Title: Safeguarding Ukraine's Heritage: 250 Monuments Under Threat
With the backing of photographers and researchers from Marburg and Hanover, an ambitious project has been underway since October 2022. The goal? To document over 250 monuments, threatened by the conflict in Ukraine, particularly in cities like Kiev, Odessa, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhia.
According to Christian Bracht, Director of the German Documentation Center for Art History (DDK) - Bildarchiv Foto Marburg, this project has amassed close to 3,700 photographs, both exterior and interior, of these historically and culturally significant structures. One such monument, the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa, was hit by Russian attacks this summer.
The importance of this documentation is multifaceted. The images provide a strong foundation for potential reconstruction efforts should these monuments fall victim to further destruction. They also serve as critical components of scientific documentation and cultural remembrance.
Ina Blümel, a scientist leading the project from the Leibniz Information Center for Science and Technology in Hannover, underlines the vital role of these visual records. Working together with 17 Ukrainian photographers, the team has been meticulously cataloging these images in a scientific and technologically sound database.
Conflicts in Ukraine are ongoing, making it difficult to ascertain the number of monuments that have already suffered destruction. Regardless, it's a reasonable assumption that this number will continue to climb as the war persists.
To further this project, the DDK and TIB Hanover utilize special open-source software called Wikibase. This tool empowers local citizens, activists, and photographers to actively participate in the long-term documentation of these monuments.
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Insight:
Various teams and organizations, including UNESCO and local institutions, are working to document and preserve Ukraine's cultural heritage in the face of war. These efforts typically involve comprehensive documentation of monuments using methods like photography, 3D scanning, and detailed surveys. They also rely on international partnerships, scientific documentation, and reconstruction planning to safeguard the historical and cultural significance of Ukraine's architectural gems.
