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Tauric Chersonese

Tauric Chersonese — an ancient Greek city-state (polis) in Southwestern Crimea near Sevastopol, currently the National Preserve of "Tauric Chersonese". Since June 23, 2013, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site; following the russian occupation of Crimea in 2014, it has been under threat of destruction and illegal transformation.

Overview

Chersonese (in Ancient Greek — "island") was founded as a Greek colony; excavations of the ruins began in 1827, and systematic ones in 1876. On the territory, remains of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine defensive walls, residential quarters, houses with rainwater collection basins, baths, economic and craft structures, over 50 Christian churches, thermae, a theater (for 3,000 spectators), as well as numerous burials with rich grave goods have been discovered. The preserve's collection was formed over more than a hundred years and at the time of the 2014 occupation numbered over 200,000 everyday, cultural, and religious items — one of the richest archaeological collections in Europe.

On June 23, 2013, at the 37th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Cambodia, Chersonese was included in the World Heritage List along with the chora — the agricultural territory surrounding the city. This is the seventh site in Ukraine recognized by UNESCO. The decision was unanimous; the only remark concerned a huge newly built Orthodox church in the center of the ancient city site, which, according to archaeologists, harms the monument.

After the occupation of Crimea by the rf (2014), the preserve was removed from Ukrainian jurisdiction, transferred to the federal ownership of the rf, converted into a religious-propaganda site, and subjected to destruction through illegal entertainment events, construction, and military exploitation of the chora.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • UNESCO Status and Ukraine's Position: The inclusion in the World Heritage List (2013) covered the ancient city site itself and its chora. UNESCO did not recognize russian jurisdiction over the site and officially suspended cooperation with the museum-preserve for the period of the temporary occupation of Crimea.
  • Appropriation by the rf (2015): On October 3, 2015, the rf government issued a decree transferring the preserve to federal ownership ("cultural heritage sites of federal significance") and renaming it the "State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Preserve 'Tauric Chersonese'". On December 5, 2015, rf President V. Putin issued a decree adding it to "especially valuable cultural heritage objects of the peoples of the rf" (effective January 1, 2016).
  • Conversion into the "Mecca of russian Orthodoxy": On Putin's instructions, attempts are being made to convert Chersonese primarily into a religious site, causing concern from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the public. On December 22, 2015, the "authorities" of annexed Crimea removed the foundation and commemorative stones of St. Volodymyr's Cathedral to the russian city of Vladimir. An analytical review by the Crimean Human Rights Group titled "The Condition of the 'Tauric Chersonese' National Preserve According to UNESCO Norms and Standards" was presented on December 25, 2015, in Kyiv.
  • Illegal Construction and Reconstruction: Touchscreen kiosks, an observation deck with a panoramic installation, a concrete pedestal for a scale model, and a new checkpoint near the "Tower of Zeno" are being built; construction materials are stored on the territory of the ancient city site, construction debris is scattered across the preserve, and heavy machinery destroyed the layout of a medieval church and damaged the cultural layer. The loss of authenticity is financed by the russian foundation "My History" (under an agreement with the museum-preserve approved by the Ministry of Culture of the rf). A "museum of Christianity" is being erected for Putin's confessor, Metropolitan Tikhon.
  • "Opera in Chersonese" Festival (2018–2019): 15 trucks of metal structures and a diesel generator substation were brought onto the preserve's territory, 4 stages, 3 screens, a grandstand (totaling ~500 tons), lighting, and sound equipment with a capacity of 50 kW were installed — directly on the ancient ruins. Medieval arch stones and an ancient column were discarded as garbage; heavy machinery moved across the cultural layer. An expert evaluation dated May 22, 2018, was performed by L. A. Belyaev (Institute of Archaeology, RAS), O. M. Zamzhytska, and O. V. Svirina.
  • Threats to the Chora (Yuharyna Balka, Mayakovyy Peninsula): The preserve had 450 hectares of land allocations in Sevastopol, including 160 hectares ("Plot 10" in Yuharyna Balka) — a former tank training ground, the best-preserved part of the chora, thanks to which the site was nominated to UNESCO. In April 2016, the russian military paved an area of an ancient estate on the Mayakovyy Peninsula with concrete (an excavation pit 250×250 m, 2 m deep). In the winter of 2018, a bulldozer demolished a 3rd-century BC ancient estate for a future repository.
  • Coastal Protection: About 70% of the ancient city's perimeter borders the coastline. The coastal protection plan costs 200 million rubles just for the design project, and up to 4 billion rubles according to preliminary calculations for the works (fulfilling a 2013 UNESCO recommendation).
  • International Monitoring: On April 13, 2018, the Executive Board of UNESCO adopted a decision on a monitoring mission to occupied Crimea; in October 2018, at the 205th session, Ukraine's lack of access to its heritage sites was noted. Illegal excavations and the removal of cultural assets from Crimea are being documented.
  • List in Danger (ICOMOS Initiative, 2015): In the spring of 2015, the Ukrainian National Committee of ICOMOS initiated the inclusion of the "Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora" (along with the Bakhchysarai Khan's Palace) in the List of World Heritage in Danger under paragraph 4 of Article 11 of the 1972 UNESCO Convention. Resolution 18 GA ICOMOS (Florence, November 2014) recognized Chersonese and other sites in Crimea as an integral part of Ukraine's heritage protected under Ukrainian law and the 1954 Hague Convention. See 1972 UNESCO Convention and Protection of Heritage in Occupied Crimea.

Contradictions and Open Questions

  • The rf claims to be "preserving" the site (coastal protection, museification), whereas Ukraine, UNESCO, and human rights defenders document the destruction of authenticity, illegal construction, military exploitation of the chora, and the conversion of a scientific monument into a religious-entertainment venue.
  • The question regarding the fate of over 200,000 museum items and Ukraine's inability to monitor their preservation remains open.