate in the context of the country. The thesis statement stresses that comprehensive, proportionate, and flexible legal and policy frameworks and their implementation can help achieve a delicate balance between infrastructure development and heritage preservation. Moreover, the research highlights the need for a multidimensional approach that considers the socio-cultural, economic, and environmental aspects of infrastructure projects while safeguarding Nepal's cultural heritage, emphasizing the need for ongoing refinement. The study uses doctrinal methods for data collection and analytical and descriptive approaches to data analysis. The findings of the study provide insights into the current situation and suggest recommendations for better balancing of infrastructure development and heritage conservation in Nepal.

Heritage Harbor with YOLOv8:Preserving Monuments through Audio Tales

Heritage Harbor with YOLOv8" is a pioneering project aimed at conserving cultural heritage through a fusion of modern technology and traditional storytelling. Leveraging the advanced object detection capabilities of YOLOv8, this initiative focuses on the preservation of monuments by capturing their essence through audio narratives. By integrating audio tales with real-time object recognition, visitors are immersed in a rich, interactive experience that fosters a deeper appreciation for historical sites.This abstract outlines the methodology and objectives of the project, emphasizing the synergy between technology and cultural preservation. Through a combination of machine learning algorithms and curated storytelling, the project aims to revitalize interest in heritage sites while safeguarding them for future generations. Furthermore, it explores the potential for scalability and adaptability, envisioning a future where similar approaches can be applied to diverse cultural landscapes worldwide

Історико-культурна спадщина України в умовах екзистенційного виклику

The aim of the article is the assessment of the situation of Ukrainian historical and cultural heritage in conditions of an extremely high level of threat for its existence because of the full-scale war of the russian federation against Ukraine and future prospects. Scientific novelty is based on the formulation and presentation of the complex of theoretical and methodological aspects of identification, personification, decolonization, national and global significance of the historical and cultural heritage of Ukraine, its preservation and use; the analysis of objective trends in the formation of conditions for its future existence. Conclusions. The presentation of the material, in particular of certain debatable issues, allows us to draw conclusions about the main conceptual provisions, the identification, personification of Ukrainian material and spiritual heritage, the decolonization of museum content. It opens the way to determine the scope, national, multicultural and global components, the contribution of Ukrainian historical and cultural heritage to the world civilization development. Today’s realities require the formulation of new foundations for the protection and preservation of monuments of history and culture (monumental art and archeology as immovable and movable heritage components; museums, reserves, research and educational institutions as establishments of its location.); study of the peculiarities of new contours of the historical and cultural space formation, its existence and development in the conditions of the continuation of military operations and after their termination, new principles of the search and return of the historical and cultural heritage on the basis of international law; the improvement of the existing world legislation taking into account the specificity of modern forms of aggression and military crimes based on the factual material of the russia-Ukraine war.

On the history of the creation of the Old Moscow Commission: what the archival documents told about

The subject of this article is the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow, which was formed at the Imperial Moscow Archaeological Society and continued to operate after the liquidation of the IMAO. The author pays special attention to the Rules of the Commission, a program document of this community, which have been preserved both in handwritten and printed form, and in several copies. In addition, the author examines other archival documents – minutes of the Commission's meetings, which allow to highlight the issue of the activities and work of the Commission. The study of these documents also helps to understand how the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow was organized, who held the main positions and what responsibilities were imposed on them, who were the most active members of the Commission, etc. The main method of research is the method of historical analysis, which allows one to analyze the minutes of meetings and Rules of the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow and on their basis to understand how this community functioned. The main conclusions of the conducted research are, firstly, the conclusion that by 1917 the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow had become a serious scientific society, which included not only those interested in the history of Moscow, amateur Muscovites, but also professional historians, archivists, architects, etc.; secondly, the conclusion about the Commission's huge contribution to the study and preservation of ancient monuments in Moscow. In addition, the author concludes that the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow was institutionally and in many types of activities the successor of the Imperial Moscow Archaeological Society. Preserving the traditions of the IMAO and remaining faithful to its basic principles, the Commission was able to continue its activities after the liquidation of the IMAO. The novelty of the research lies in the introduction into scientific circulation of previously unpublished archival sources, a comprehensive analysis of which allows us to reconstruct the daily life of the Commission.

Peculiarities of the “Provincial Secession” Style Development in Ukraine At the Beginning of the 20th Century and Modern Problems of Its Monuments Preservation In War Time

The article analyzes the specifics of the Secession period buildings in the regional centres of this style formation in Ukraine. Along with the four main centres (Lviv, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa), there were smaller Secession centres in provincial cities. The character of the style in these centres was influenced by belonging to the Austro-Hungarian or Russian Empire. Compared to the European Secession and the Secession in the main centres, the Secession in the province felt the influence of local strata, which introduced the term “provincial secession”. However, these facilities are part of the historic environment of the former administrative centers of the provinces, medium and small towns. It was determined that the events of the Russian-Ukrainian war led to the destruction of many objects of valuable background buildings, and planned repairs and restoration of even non-destroyed objects are not carried out.

