Ukraine: Around 250 monuments threatened by war documented

Monuments - Ukraine: Around 250 monuments threatened by war documented

Together with Ukrainian photographers, scientists from Marburg and Hanover have already documented 250 architectural monuments threatened or damaged by the Russian war of aggression.

Since the start of the project in October 2022, the photographers have taken a total of around 3,700 exterior and interior photographs of historically and culturally significant buildings in cities such as Kiev, Odessa, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhia, Christian Bracht, Director of the German Documentation Center for Art History (DDK) - Bildarchiv Foto Marburg, told the German Press Agency.

These include the Transfiguration Cathedral in the old town of Odessa, which was damaged in Russian attacks this summer. This and other destruction shows how explosive and important the work is.

Images as a basis for reconstruction

As part of the project, the DDK has been working with scientists led by Ina Blümel from the Leibniz Information Center for Science and Technology (TIB) and 17 Ukrainian photographers for over a year. It is not known how many of the monuments recorded have actually been destroyed so far, but it is foreseeable that their number will increase as there is no end to the war in sight, said Bracht.

The images taken with digital cameras and special lenses are stored in a database based on scientific and technical standards. If the buildings are destroyed, the images will serve as a sound basis for reconstruction, scientific documentation and cultural remembrance.

Another central component of the project is the special open source software Wikibase, which enables local citizens, activists and photographers to contribute to the long-term documentation of the buildings - Blümel's team at TIB Hannover 's Open Science Lab is responsible for this.

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1. The team from Marburg and Hanover is documenting over 250 monuments in cities like Kiev and Odessa, threatened by Russia's war of aggression.
2. Christian Bracht, Director of the German Documentation Center for Art History in Marburg, discussed the project with the German Press Agency.
3. Russian attacks this summer caused damage to the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa, one of the architectural monuments being documented.
4. The imagery collected will serve as a foundation for future reconstruction and scientific documentation, in the event of further destruction.
5. Ina Blümel, leading the project from the Leibniz Information Center for Science and Technology in Hannover, emphasizes the crucial role of these images.
6. The DDK and TIB Hannover collaborate with 17 Ukrainian photographers in the project, which has been ongoing for over a year.
7. The photographs are stored in a database, ensuring scientific and technical accuracy.
8. Conflicts continue, and it's unclear how many monuments have already been destroyed; however, the number is expected to rise.
9. The project utilizes special open-source software called Wikibase, enabling local citizens and photographers to contribute to the documentation over time.
10. The German Press Agency reported on these efforts, highlighting the importance of preserving these historical and culturally significant monuments in Ukraine.

Source: www.stern.de