Speaking of historic cities undoubtedly refers to their historical nature, as it largely determines the historical character of the city. Therefore, the analysis should be a number of definitions relating to historic urban complexes (urban areas) that in terms of art historians and conservators can be treated as equivalent to the term "historical city". Broadly stating that urban landmarks can be any
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Institute of Geography and Spatial Management
remnants of human settlements with recognized historical value, artistic or scientific, among which one can mention, among others, groups of buildings, roads, greenery compositions and distinctive elements of the division of ownership (Pawłowski, Witwicki 1973).
Observing the changes and threats posed by technological progress, armed conflicts, and especially progressive contemporary processes of globalization (including the aspect of culture), the protection of both natural and historical- cultural heritage gains international importance. This is reflected, among other things, in trying to harmonize standards in the field of cultural heritage protection and legal protection of the most valuable assets that catalog the achievements of the development of human civilization. Within the framework of international meetings, which dates back to the beginning of 1931, recommendations were developed for the international community in the protection of cultural heritage. These meetings were held, inter alia, in: Athens (1931), Venice (1964), Paris (1972, 2001, 2005), Amsterdam (1975), Nairobi (1976), Florence (1981, 2000). Granada (1985), Toledo (1987), Lausanne (1990), Krakow (1991, 2000), La Valetta (1992, 2011), Nara (1994), Burr (1999), Mexico (1999), Victoria Falls (2003), Xi'an (2005) and Quebec (2008). Each meeting has resulted in special documents, some of which gradually fall within the scope of legislation as international and national legislation. These concerned both the general principles of caring for heritage, as well as detailed solutions for each of its components (Table 1).
The first post-war act of international importance was called 'The Venice
Charter', the result of the Second International Congress of Architects and
Specialists of Historic Buildings, which met in Venice in 1964. According to its provisions, “the concept of a historic monument embraces not only the single
architectural work but also the urban or rural setting in which is found the evidence of a particular civilization, a significant development or a historic event”. It was noted that monuments are not only “great works of art”, but also
“more modest works of the past which have acquired cultural significance with the passing of time” (ICOMOS 1964).
One of the main acts which refers to the rank of historical objects is the
“Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage”, adopted in Paris on 16 November 1972 by UNESCO. In accordance
unmovable monuments and assemblies and historical sites. 'Cultural heritage set' is understood to include buildings that, because of their architecture, their homogeneity or fusion with the landscape, are of outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science. Historical sites of cultural heritage are the work of man or the common works of man and nature, as well as the area and archaeological sites, characterized by outstanding universal value from the point of view of historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological (UNESCO 1972).
The Convention also defines the entry points of cities on the UNESCO World Heritage List, dividing them into three main categories (UNESCO 2012):
1. towns, which are no longer inhabited but which show constant archaeological testimony to the past;
2. historical towns that are inhabited and which, from the nature of things, have evolved and will continue to develop under the influence of socio- cultural changes;
3. new towns of the twentieth century, which may be associated with the two previous categories and while their original urban layout is very readable, and undeniably authentic, the future is not clear, because their development is largely difficult to control.
From the point of view of tourism development, the second category of cities is more important, where the considerations of conservation stand largely in opposition to the development of the functions relevant to the existence and the “life” of both the city and its inhabitants. This is particularly evident in the example of the different groups of stakeholders who use the cultural heritage of the city to see tangible benefits (e.g. economic, social, political).
Due to the nature of these cities, they were isolated in the Convention (UNESCO 2012):
- towns which are typical of a specific period or culture, which survived almost in its entirety and that to a large extent not been subjected to pressures of development. In this case, the protection should be subject to the city and its surroundings;
- the towns that have evolved along characteristic lines and preserved sometimes in the form of a unique natural environment, spatial arrangements and structures specific to the individual chapters of its
history. It is then necessary to separate the historical part from the modern environment;
- “Historic centres” that are now surrounded by modern buildings. It is necessary to define the exact boundaries of the property in its widest historical dimensions and applying appropriate measures to protect the immediate environment;
- sectors, areas or isolated units, which, even in surviving residual form, provide coherent evidence of the character of a historic town which has disappeared. Areas and buildings that have survived are then sufficient testimony of pre-existing entirety.
Detailed reference was made to the historical cities in the two documents. In accordance with the provisions of the so-called “Warsaw Recommendation”, adopted at a meeting of UNESCO in Nairobi in 1976, for the historic or traditional urban complex understands “any groups of buildings, structures and
open spaces including archaeological and paleontological sites, constituting human settlements in an urban or rural environment, the cohesion and value of which, from the archaeological, architectural, prehistoric, historic, aesthetic or socio-cultural point of view are recognized”. Among these, prehistoric sites,
historic towns, old urban quarters, villages and hamlets as well as homogeneous monumental groups are distinguished. This document also drew attention to the aspect of the historic environment, which was understood to mean “the natural
or man-made setting which influences the static or dynamic way these areas are perceived or which is directly linked to them in space or by social, economic or cultural ties”(UNESCO 1976).
