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The World Monuments Watch is a program created by (WMF) to bring attention to cultural heritages worldwide that are threatened by things such as nature or social, political and economic impact. Launched in 1996, the WMF takes site nominees every two years. Inclusion on the watch list provides a platform for raising awareness and coming up with effective solutions. So far the Watch has provided more than 600 sites with support.
Above is a slideshow of some of the 2016 World Monuments Watch nominees. The following is information on each site compiled from the WMF website:
Established in 1968 by the Communist government of Albania, Spaç Prison was a notorious labor camp. The political prisoners held there included some of Albania's most prominent intellectuals during the twentieth century.Even though it has been designated as a heritage site, the elements have extremely deteriorated the complex and the abandoned and vacant buildings have lost almost a majority of their fixtures. Therecurrently is no other site that holds Spaç Prison’s history, and the need to advance knowledge, raise public awareness and create a demand for its transformation into a center of remembrance is pressing.
The Ladeira da Misericordia (Mercy Slope) is an important historic street that joins the upper and lower sections of the World Heritage city of Salvador de Bahia. This street is one of the few remaining historic connections between the sections of the city, and it holds examples of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century colonial architecture, as well as a panoramic view of the Bay of All Saints. With the implementation of the 2010 Participatory Rehabilitation Plan for the Old Centre of Salvador, there is an opportunity to renew the Ladeira da Misericordia as a revitalized public space.
The Atacama Desert, which stretches for 600 miles south of Chile’s Peruvian border, is known to be the driest desert in the world, with areas that have not seen rainfall for centuries. The area known as Chug-Chug holds 23 archaeological sites and preserves close to 500 geoglyphs, which are figures etched on the earth, created by removing the darker topsoil and exposing the lighter subsurface. The majority of the figures were created between 900 and 1550, with some dating as early as 1000 B.C. Although the site is a national monument, this designation only affords protection to the individual geoglyphs. The 2016 World Monuments Watch calls for the establishment of an archaeological park to protect and preserve the site of Chug-Chug.
The Church and Convent of San Francisco is part of the City of Quito World Heritage Site, the first site ever inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978. It is the oldest and most significant religious site in Ecuador. Today, it continues to house Franciscan monks and functions as a major cultural and religious center. The church and convent, which have been repeatedly affected by seismic movements, was fully restored by the Spanish Cooperation in 2002 and in UNESCO funded the development of an integrated management plan in 2012. Despite the plan’s implementation, much work still needs to be done, which is why it is included on the 2016 World Monuments Watch.
Birmingham’s Moseley Road Baths in Balsall Heath opened in 1907 and have served the surrounding community for more than a century. It finds its place on the 2016 World Monuments Watch because it is at risk; Birmingham City Council plans to close the baths in 2016, due to cutbacks in government spending. Local advocates have mobilized since 2006 to keep the baths open and make the case for their social, historical, and architectural significance.
Near a sandy beach on Vatika Bay, the archaeological remains of the world’s oldest submerged city lies a few meters below the water’s surface. Pavlopetri was a Bronze Age city that was occupied from the third millennium until 1100 B.C. The surviving remains include traces of buildings, courtyards, streets and burial places. Currently, Pavlopetri is threatened by pollution from large ships anchoring in Vatika Bay. Local advocates have begun a campaign to protect the underwater city. They seek to prevent the enactment of a Special Port Regulation that would allow ships to anchor legally in Vatika Bay, and to promote the adoption of a proactive set of regulations protecting the site. Pavlopetri is included on the 2016 World Monuments Watch to support these local efforts.
In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, awakening can be attained in a single lifetime with the aid of deities. This tradition gave rise to a rich visual culture as accompaniment to meditation, and the interiors of the Gon-Nila-Phuk caves are covered with paintings depicting different manifestations of Buddhahood, likely executed as early as the eleventh century. Because the caves were carved into a hill of conglomerate rock, erosion has damaged the painted surface and threatens the caves’ structural stability. Only two remain accessible, due to collapses. In 2015, the Ladakh chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage secured funding for the initial phases of a conservation management plan for the site. The 2016 World Monuments Watch supports every effort for the protection of the Gon-Nila-Phuk Cave Temples and Fort.
