“The ceremony of unveiling a memorial plaque, which identifies the Historic Center of St. Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments as a world heritage site, was attended by Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova,” the statement says.
According to Drozdenko, “It’s impossible to imagine St. Petersburg without the unique palaces, parks and mansions of the surrounding Leningrad Region.”
“We have been working hard to conserve and renovate these architectural monuments with an invaluable contribution from UNESCO. The memorial sign, which we have unveiled today, will remind the future generations that humankind’s biggest treasure is our history and culture, which we must preserve at all costs,” Drozdenko said.
The ceremony was also attended by St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko.
The Historic Center of St. Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments was added to the World Heritage List in 1990.
In addition to the historic center of St. Petersburg, this heritage site also includes the palaces and parks of the city suburbs such as Peterhof, Oranienbaum, Pushkin (Tsarskoye Selo), Pavlovsk, Gatchina, Strelna and Ropsha, as well as the historicpart of Kronstadt with its fortress and forts, the Shlisselburg (Schlusselburg) and several other monuments of history and culture.
The monuments that aggregately constitute the Historic Center of St. Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments are protected by the government as part of several museum-reserves or have the status of historical and cultural monuments.
