By Inga Athanasiadou
The White Tower in Thessaloniki, the Stoa Hirs, Mount Athos, the old railway line to Platamonas, and several buildings in several cities around Greece have been included in the MuA project (Monuments at Risk) run by the NGO Elliniki Etairia.
The vast architectural heritage of Greece dating back to ancient times is under threat, especially in recent years, due to several accumulating historical, human, natural, aesthetic, material and social factors.
The big number of cultural monuments that need to be preserved in Greece, in combination with the lack of funds and proper design, the lack of specialized staff and the lack of public awareness and information are only adding to the decay, demolition and insufficient restoration projects for those monuments that are being described as unsustainable.
The MuA project is a participatory project of sharing and processing information concerning risks that endanger cultural and architectural heritage and promoting creative methods for its protection.
The project is supported by a network of partners and run by the NGO Elliniki Etairia and the Society for the Preservation of the Environment and Cultural Heritage, through the Council for Architectural Heritage.
The web-page www.mua.gr/ is an interactive database, through which citizens can be informed about monuments and cultural landscapes at risk and add their own information for a monument in danger. In addition, it could be used as a research tool for researchers, a summarizing tool for national and local state bodies and municipalities, a tool for co-operation, communication, intervention for the NGOs and the media, and, finally, as a tool for effective funding by cultural institutions and donors.
The programme is being supported by a network of co-partners and its first phase (June 2010-June 2011) was funded by the A.G. Leventis Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
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