Dear members of ICOMOS,

The disastrous fire at Notre-Dame de Paris on 15 April shocked the world.

ICOMOS France and ICOMOS International renew their thanks to those who have expressed their sadness and concern for France.

This message aims to take stock of the current situation of the cathedral and to clarify the respective roles of ICOMOS France and ICOMOS International.

ICOMOS has been informed by a group of ICOMOS members in Kosovo of the situation of the former department store “Gërmia” in Kosovo which is under threat of demolition. The department store was designed by the architect Ljiljana Rashevski and was built in 1972 in Pristina, the capital of the country. It was the first department store to be created after the period of destruction of World War II and also included the first escalator in the city. This department store also represented the transition from central bazaars, which were the traditional form of retail in Pristina, to department stores after World War II. For all the above reasons, this building represents a period of great significance for the history of the city and the collective memory. Furthermore, “Gërmia” is one of the only remaining examples of modern heritage in Pristina.

Having been hosted by France in Paris at the invitation of André Malraux since 1965, ICOMOS has a special connection to this city. ICOMOS and all its members express their profound solidarity to our French colleagues, Parisians and the whole country and put our collective knowledge and energy at their service.

Please see below the statement by ICOMOS France on the fire at the Cathedral of Notre Dame:

"ICOMOS France is touched by the messages of support and concern for French heritage that continue to pour in since last night from all over the world. The devastating fire of a major part of the Cathedral of Notre Dame of Paris deprives us all of an emblematic monument that has witnessed eight hundred and fifty years of history. We are immensely sad and deeply distressed by this tragedy. ICOMOS France pays tribute to the fire brigades of Paris and to all those who skillfully and courageously rescued part of the cathedral.

ICOM (International Council of Museums) and ICOMOS jointly call upon the National Ministries of the member states of the European Union, the European Parliament and all European institutions in charge of the regulation, to repeal as soon as possible the classification of nitrogen as a biocidal active substance in the EU for the specific purpose of heritage preservation.

Nitrogen is globally used for the preservation of monuments and museum objects, in the context of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM), instead of other potentially hazardous chemical substances. There is no equivalent alternative in terms of preservation care and human health, for both staff and visitors of cultural heritage institutions.

We call upon the European Chemicals Agency to support this initiative and repeal as soon as possible the ban of nitrogen for heritage preservation in the EU.

Read the ICOM-ICOMOS Joint Statement:

in English

in French

in Spanish

Did you know that being an ICOMOS member grants you a free access to numerous historic sites, historic monuments and museums all over the world? ICOMOS National Committees have indeed set agreements at national level allowing the ICOMOS community to discover and enjoy cultural heritage places.

To find out what sites/monuments/museums are concerned in a specific country, click here. 

To learn more about how to become an ICOMOS member, click here. 

In 1982, ICOMOS established 18 April as the International Day for Monuments and Sites. UNESCO approved it the following year during its 22^nd General Conference. Since then, 18 April has been a day to celebrate and promote cultural heritage, and an opportunity to raise awareness about its diversity, its relevance, how vulnerable it can be and what the needs and benefits of its conservation are. Every year, ICOMOS proposes a theme for the celebrations and activities to be organised by the ICOMOS National and International Scientific Committees and by other organisations that wish to participate. In 2019, the theme is Rural Landscapes – which is linked to the theme of the 2019 ICOMOS Scientific Symposium on Rural heritage to take place in October in Marrakesh, Morocco (see our page about the Symposium and the call for proposals).

Download the 18 April 2019 leaflet in: English - French - Spanish.