State of Conservation of World Heritage Properties in Europe SECTION II servir à des cultures différentes (Romaine, Chrétienne orientale, des Croisés, Musulmane) GREECE As provided in ICOMOS evaluation Medieval City of Rhodes ICOMOS, recalling that in 1980 the modern capital of the order of St.John of Jerusalem, which was Brief description established in 1530 at La Valetta, was inscribed on the World Heritage List, is a fortiori favorable to the The Order of St John of Jerusalem occupied inclusion of the city of Rhodes, on the basis of Rhodes from 1309 to 1523 and set about criteria II, IV and V. transforming the city into a stronghold. It subsequently came under Turkish and Italian rule. - Criterion II. The fortifications of Rhodes, a With the Palace of the Grand Masters, the Great "Frankish" town long considered to be impregnable, Hospital and the Street of the Knights, the Upper exerted an influence throughout the eastern Town is one of the most beautiful urban ensembles Mediterranean basin at the end of the Middle Ages. of the Gothic period. In the Lower Town, Gothic - Criterion IV. This cultural property is an architecture coexists with mosques, public baths outstanding example of an architectural ensemble and other buildings dating from the Ottoman period. which illustrates the significant period of history in which a military/hospital order founded during the 1. Introduction Crusades survived in the eastern Mediterranean area in a context characterised by an obsessive Year(s) of Inscription 1988 fear of siege. Rhodes is one of the most beautiful Agency responsible for site management urban ensembles of the Gothic period. The fact that this medieval city is located on an island in the • Hellenic Ministry of Culture - Aegean Sea, that it was on the site of an ancient 4th Ephorate of Byzantine and Post Byzantine Greek city, and that it commands a port formerly Antiquities embellished by the Colossus erected by Chares of Ippoton, 85100 Rhodes Lindos, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient e-mail: [email protected] world, only adds to its interest. Finally, it must be Website: www.culture.gr noted that the chain of history was not broken in 1523 but rather continued up to 1912 with the additions of valuable Islamic monuments, such as 2. Statement of Significance mosques, baths and houses. Inscription Criteria C (ii), (iv), (v) - Criterion V. With its Frankish and Ottoman buildings the old town of Rhodes is an important Justification provided by the State Party ensemble of traditional human settlement, (1987): La ville médiévale de Rhodes conforme aux characterized by successive and complex critères décrits sous nos. i-vi du verso, c'est a dire: phenomena of acculturation. Contact with the traditions of the Dodecanese changed the forms of (i) Développement d'une architecture médiévale Gothic architecture and building after 1523 unique à Rhodes, produite par l'adaptation des combined vernacular forms resulting from the formes architecturales françaises et espagnoles meeting of two worlds with decorative elements of aux conditions locales et le style indigène byzantin Ottoman origin. All the built-up elements dating (ii) Le tissu urbain ancien et les fortifications before 1912 have become vulnerable because of massives médiévales, reliques des périodes de the evolution in living conditions and they must be forte influence politique et culturelle de Rhodes ont protected as much as the great religious, civil and déterminé la forme de la ville fortifiée d'aujourd'hui military monuments, the churches, monasteries, mosques, baths, palaces, forts, gates and (iii) Voir ci-dessus ramparts. (iv) Les fortifications sont un témoin unique en pureté de la période transitionnelle d'adaptation aux Committee Decision exigences du canon Bureau (1988): The Bureau recommended (v - vi) Plusieurs exemples de l'architecture des inscription of this property, having been informed Croisés, et de l'adaptation des structures pour that all conservation work on the architectural heritage of Rhodes would be carried out under the State of Conservation of World Heritage Properties in Europe SECTION II control of the Greek Ministry of Culture and in 3. Protection accordance with the Venice Charter and the Toledo International Charter for the conservation of historic Legislative and Administrative Arrangements towns and urban areas. • Apart from the institutional framework protecting the site, a town-urban planning Session (1988): It should be stated that the scheme is formally in force. The latter is influence of Rhodes fortifications mentioned under contradictory to the institutional framework, and criterion (ii) particularly applies to Bodrum, the thus, it is, not implemented. This planning former Halicarnassus. scheme ought to be replaced