Grimsby Ice Factory.
Europa Nostra's citation: The Grimsby Ice Factory is understood to be the earliest surviving ice factory in the UK. Designed by the engineer WF Cott, the factory dates from 1900 and is a substantial grade II* red-brick industrial building. The site is arguably the most prominent physical reminder of Grimsby’s fishing and maritime heritage, the largest fishing port in the world at the start of the 20th century. The factory has been in a state of serious decline since its closure in 1990. The roof is now severely damaged allowing water into the interiors, and much of its metal work and electrical fittings have been stolen. Moreover, there have been threats of demolition. The factory has remained in private ownership. A mixed-use development proposal initiated by the Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust, estimated to potentially create upwards of 125 jobs, has so far been unsuccessful in securing funding, resulting in the future of the ice factory remaining uncertain. The nomination was made by Save Britain’s Heritage.
Source: Andy Marshall / World Monuments Fund
The Buzludzha Monument, Bulgaria
Europa Nostra’s citation: Located in the mountains in the heart of Bulgaria, the Buzludzha Monument is an imposing example of 20th-century architecture. Built in 1981 to be the House Monument of the then ruling Bulgarian Communist Party, the structure was in use for just 8 years. Soon after the end of the Communist regime the monument was abandoned and has since been victim to thefts, vandalism and severe weather conditions. The ostentatious finish of its brutalist architecture, heavy iconography and colourful mosaics has decayed. However, the building attracts increasing international attention. No action has been taken by the responsible authorities to protect the site so far. The Buzludzha Project Foundation, which made the nomination for the 7 Most Endangered programme 2018, proposes that the Buzludzha Monument could become an example for due preservation and interpretation of other similar “lieux de mémoire” (places of remembrance) throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
Source: Roman Robroek
Europa Nostra's citation: The historic centre of Vienna has immense significance to Europe’s tangible and intangible culture, as a city of great architectural importance and as an exceptional centre for the development of arts. In 2001, it was inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List. In 2012, a high-rise development, which will include the rebuilding and enlargement of the Hotel Intercontinental, was planned on the site of the Vienna Ice-Skating Club. The development would totally spoil the most famous view of the city from the Belvedere Palace and Gardens. In 2014, the City Council of Vienna issued a “High-Rise Concept” and a “Glacis Master Plan” which permit the construction of high-rise buildings on several points of the Ringstrasse area. These high-rise buildings would spoil the urban character of this area as well as the roofscapes and morphology of the Historic Centre of Vienna. Following numerous and unfruitful exchanges with Austria and the Vienna City Council, the World Heritage Committee inscribed the Historic Centre of Vienna on the List of World Heritage in Danger in July 2017.
Source: Photomontage of high-rise development: M.Kupf
Constanta Casino, Romania
Europa Nostra's citation: Built in 1910, the Constanta Casino has become a landmark of the Black Sea shore. Daniel Renard, the Swiss-Romanian architect who designed the building, opted for a lavish expression of art nouveau to reflect Romania’s modernisation during the reign of Carol I. Following many years of alternating commercial and state-held responsibility for the building’s care, during the 2000s the casino was abandoned. It remains so to this day due to local authorities’ inability to find funding and to launch a rescue and restore operation. There have been several transfers of administrative rights from the Municipality of Constanța, the last of these being to the National Investments Agency within the Ministry of Development. The main danger to the building comes from the corrosion and rusting of structural metal parts. Sea storms and winds have shattered most of the windows facing the sea. It is very likely that the roof will collapse if this process continues.
Source: Roman Robroek
Church of St George, Shipcka, Voskopoja, Albania.
A number of Post-Byzantine churches in Voskopoja and Vithkuqi, situated in south-eastern Albania, are the most representative monuments of 17th- to 18th-century ecclesiastical art in the Balkans and are masterpieces of the post-Byzantine style. War, plundering and natural disasters have seriously damaged this group of 12 churches. The surrounding Christian population has greatly declined and a subsequent lack of clergy has resulted in the majority of the churches remaining unused for most of the year. The main threat now is the total negligence by those administratively responsible for the churches at the national level, namely the Institute of Cultural Monuments.
