At the fortress of Cembalo in Balaklava, work began on the dismantling of scaffolding

CrimeaPRESS reports:

During the week, emergency scaffolding is being dismantled on the territory of the Cembalo fortress ensemble. It is planned that by the end of March, work on cultural heritage sites in Balaklava will be completed.

Let’s immediately dispel the myth that the forests support the structure of the fortress — the very foundation of the monument copes with this. Given that the wooden structures were installed more than ten years ago, during this time they fell into disrepair. Strong storm winds near the sea, as well as the location of the fortress facilities on Mount Kastron, accelerated their destruction, creating a threat to the safety of our visitors , — the press service of the director of the Tauric Chersonese Museum-Reserve Elena Morozova quotes.

Partial collapse of forests was recorded at the end of January this year. The expert commission of Tauric Chersonesus carried out an immediate survey of the Chembalo fortress. No damage or destruction was found in the masonry of cultural heritage sites. The ensemble of fortifications itself was not damaged.

Simultaneously with the dismantling of scaffolding, the museum-reserve is working on state registration of cultural heritage sites in Balaklava.

To our great regret, in the documentation was transferred with a number of violations. Without updated data, we cannot bring the fortress into an exposition form and begin restoration work on the monument. The future of the Cembalo fortress did not go unnoticed by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Yesterday we met their expert, who came to assess the state of sights. Based on the results of this examination, the Ministry will decide on the allocation of funding for the implementation of priority work on the conservation and restoration of the fortress itself, as well as the adaptation of the monument for modern and safe use for working with visitors , — Elena Morozova notes.

The immediate plans of the museum are to pay special attention to the protection of the fortress and to protect the monument from the appearance of graffiti and the dismantling of masonry into small “souvenirs”. This year, it is planned to strengthen the video surveillance system and arrange a fence around the perimeter of the ensemble, as well as the creation of an entrance group for the convenience of working with visitors.

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