Amedy is a historic hilltop town in northern Iraq that is rich with unique monuments and strongly connected with the surrounding natural landscape. Positioned upon a half-mile long limestone plateau and wedged between twin mountain ranges, for most of its history it was only accessible by two staircases leading to heavily fortified gates. Even with modern road access, the city remains a beautiful and formidable natural fortification. However, the plateau, the site’s most striking feature, also poses its biggest threat. The limited space, combined with a steadily increasing population, has created development pressures. The site’s inclusion on the 2016 World Monuments Watch highlights the need for urban planning to integrate new development that meets community requirements with minimal damage to the city’s historic fabric.
After theGreat Kantō Earthquake devastated central Tokyo in 1923, the ensuing reconstruction led to the redevelopment of the commercial district of Tsukiji. It became home to the city’s wholesale fish market, the largest and busiest in the world. The architecture developed in that period consisted of small wooden buildings of two or three stories for mixed residential and commercial use. Rapid economic development in the post-war period led to the destruction of much of the remaining pre-war architecture in Tsukiji and throughout Tokyo. Much-needed economic growth created new opportunity for the residents, but also made careful management of change to the area crucial. Despite the Tsukiji district receiving national designation in 2014, most of the individual buildings do not have legal protections. The district is on the World Monuments Watch in a show of international support to the efforts of local architects and property owners advocating for preservation-minded planning and protection of the city’s heritage.
The ruins of ancient Petra occupy a high plateau rising out of Wadi Mousa, the Valley of Moses, in southwestern Jordan. Many of Petra’sspectacular structures were carved into the red sandstone surroundings so that their facades, which can rise as high as 130 feet, appear against the cliff-faces. Petra also held a system of channels, dams and cisterns that allowed it to exist in the desert and lessened the harmful effects of flash flooding. Petra is located in a seismic zone which makes it vulnerable to earthquakes and flash floods that consistently damage the remaining architecture. The World Monuments Fund has partnered with the Petra National Trust and the Jordanian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to develop a long-term strategy for the preservation of the site.
Heneine Palace was built during the final years of the Ottoman rule in the late nineteenth century. It is one of the most extraordinary buildings in Zokak el-Blat, a garden district outside of Beirut that was formerly an area of elite homes. When the last owner died in 1970, Heneine Palace was abandoned. After the civil war in 1975, the ground floor became home to displaced families. By 1990 these occupants were evicted and now the palace has been left empty and decaying. The Heneine Palace was designated a landmark in 2010, but even this may not be enough to save it. Organizations such as Save Beirut Heritage are demanding that the palace be preserved and made open to the public. The 2016 World Monuments Watch supports their movement and recognizes the positive impact that can be caused by balancing development with preservation of historic urban structures and spaces.
Once an essential stop on two separate caravan routes, Figuig is a large oasis town in northern Morocco. For the past two decades, it has faced an economic and social crisis caused by the indefinite closure of the border between Algeria and Morocco in 1994. Many of the inhabitants chose to leave Figuig, turning the town into an isolated outpost. Parts of the abandoned historic quarters have been reduced to ruins. The 2016 World Monuments Watch is calling for an increase in efforts to create local capacities in urban heritage management for Figuig’s benefit.
Four centuries of history are currently preserved in the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, which is being used as a museum in Mexico City. The origins of the structure date back to the mid-sixteenth century, and the eighteenth century baroque building at the site is a notable example of New Spain’s civic architecture. Though the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso is full of life with regularly organized festivals, lectures and performing arts events, it is still at risk. Like many of the buildings in Mexico City’s historic center, the museum faces structural problems caused by the terrain’s natural sinking process. Outdated lighting and climate control systems also hold it back from being a world-class exhibition space. Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso’s inclusion on the 2016 World Monuments Watch seeks to draw attention to the fact that the structural and environmental systems in the building are in dire need of improvement.
