Historic city centre to be expanded in Odesa, which is on the World Heritage List

In Odessa, the historical center of the city, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List, is set to be expanded. This information was provided by the press service of the Odessa City Council.

UNESCO's committee made recommendations during the inclusion of Odessa's historical center in the World Heritage List. One of these recommendations pertained to the expansion of the boundaries of the World Heritage site while excluding the territory of the Odessa Port.

The proposals from the City Council were sent to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine in late May, where they were reviewed at a meeting of the Scientific and Methodological Council. The Council recommended extending the territory of the World Heritage site to Uspenska Street in the south, to Kovalska and Torgova Streets in the west, and to Lidersovsky Boulevard in the east. The other central part of the city, along with the port and the French Boulevard, is suggested to be a buffer zone.

With these expanded boundaries of the "Historical Center of Odessa" site, the City Council, through the intermediation of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, will submit the corresponding graphical materials with textual justifications for approval to the governing bodies of UNESCO.

Here is what the expanded map of Odessa's historical center looks like: