Fight to save B’bang heritage finds new allies
When an old building formerly owned by the state was demolished on the outskirts of Battambang City in February, for some, it was the last straw. The giant, freestanding colonial-era mansion with the round windows, the blue shutters and the cracking yellow paint had become one of the city’s most photographed buildings, according to locals, who remember it like a lost love. Anne Lemaistre, the country head of Unesco, which works to preserve culture and tradition and has recently floated the prospect of submitting Battambang City for listing as a World Heritage City, heard the locals’ cries. … And with a new governor in the province—former Siem Reap provincial official Chan Sophal was moved to Battambang in a post-election reshuffle that took effect early this year—Ms. Lemaistre suddenly had a powerful ally. … In a bid to preserve the thousands of colonial and pre-colonial buildings that remain in the city, Ms. Lemaistre has laid all the options on the table for Mr. Sophal. Battambang City could apply to become a World Heritage Site, a process that takes years, or seek the more easily acquired status of World Heritage City or Unesco Creative City. Any such listing would potentially give the owners of protected buildings access to funds to renovate and repair the structures. … With the support of the municipality, the German development agency GIZ has also identified and inventoried more than 800 buildings in a central area of the city, which they have classified as a Heritage Protection Area. A small number of those buildings remain from the 1800s, when the province was under Siamese control, with the remainder being Sangkum- and colonial-era structures. The 800 buildings are not protected by law, but deputy governor Nguon Ratanak insists that the owners must apply to the municipality for permission to alter the exteriors. …
Matt Blomberg and Sek Odom
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/fight-to-save-bbang-heritage-finds-new-allies-59105/
