Few regions of the world have so enchanted the explorer as the High Himalaya with its rich spiritual traditions and extraordinary, yet forbidding, landscape, the product of great geological forces, which have been at work for millions of years. Strategically sited between the formidable empires of...Read more
It has been 40 years since the founding of the International Fund for Monuments – as WMF was first known – which has become the leading private organisation dedicated to safeguarding and preserving imperilled architectural heritage around the globe.Read more
With an architectural legacy that spans nearly a millennium, Moscow is a virtual primer on the history of Russian architecture—its streets lined with buildings representing all ages and methods of construction. Yet, like so many cities witnessing urban renewal after years of decline, Moscow is at a...Read more
When the World Monuments Fund marked ts fortieth anniversary this past spring, it seemed an ideal time not only to take stock of the current state of affairs but to step back and take in the larger picture, to assess the overall impact of the organization on the field of historic preservation since...Read more
For centuries if not millennia, peoples around the globe have developed and maintained cultural traditions that have not only sustained their practitioners but in more recent years have garnered the admiration of those visiting from the outside. According to the World Tourism Organization, an...Read more
As we continue to build, one wonders how often, if ever, we contemplate the future of our edifices should they endure beyond the client or function for which they were designed. Will they remain relevant parts of a given landscape despite changes in demographics or societal needs? Are they...Read more
Like many in the field of preservation, I have often wondered at just what point a work of human genius becomes a monument. Is it at the moment when its foundation is aid, or long after its creator or patron has passed into the otherworld, or is it sometime in between? Read more
When people think of historic preservation, what often comes to mind is a campaign to save a singular work of architectural merit. Yet over the years, the preservation community has adopted a wider world view of conservation, one that demands that we step back and consider collections of buildings—...Read more
Spring is universally regarded as a season of renewal—a time for sowing seeds of change. This issue we focus on a suite of sites witnessing dramatic rebirth, two of which are, appropriately enough, gardens, a third, an ancient temple-complex in Beijing dedicated to the worship of Xiannong, the...Read more
Of all the factors that threaten our most treasured cultural sites, few can match the destruction wrought by our restless planet. Its ever-shifting plates, yawns, and sighs cause earthquakes and tsunamis. Its mountain-building schemes change Earth's weather patterns, which affect humidity and...Read more