Pima Palace and the Old Town — The 1979 Earthquake Becomes Heritage History
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Transcript
Kotor was struck by a devastating earthquake on 15 April 1979. Large parts of the historic region were badly damaged, including churches, palaces and the walls.
UNESCO inscribed Kotor on the World Heritage List that same year and simultaneously placed it on the List of World Heritage in Danger. International assistance supported documentation, stabilisation and reconstruction.
This created a difficult conservation problem. Restorers had to decide how much damaged fabric to preserve, what to reconstruct and how to maintain the urban character of a living city.
Kotor was removed from the Danger List in 2003 after major recovery work.
The restored palaces around the old town are therefore not evidence that the earthquake barely mattered. Their present coherence is evidence of sustained post-disaster conservation.
Ending here changes the meaning of “authentic.” In Kotor, authenticity includes the history of careful rebuilding after catastrophe.