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      Pétition internationale contre le projet de construction d'une tour-hôtel
dans le périmètre Unesco de la cathédrale de Tournai (Belgique)

      Internationale petitie tegen het bouwproject van een toren in de Unesco
zone van de kathedraal van Doornik (België).

      An international petition against a project to construct a tower hotel
within the Unesco precinct of Tournai cathedral.

      Petizione internazionale contro il progetto di costruzione di una torre
nel perimetro Unesco della cattedrale di Tournai (Belgio)

      Petición internacional contra el proyecto de construcción de una torre en
el perímetro Unesco de la catedral de Tournai (Bélgica)

      http://www.latourdetrop.be/

      http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=32338927569 

      -----------------------------------------------------------

      An international petition against a project to construct a tower hotel
within the Unesco precinct of Tournai cathedral.

      The international reputation of the city of Tournai in Belgium stems in
the main from its famous Cathedral of Our Lady , crowned with five towers and
classed in 2000 as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Because of its history and its
architectural qualities, this religious edifice containing both Romanesque and
Gothic elements is one of the most significant survivals of medieval Europe.

      This exceptional monument is presently under threat. An architectural
project made public in October 2008, and backed by the municipal authorities of
Tournai, envisages the construction in close proximity to the cathedral of a
tower in concrete and glass, topped with a glass dome. It is intended that this
tower hotel will be 49 metres in height, fully 15 metres taller than the great
twelfth-century Romanesque nave of the cathedral itself.

      The construction project profoundly damages the integrity of cityscape
surrounding the cathedral. It is in contravention of the prescriptions of the
Unesco World Heritage Committee and the International Council on Monuments and
Sites (Icomos). Moreover, it is an affront to the sensibilities of the
Tournaisiens themselves and the thousands of tourists who come each year to
visit the cathedral, which is itself currently being restored .

      Together, we must act swiftly to convince the communal authorities of
Tournai of their duty to renounce their plans to build the tower. This is the
aim of the present petition, in which we ask you to state.
      I wish to advise the municipal authorities of Tournai of their duty to
respect the integrity of the historical sight of the Cathedral of Our Lady, a
jewel in the cultural patrimony of the city and of the world. I therefore
oppose the project to build a tower within the Cathedral's historical precinct,
in keeping with the prescriptions of Unesco for defining World Heritage
Sights.
     

 

----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
Umberto Albarella
Department of Archaeology
University of Sheffield
Northgate House
West Street
Sheffield S1 4ET
United Kingdom
Telephone: (+) 44 (0) 114 22 22 943 
Fax: (+) 44 (0) 114 27 22 563 
http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/albarella.html
For Archaeologists for Global Justice (AGJ) see:
http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/global-justice.html

"There is no way to peace. Peace IS the way".