The volcanic island nation of Mauritius has unique architecture that reflects its history as a colonial trade base. Structural styles introduced by French, British and Dutch settlers blended with Indian and East African influences to create an international hybrid of buildings. Because of periodic political, social and economic changes, the architectural heritage has been routinely destroyed. The historic homes on the island’s high grounds began to routinely disappear between 1960 and 1980. Modern day problems include the demolition of civic buildings, residences and plantations in order to renovate for new developments catering to the tourism industry. The 2016 World Monuments watch is calling for increased local and international attention to the ruination of Mauritius’ architecture and the history it represents.
The Fortifications of Portobelo hold a number of forts, batteries and other positions that form some of the most significant examples of the architecture of the Spanish military. Built between the seventeenth and eighteenth century, they were strategically placed to defend the trade route tracking across the Isthmus of Panama. Some of the fortifications had to be rebuilt several times after being attacked by pirates and privateers. In 1980, the Fortifications of Portobelo’s cultural significance was recognized when they were added to the World Heritage List. In 2012, they made the List of World Heritage in Danger, due to urban encroachment, unfavorable environmental conditions and insufficient management. The fortifications’ addition to the World Monuments Watch brings attention to the need for better maintenance of the landscape and integrated management plans that consider the environment, urban planning and conservation.
According to local folklore, La Ermita de Barranco was built when a group of fishermen lost at sea and praying for salvation spotted a light on the shore. Upon approaching the site, all they found was a wooden cross. In the same spot, they built a shrine in the second half of the eighteenth century that was replaced with the village’s first church almost a century later. Following an earthquake in 1940, the church was closed because of damage to its structure. Despite multiple attempts at restoration, La Ermita has remained closed and the roof is near complete collapse. The World Monuments Watch aims to highlight the efforts of the municipality that expressed its commitment to restoring the church.
Rebuilt in 1537, the Àgua da Prata Aqueduct was an old Roman aqueduct in the Portuguese city of Évora. It brought clean water to the city for more than four centuries and was celebrated as a wonder of its time. Today it is a protected monument of the World Heritage Site of Évora and symbolizes the importance of a life-giving water infrastructure and civic pride. However, time has touched the monument. The efforts needed to preserve the aqueduct and keep it running are laborious, and the brick and stone masonry require regular maintenance. Other sections are in need of even more repair to ensure they remain stable. The 2016 World Monuments Watch supports the diligence required to preserve this structure.
Named after its designer, Vladimir Shukhov, the Shukhov Tower in Russia is a historic structural engineering landmark. It was built between 1919 and 1922 and stands as an emblem of an entire generation of modernist architects’ creative genius. It was meant to be a broadcasting tower for radio, and it was from this site that the first public radio and television signals in Soviet Russia were transmitted. The Shukhov Tower was made obsolete in 1967 when a larger and better-equipped tower was built. Today its structure suffers from corrosion, which was accelerated by unnecessary repairs done in the 1970s. It is under the threat of demolition, as it sits close to the center of growing Moscow where they is a demand for land. The 2016 World Monuments Watch has added the tower in solidarity with those the architects, preservation groups and community members that have rallied against a plan to dismantle the tower and move it elsewhere.
Vyborg Historic Center represents a long history of Russian, Swedish and Finnish control between the thirteenth and twentieth centuries. It originated as a medieval fortified city and, after heavy destruction during World War II, saw more disintegration after being isolated in the following decades. In 2010 it was declared a historic city by the Russian Federation, but its future is not set in stone. Numerous buildings in the city are abandoned, some in a ruined state. The overall plan for Vyborg lacks clarity and the current heritage protection laws are not always enforced correctly. The World Monuments Watch is calling for an informed and appropriate approach to preserving the city’s architectural, archaeological, artistic and cultural heritage.