The listed Church of Saint George in Voskopoja, which won a Europa Nostra Award in 2011 for its outstanding conservation, faces the threat of theft and highlights the urgency with which these remarkable churches need to be protected.
Source: K. Kallamata
Lavra Monastery, Georgia. 6th-18th century.
Europa Nostra's citation: Eastern Georgia's David Gareji Monasteries and Hermitage are located on the semi-desert Iori plateau and partly extend into neighbouring Azerbaijan. Dating back to the 6th century, the site is comprised of 22 rock-hewn monasteries and more than 5,000 sanctuaries and cave-cells. The combination of rock architecture, medieval murals, prehistoric archaeology and paleontological fields makes the entire ensemble a masterpiece of Georgian culture.
It is registered as a Monument of National Importance. The monastery complex faces the threat of irreversible deterioration. The main problem is the disintegration of the rocks. The churches and other spaces suffer extreme structural damage. The collapse of the structures also threatens the wall paintings. The monastery complex is under the ownership of the Patriarchate of Georgia. It is still an active monastic center with daily services and this adds to its importance and underlines the urgency of its preservation. Increased tourism to the site presents an opportunity but its sustainability needs to be addressed.
Source: Shalva Lejava
Prinkipo Greek Orphanage, Princes' Islands, Turkey.
Europa Nostra's citation: The Prinkipo Greek Orphanage is considered the largest wooden building in Europe and the second-largest in the world. Located on Prinkipo, on the Princes' Islands off the coast of Istanbul, it was built in 1899 to the design of French architect Alexandre Vallaury. The timber-framed structure features elaborately decorated wooden columns in the grand hall and panelled ceilings with decorative mouldings. The building functioned as an orphanage until its closure in 1964. Since then, the neglected structure has deteriorated. Damaged by a fire in 1980, today the building is exposed to adverse weather conditions. Sections of the roof and corner posts have already fallen and the orphanage is now at immediate risk of further collapse. The setting up of a Centre of Environmental and Interreligious Dialogue in the building, as conceived by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople Patriarchate, should figure as the most appropriate future use of the Orphanage.
Grimsby’s listed Victorian ice factory has made it on to a list of Europe’s seven most endangered buildings.
It is the only British entry on the list of Europe’s 7 Most Endangered Heritage Sites 2018, compiled by conservation body Europa Nostra.
Other buildings on this year’s list include Bulgaria’s brutalist Communist-era Buzludzha Monument; Europe’s largest wooden building in Turkey; and the historic centre of Vienna which is considered to be under threat from a high-rise development by Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld.
Unesco is threatening to strip the Austrian capital of its World Heritage status, in a case mirroring Liverpool’s woes. Weinfeld has already reduced the height of his consented tower to 66.3m – though this is still well above the 43m limit imposed by Unesco on the whole city.
Source: Roman Robroek
The Buzludzha Monument, Bulgaria
Europa Nostra’s citation: Located in the mountains in the heart of Bulgaria, the Buzludzha Monument is an imposing example of 20th-century architecture. Built in 1981 to be the House Monument of the then ruling Bulgarian Communist Party, the structure was in use for just 8 years. Soon after the end of the Communist regime the monument was abandoned and has since been victim to thefts, vandalism and severe weather conditions. The ostentatious finish of its brutalist architecture, heavy iconography and colourful mosaics has decayed. However, the building attracts increasing international attention. No action has been taken by the responsible authorities to protect the site so far. The Buzludzha Project Foundation, which made the nomination for the 7 Most Endangered programme 2018, proposes that the Buzludzha Monument could become an example for due preservation and interpretation of other similar “lieux de mémoire” (places of remembrance) throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
The singer Plácido Domingo, president of Europa Nostra, said: “This newest list of 7 Most Endangered comprises rare treasures of Europe’s cultural heritage that are in danger of being lost.
