The St. Petersburg International Center for Preservation

Founded by Czar Peter the Great in 1703, St. Petersburg has endured a turbulent history to become Russia's cultural capital, home to numerous museums, universities, libraries, and historic buildings. Unfortunately, this remarkably beautiful World Heritage city is now threatened by a lack of resources, complex preservation problems, and, in some cases, neglect. To help ensure the survival of the exceptional cultural wealth amassed in St. Petersburg over the course of three centuries, the Getty Conservation Institute has joined with the Russian Academy of Sciences and the city of St. Petersburg to establish the St. Petersburg International Center for Preservation. [Publication Abstract]