Another document is the “International Charter for the Conservation of
Historic Towns and Urban Areas” (the so called The Washington Charter),
developed in 1986 in Toledo, and passed by IOMOS in Washington in 1987, applied to “historic urban areas, large and small, including cities, towns and
historic centres or quarters, together with their natural and man-made environments. Beyond their role as historical documents, these areas embody the values of traditional urban cultures (…)” (ICOMOS 1987).
Table 1 International documents on the protection of cultural heritage – Source: ICOMOS 2004; ICOMOS 2009; supplemented.
General principles
- The Athens Charter for the Restoration of Historic Monuments (1931)
- International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites “The Venice Charter” (1964) - The Nara Document on Authenticity (1994)
- The Charter of Cracow 2000
- The ICOMOS Charter for the Interpretation and Preservation of Cultural Heritage Sites (Quebec 2008) Culture and nature Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972)
Architecture and Construc
- The Declaration of Amsterdam (1975)
- Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe (Granada 1985) - Charter on the Built Vernacular Heritage (Mexico 1999)
- Principles for the Preservation of Historic Timber Structures (Mexico 1999)
- Principles for the Analysis, Conservation and Structural Restoration of Architectural Heritage (Victoria Falls 2003) Historic cities
- Recommendation concerning the Safeguarding and Contemporary Role of Historic Areas “Nairobi/Warsaw Recommendation” - Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas “The Washington Charter” (Toledo/Washington 1986-1987) - The Valetta Principles for the Safeguarding and management of Historic Cities, Towns and Urban Areas (2011)
- UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (2011) The archaeological herita
- Charter for the Protection and Management of the Archaeological Heritage “The Lausanne Charter” (1990) - European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage (Valetta 1992)
- Charter on the Protection and management of Underwater Cultural Heritage (Sofia 1996) - Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (Paris 2001)
The cultural landscape
- Document of the Cracow Symposium on the Cultural Heritage of the CSCE Participating States (1991) - The European Landscape Convention (2000)
- The Burra Charter (1979-1999) - The Florence Charter (1981)
- The Xi’an Declaration on the Conservation of the Setting of Heritage Structures, Sites and Areas (2005)
- Joint ICOMOS-TICCIH Principles for the Conservation of Industrial Heritage Sites, Structures, Areas and Landscapes “The D Principles” (2011)
- UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (2011)
Intangible culture
- Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (Paris 2003)
- International Cultural Tourism Charter. Managing Tourism AT Places of Heritage Significance (Mexico 1999) - Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (Paris 2005)
- The ICOMOS Charter on Cultural Routes (Quebec 2008)
The historic character of the city includes: - urban patterns as defined by lots and streets;
- relationships between buildings and green and open spaces;
- the formal appearance, interior and exterior, of buildings as defined by scale, size, style, construction, materials, colour and decoration;
- the relationship between the town or urban area and its surrounding setting, both natural and man-made,
- the various functions that the town or urban area has acquired over time. In 1985, in Granada, the meeting of the Council of Europe adopted the “Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe”. This document collated three categories of durable goods of architectural heritage, characterized by particular historical, archaeological, artistic, scientific, social or technical values. These are (COE 1985):
- monuments as objects, including their fixtures and fittings;
- groups of buildings: homogeneous groups of urban or rural buildings, which are sufficiently coherent to form topographically definable units; - sites: the combined works of man and nature, being areas which are
partially built upon and sufficiently distinctive and homogeneous to create an urban unit.
Spatial aspects of a city in the historical context of its protection are also included in the so-called, "The Charter of Cracow 2000", highlighting the clear fact of their continuous transformation. It was found that these cities "should be
seen as a whole made up of spaces and structures that are the result of human activity, which is in a continuous process of evolution and change." The subject
of the protection of these teams, and so peculiar essence of the historic city, are groups of buildings and open spaces which are part of the urban areas. They form a kind of immeasurable value of the character. The historical city has a morphological, functional and structural integrity, understood as part of the territory, together with the surrounding environment and landscape. Also highlighted is the fact that the buildings "(...) may not have a special
architectural value in themselves, but they should be safeguarded because of their organic unity, distinctive dimensions, and their technological, spatial, decorative and chromatic characteristics as connecting elements." This
document also stresses the importance of landscape in terms of preserving the historicity of historical towns (CRACOW 2000).