Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv and the medieval centre of the western city of Lviv have been placed by the UN’s World Heritage Committee on the list of such sites that it considers to be a danger.
The decision to place these two major historical sites in Ukraine in UNESCO World Heritage Sites considered in danger has no enforcement mechanism; however, it may serve as a potential deterrent against attacks from Russia.
In spite of the fact that these sites have not been directly targeted since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, Russia unleashed waves of strikes on Kyiv and other cities, thus hitting residential zones as well we critical infrastructure with drones, according to a report from Voice of America.
The World Heritage in Danger List consists of heritage sites considered threatened by forces such as natural disasters, armed conflict and pollution, among others.
The decision to put these two locations on the list of historic sites in danger came during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Saudi Arabia. The committee maintains UNESCO’s World Heritage list and oversees such sites’ conservation.
The recent changes have been welcomed by a Ukrainian government official.
“We are very happy to have a vibrant history and culture of our country, and we would like to say that it has been over thousands of years, and we try to preserve it for future generations. So, it’s very much important that the whole world community will join us also.
The Saint Sophia Cathedral, located in Ukraine’s capital, was built in the 11th century and is known for being among the biggest collections of mosaics and frescos from that period, while the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves, built from the 11th to 19th century is a complex of monasteries and churches, among the most famous ones.
The two sites are considered a masterpiece of human creative genius by UNESCO.
The other site is the historic centre in Lviv, built between the 13th and 17th centuries.
In its urban fabric and its architecture, Lviv is an outstanding example of the fusion of the architectural and artistic traditions of Eastern Europe with those of Italy and Germany.
The agency also said that the political and commercial role of Lviv attracted a large number of ethnic groups with various cultural and religious traditions.
This is not the first time that the agency has introduced such measures. Earlier this year, UNESCO added the Black Sea port city of Odesa to the list of endangered heritage sites.
UNESCO has introduced the List of World Heritage in Danger, which, at present, has a total of 55 world sites, of them 21 in Africa, 21 in Asia, four in Europe, seven in Northern and Southern America and two in Oceania.
Europe is the second continent with the highest number of places considered as World Heritage Sites, or a total of 171. The following ones are considered in danger: Historic Center of Vienna, Austria; Historic Center of Odesa, Ukraine, Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings,Lviv, the Ensemble of the Historic Center, Ukraine, Medieval Monuments, Kosovo, Rosia Montana Mining Landscape, Romania.