The settlements of Sabu and Jaddi are encircled by hundreds of rock drawings stretching over an area of approximately three miles. Located in the Nile Valley, these settlements are rich in archaeologic, artistic and spiritual significance. The rock art itself is testimony to 6,000 years of human life. However, despite their major historic value, the rock drawings are neither fully documented or protected. Imminent threats such as unmanaged exploration and improper usage have led to erosion on the surface and damage to some of the art. Some of the pieces have even been marred by graffiti and other acts of vandalism. The World Monuments Watch includes the rock art sites in order to support their sustainable management and the art they preserve.
Once home to slave trading operations in West Africa, Bunce Island still houses multiple structures related to its past. A fortified trading post with ancillary buildings, bastions, a gate to a slave house and a gunpowder magazine all remain and were constructed with local stones and imported bricks. The severe local climate has degraded the structures and wild vegetation in and around the ruins have threatened the site. The Monuments and Relics Commission of Sierra Leone has united with local organizations to develop a multi-year project that includes extensive archaeological, oceanographic and geotechnical studies on the island, as well as stabilization and conservation work. The 2016 World Monuments Watch recognizes the historic and social significance of Bunce Island and supports their efforts.
After being abandoned more than 40 years ago, the ancient village of Kucapungane has deteriorated. Much of it has been taken over by vegetation and nearly all of the houses have experienced a degree of collapse. Frequent typhoons are a major source of damage, which only exacerbates the already-vulnerable site. Still, the plan of the settlement remains almost complete with 163 houses, many of which were constructed with hand-cut black and grey slabs of shale. The Kucapungane Rukai, one of Taiwan’s indigenous Austronesian tribes, still consider the village to be their spiritual homeland and continue to visit the site. However, they do not have the capacity to repair and preserve the buildings without assistance. Though the Taiwanese government designated the site as a national monument, it still faces many challenges before it is safe from deterioration. Kucapungane has been included on the World Monuments Watch in order to highlight the importance of preserving the remains of the village, as well as the Rukai heritage associated with it.
Located in the pueblo of Acoma, or “Sky City,” the San Esteban de Rey Mission sits atop a 350-foot high mesa and has been perpetually in use since the 1100s. The church was built in the first half of the seventeenth century and was the only mission church that survived the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. It became the site of one of the earliest restoration programs taken on by the United States in the twentieth century. The San Esteban de Rey Mission made the 2002 World Monuments Watch, yet the traditional roof of the church remains in need of repair and there has been erosion of the adobe walls on the ground level. The church has been included in the 2016 World Monuments Watch to bring attention to the fact that it needs a comprehensive restoration program addressing its biggest needs.
The Mission San Xavier was established in 1962 in the Native American village of Wa:k on Tohono O’odham tribal grounds. Its appearance is characterized by two octagonal towers, one of which remains unfinished, built with local stone and fired brick. Today it continues to operate as a parish and school serving the Tohono O’dham nation members. In 1963 it was recognized as one of the first National Historic Landmarks and in the mid-twentieth century, a restoration campaign led to more harm than good when a layer of cement was used to cover the surface of the building, causing decades of structural deterioration from moisture trapped in the walls. In 2009, the restoration of the church’s west tower was completed and a fundraising campaign for the restoration of the east tower is currently underway. The 2016 World Monuments Watch has included the Mission San Xavier del Bac in order to advocate for continued preservation efforts and support attempts to preserve the architectural, artistic and cultural significance of the site.
Located on the slopes of Signal Hill, the Bo-Kaap neighborhood of Cape Town, South Africa, dates back to the seventeenth century. Historically it has been a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual community of people from South and Southeast Asian nations forced to relocate to the Cape Colony. Today it is recognized for its characteristic architecture and enduring Muslim culture. It preserves the largest collection of pre-1850 South African architecture and the nation’s oldest mosques. Bo-Kaap has become a fashionable suburb, and while residents welcome new investment, the heritage of the neighborhood is at risk as oral history, popular memory, time-honored skills and techniques, and other traditions are slowly being eroded. The 2016 World Monuments Watch seeks to support local initiatives to create a conservation management plan for Bo-Kaap that is informed and inclusive. Such a plan would ideally enhance local knowledge and promote awareness of the history and culture of the neighborhood.
To learn more about the 2016 World Monuments Watch, visit .
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