Ensuring the Conservative Process: The Roman Walls of Lugo Maintenance Plan

Abstract

In 2000 the walls of Lugo were added to the World Heritage List. In the Spanish scenario of UNESCO Sites this is the only one provided with a maintenance plan, which properly defines times for inspections and interventions, tools for the collection and management of data, human and financial resources. This plan has begun to ensure a conservation process which guarantees that this ancient artefact is used efficiently and safely over time. The walls are fully accessible and because of the dominant ramparts are used by citizens as a beloved and frequently used city park. This article aims to describe the strategy and the conservation process put in place on the Roman walls to preserve and keep them for posterity, showing that planned maintenance can also be an instrument of heritage enhancement.

Keywords:

• maintenance plan
• scheduled maintenance
• preventive conservation
• UNESCO World Heritage
• Lugo Roman walls
• heritage enhancement

Acknowledgments

The Author wishes to thank Mr Juan Antonio Naveira Seoane, Xefe do Servizo de Arquitectura e Etnografía of the Dirección Xeral do Patrimonio Cultural of the Consellería de Cultura e Turismo de Galicia (now Consellería de Cultura, Educación y Ordenación Universitaria) for kindly supplying the Plan de Mantemento da Muralla Romana de Lugo 2011–14, drafted by the architect J. I. López de Rego Uriarte.

Notes

1. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2000. Roman walls of Lugo [online] [accessed 16 September 2015]. Available at:<http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/987>.

2. For more information on vandalism against cultural heritage, see Pandolfi, 2000. For more information on Merida conservation and maintenance strategy see Faraci, 2014.

3. Consellería de Cultura, Educación y Ordenación Universitaria, Resolución de 29 de diciembre de 2014 por la que se anuncia la licitación, por el procedimiento abierto con pluralidad de criterios y tramitación anticipada de gasto, del contrato de obras correspondientes al Plan de mantenimiento de la muralla romana de Lugo 2015–2016 (contratación documentalmente simplificada). The call allocates the amounts in the following annuities: 2015: €277,601.49; 2016: €370,135.33; 2017: €92,533.85.