Govt approves program to preserve cultural heritage of peoples of Russia in 2025-2045

MOSCOW. Dec 16 (Interfax) - The Russian government has drafted a program to preserve cultural heritage of peoples of Russia in 2025-2045 and a respective action plan to increase the share of restored cultural heritage sites to 90% by 2045, a statement published on the government website said.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed the resolution.

"The primary objective of the new program is to preserve cultural and historical heritage of the country for this and next generations. Its implementation will increase the number of restored historical and cultural monuments and will draw them into economic circulation," the statement said.

Mechanisms envisaged by the program include subsidies to regions and non-profit organizations preserving cultural heritage sites and subsidized preferential loans to entrepreneurs restoring such facilities.

"Owing to the preferential instrument, at least 1,000 historical buildings are due to be restored by 2030, and at least another 800 by 2045. Investors may become their owners if they meet the obligation to preserve cultural heritage sites," the statement said.

The program includes an inventory of cultural heritage sites included in the state register and in need of restoration. These sites will then be prioritized for inclusion in economic circulation, allowing for a precise determination of financial resources, specialists, and time required to restore the monuments to proper condition, it said.

It is planned to improve laws on the preservation of cultural heritage sites by eliminating excessive requirements for work performance, reducing the timeframe for reviewing and approving project documentation and conducting state historical and cultural assessments, creating conditions for the development of human resources, including for the preservation of the Russian school of restoration, and completing the zoning, determination of protected areas, and urban planning regulations in areas designated as historic settlements. The development of historic and base settlements will be synchronized with the implementation of the Tourism and Hospitality national project.

"The program will increase the share of restored cultural heritage sites on the unified list of historical and cultural monuments to 90% by 2045," the statement said.