Casinos and cableways: the 6 New East monuments among Europe’s most endangered sites

European conservation group Nostra has unveiled its annual shortlist of the continent’s most endangered cultural monuments.

An expert jury selected 12 sites based their unique local heritage and dangers each monument faced.

They include the iconic Buzludzha monument in Bulgaria — the modernist, disc-shaped building that was planned to stand as a monument to the Bulgarian Communist Party — and a progressive Art Nouveau casino perched on Romania’s Black Sea coast. Both buildings are struggling to survive after years of neglect and relentless storms, Europe Nostra said.

Two Georgian entries made the list, with the country’s aerial cableway network in Chiatura and the David Gareji Monasteries and Hermitage both making the list. The Albania’s historic city of Gjirokastra and Post-Byzantine churches were also nominated.

“This shortlist is, first and foremost, a call to action,” said Denis de Kergorlay, Europe Nostra’s Executive President. “We urge public and private stakeholders at local, national and European levels to join forces to rescue the heritage gems which tell our shared story and which must be saved for future generations.”

Europe Nostra will now whittle down the list to reveal Europe’s seven Most Endangered Heritage in a special ceremony on 15 March.

To find out more about the project, you can visit the Europe Nostra website by clicking here.