Researchers highlighted that it has become necessary to restore historical buildings during a discussion held on December 8.

The Choijin Lama Temple Museum organized a discussion under the topic, ‘Current state of restoration for historical buildings, and its future’ at the Museum of Chinggis Khaan in aims of accelerating the studies being carried out on restoring historical buildings, discussing the policies implemented on the buildings’ restoration and making an assessment, and promoting historical heritage and its current state.

As historical buildings are a form of cultural heritage representing the corresponding period in history, officials highlighted the importance of conserving the original state of such structures as well as their restoration in order to pass them on to future generations.

Director of the National Center for Cultural Heritage G.Enkhbat said, “Mongolia had an organization that was established in the 1970s, solely in charge of restoring historical buildings. With sufficient equipment, the organization properly set up plans for when to make the necessary repairs for certain buildings. However, the organization was abolished during the 1990s due to privatization. Since then, private entities have been in charge of the works. A list of historical buildings that require restoration works have been recently made. While there are 140-150 buildings in Ulaanbaatar alone, there are some 1,000 historical monuments alongside temples and monasteries nationwide. We are currently receiving suggestions from corresponding organizations about strengthening and repairs in sections. Works are planned to be initially carried out for 3-4 buildings such as the Choijin Lama Temple Museum and the Bogd Khaan Palace Museum in 2022, of which the necessary financing will be allocated from the state budget.”

During the discussion, the participants discussed various topics such as the current state of conservation and protection of historical buildings, practices implemented internationally for building restoration, necessity of architects and restoration specialists, disaster protection, and the legal framework for restoration works.

The discussion was attended by specialists of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Construction and Urban Development, representatives of museums, temples and monasteries with such buildings, researchers and scholars, and representatives of NGOs.