“The local communities are deeply committed to preserving these important examples of our shared heritage but need broader European support. I therefore call on local, regional, national and European stakeholders, both public and private, to join forces to secure a viable future for these sites.”
Grimsby’s crumbling red-brick ice factory buildings, once separated by a railway, are a relic of Grimsby’s early 20th-century heyday as the world’s foremost fishing port with a fleet of 700 boats.
With no maintenance or repairs, since it closed in 1990, the roof is severely damaged allowing water into the interiors and exposing the original machinery – much of which is still in place.
Grimsby Ice Factory.
Europa Nostra's citation: The Grimsby Ice Factory is understood to be the earliest surviving ice factory in the UK. Designed by the engineer WF Cott, the factory dates from 1900 and is a substantial grade II* red-brick industrial building. The site is arguably the most prominent physical reminder of Grimsby’s fishing and maritime heritage, the largest fishing port in the world at the start of the 20th century. The factory has been in a state of serious decline since its closure in 1990. The roof is now severely damaged allowing water into the interiors, and much of its metal work and electrical fittings have been stolen. Moreover, there have been threats of demolition. The factory has remained in private ownership. A mixed-use development proposal initiated by the Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust, estimated to potentially create upwards of 125 jobs, has so far been unsuccessful in securing funding, resulting in the future of the ice factory remaining uncertain. The nomination was made by Save Britain’s Heritage.
It was nominated for the Europa Nostra list by Save Britain’s Heritage which has been campaigning to save the complex and which last year successfully got the neighbouring Kasbah district designated a conservation area. But the ice factory is outside this area.
Henrietta Billings, director of Save, said: “This selection of the ice factory shows not only how important this magnificent building is in Grimsby – but it highlights its national and European significance too.
“The deterioration of the ice factory has been going on for too long – and we hope this high-level European expertise will help the owners and local groups find new uses for it – and reveal its potential as a catalyst for regeneration of this part of the docks.”
The 7 Most Threatened programme was launched in 2013 by Europa Nostra with the European Investment Bank Institute (EIBI), inspired by a successful project run by the US National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Its aim is to serve as a catalyst for action and to promote “the power of example”.
Over the coming months experts will visit the seven sites and meet with key stakeholders.
The multidisciplinary teams will provide technical advice, identify possible sources of funding and mobilise support for the buildings. An action plan for each will be formulated by the end of the year, said Europa Nostra.
Source: Photomontage of high-rise development: M.Kupf
Europa Nostra’s citation: The historic centre of Vienna has immense significance to Europe’s tangible and intangible culture, as a city of great architectural importance and as an exceptional centre for the development of arts. In 2001, it was inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List. In 2012, a high-rise development, which will include the rebuilding and enlargement of the Hotel Intercontinental, was planned on the site of the Vienna Ice-Skating Club. The development [designed by Isay Weinfeld] would totally spoil the most famous view of the city from the Belvedere Palace and Gardens. In 2014, the City Council of Vienna issued a “High-Rise Concept” and a “Glacis Master Plan” which permit the construction of high-rise buildings on several points of the Ringstrasse area. These high-rise buildings would spoil the urban character of this area as well as the roofscapes and morphology of the Historic Centre of Vienna. Following numerous and unfruitful exchanges with Austria and the Vienna City Council, the World Heritage Committee inscribed the Historic Centre of Vienna on the List of World Heritage in Danger in July 2017.
Europe’s 7 Most Endangered
Post-Byzantine churches in Voskopoja and Vithkuqi, Albania
Historic centre of Vienna, Austria
Buzludzha Monument, Bulgaria
David Gareji Monasteries and Hermitage, Georgia
Constanta Casino, Romania
Prinkipo Greek Orphanage on Princes’ Islands, Turkey
2010-03-08T09:08:00ZBy Anna Winston and Anna Winston Anna Winston
Ryder Architecture has unveiled images of its £25 million University Centre for higher education organization the Grimsby Institute in South Humberside.
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