by a land use plan delimiting areas of purely residential use • Statement of Significance does not adequately and areas of tourist development in order to define the outstanding universal value of the protect the settlement against damage brought site. At the time of initial inscription the WH about by the exploitation of historical buildings Committee did not approve a Statement of • Significant changes: a) a new Archaeological Significance for the site, which defined the law was voted in 2002, and some of the outstanding universal value. previsions pertaining to historical settlements • Proposal for text has been made by State Party require the enactment of complementary • Additional change proposed by State Party to legislation. b) The programme contract between UNESCO’s official description of the site the Ministry of Culture-Archaeological Receipts Fund and the Municipality of Rhodes, in force Boundaries and Buffer Zone for about 20 years, has expired. The contract • Status of boundaries of the site: adequate involved the fields of restoration, enhancement • Buffer zone: protective legislation has been of spaces and research in the settlement. c) enacted at various stages since the beginning The Credit Management Fund for the Execution of the 20th century. It protects the listed of Archaeological Projects is operating in historical settlement, the fortifications and the Rhodos; its scope is the restoration and moat, the parks planted with trees and the presentation of ecclesiastical monuments within the settlement and of problematic fortification surrounding coastal zone. The area has been under development pressure in the last sections surrounding the settlement. d) The decades, which brought changes. Therefore, a medieval moat was proclaimed an revision of the delimitation of the buffer zone is archaeological site through a Ministry of Culture deemed necessary in order to take into account Decision 31095/942/7-12-2001 these changes. The buffer zone was defined • The protection arrangements are considered through a designation by the Italian sufficiently effective administration, which was later ratified by the Actions proposed: Greek State • Revision of the boundaries and the buffer zone, - Ministerial Decisions of 1959, (Government regarding specific protection and management Gazette 24/B/22-1-1960), 2001 (Government issues for the site Gazette 1093/B/21-8-2001) Status of Authenticity/Integrity 4. Management • World Heritage site values have been maintained Use of site/property • The ongoing and scheduled restorations of • Urban centre; some of the sites are paid visitor monuments, along with the completion of the attractions sewerage network will contribute to the protection of the monument complex against Management /Administrative Body damage. Given that the biggest pressure • Management by the State Party, under exercised on the site has been its use for tourist protective legislation exploitation, there is a need for an improvement • A coordinator needed in the management and adequate funding for • Levels of public authority who are primarily infrastructure and restoration projects are involved with the management of the site: ensured national; local • The current management system is not sufficiently effective • The management of the site and its co- ordination in particular, are mainly the State of Conservation of World Heritage Properties in Europe SECTION II responsibility of the 4th EBA and the Archaeological Receipts Fund. The 4th EBA is • The staff resources to protect, maintain and in charge of conservation works, with the promote the site are not adequate: there are occasional assistance of other bodies. shortages in human resources in various Regarding the improvement in the management: mandatory specialities. specific problems are identified and ideas are exhanged. However, there is a need for a holistic approach. 8. Sources of Expertise and Training in Conservation and Management 5. Management Plan Techniques • Apprenticeship under the supervision of • The management and protection of monuments specialized personnel in situ, mainly in the and archaeological sites in Greece is not based fields of restoration techniques and support on a concrete management plan. Greece has a work, excavation and conservation system of protection, which is administered centrally by the Ministry of Culture through its • Training needs: it is imperative to further train regional services. The Ministry of Culture is the the personnel in new technologies, and in competent body supervising the sites and particular in the use of a personal computer overseeing all works carried out. As far as the safeguarding of cultural and natural heritage is 9. Visitor Management concerned, there are cases where other competent bodies