Methods of Regeneration of Damaged Historical Buildings

The article is devoted to the classification of regeneration methods of buildings damaged by factors of aging, emergency situations and military events. Regeneration is becoming more urgent due to the destruction of a large number of historical quarters by military aggression. Different methods inherent in the regeneration of destroyed neighborhoods are classified, namely restoration, reconstruction and various options for new construction. The methods are illustrated with examples of their use mainly based on the experience of regeneration of Kyiv Podol district and other historical areas of Ukraine, as well as foreign ones. In the complex regeneration of neighborhoods, the preservation of architectural monuments, the restoration of the most valuable and preserved objects of the historical background building, the reconstruction of a certain part of the built objects that have value due to their facade solutions, new construction with the reproduction of the traditional character of the environment in various forms. At the moment, the new construction takes on the solution of modern urban planning and functional requirements for city centers as much as possible, and also serves as a hub of ideas for engineering reconstruction of the entire quarter, is the basis of sustainable development. Defined methods of ensuring the diversity of facade sweeps, which corresponds to the nature of background buildings and forms effective scenarios for pedestrian spaces.

The impact of stone position and location on the microbiome of a marble statue

Microbial proliferation and biodeterioration constitutes a serious threat towards the preservation of stone monuments and relics. Geometry and exposure have been recently pinpointed as important factors determining the microbiome organization in stone monuments. In this work, the impacts of position and location on the microbial communities and their predicted metabolical and ecological profiles on a marble statue were studied. We sampled various epilithic stone biofilms from the Brotero statue (Coimbra’s UNESCO World Heritage site) and studied them by Next-generation Sequencing of the V3/V4 and the ITS2 regions, and bioinformatic analyses. We verified that statue location/heights have a more relevant impact than position/sides on the microbiome, and that Fungal and Chlorophyta communities showed a more diverse and less stable structural organization than Bacteria. Thus, while sub-aerial biofilms were mainly colonized by selective groups of extremophilic microorganisms, our results highlight that this specificity is more pronounced in prokaryotes. Bacterial metabolic functional distribution patterns were found to be distinct and adapted according to statue heights, while fungi displayed a strong domination of various types of saprotrophs. In addition to various “degraders” present in all samples, lower statue areas displayed strong connections with nitrogen fixators, while high and middle zones displayed stronger correlations with nitrogen and sulfur cycle bacteria. Moreover, biodeterioration at these sites can be promoted by biodeteriogenic cyanobacteria, bacteria linked to biogeochemical cycles, microcolonial Fungi and Chlorophyta able to thrive under hostile environments. In addition, mutualistic and competitive relationships between taxonomic groups were detected, that will require additional focus on future studies.

How Transport Rarities Were Preserved

The article systematises and analyses information reflecting the main approaches to preservation and presentation of monuments of transport history during the period of «perestroika». It was during this period that various social practices emerged in the field of preserving technical monuments, which later became traditional. The author examines several important anniversary events related to the history of transport, during which numerous historical rarities were identified and preserved, and new museums and exhibitions were created.

Feasibility of using geopolymer solution in the conservation of architectural monuments

the ordinary cement mortar. The authors present the argument for the expediency of using a Preservation and maintenance of architectural monuments have always been the number one task for civil engineers. In this context, the engineer encounters a “wagon load” of problems. On the one hand, there are strict requirements for the composition of materials used for restoration. On the other hand, it is the almost insurmountable challenge of selecting the right materials with the essential properties for the proper restoration of an architectural monument. Fixing of cracks and cavities is crucial for the durability of reinforced concrete and stone structures. These need to be treated scientifically to ensure usability.
 In this setting, the use of Epoxy resins has become common. While Epoxy resins perform well under certain circumstances, they have many disadvantages such as heat instability, high costs, high resource demand, and serious health and environmental hazards. Furthermore, Epoxy resins are proscribed in monument preservation. To overcome the potential disadvantages of Epoxy resins, Geopolymers offer a promising alternative. Geopolymers are an environmentally friendly and durable substitute with low viscosity, supported by high-temperature stability. Using inorganic additives, geopolymer can expand and create a preload during solidification; this is a salient favorable feature since any decrease in volume will lead to the creation of a new cavity or crack of a smaller size. According to previous studies [1], the implementation of this low-CO2 geopolymer cement in construction and civil engineering would reduce CO2 emissions caused by the cement and concrete industry by 80%
 This article presents the main advantages and disadvantages of the proposed geopolymer solution, in comparison to geopolymer solution in the reconstruction of architectural monuments.

A contribution to preservation of salt-laden construction materials: An effective, eco-friendly and inexpensive system of renovation plasters

Prolongation of construction service-life is a crucial way of reducing maintenance costs and carbon footprint related to civil engineering industry. Salinity and dampness are recognized as the main factors affecting porous materials stability. Hence, it is essential to provide effective and easily accessible measures against them. The main goal of the presented manuscript is to satisfy this need by proposing a complex system of renovation plasters, which combines cost effectiveness with high quality. Five renders’ compositions, i.e., one base and four top plasters are designed and extensively studied. Apart from tests required by Association of Science and Technology of Building Maintenance and Monuments Preservation (ger. Wissenschaftlich-Technische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Bauwerkserhaltung und Denkmalpflege, WTA), the experimental analysis also includes testing of resistance to corrosion factors, such as UV-aging, or cyclic frost action among others. The presented results confirm that the designed materials meet WTA requirements, but also maintain their properties for a long period of time. Since the proposed plasters consist solely of widely available and cheap components, the final price of a ready-to-use render is reduced by 90 % comparing to commercial mortars available in the market. Additionally, the life cycle analysis (LCA) proves that the proposed materials are eco-friendly solutions in comparison to conventional plasters.