Mutso Rehabilitation Project to be awarded at Cultural Heritage Summit in Paris

President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili will attend the European Cultural Summit 2019 today.

The rehabilitation project of Mutso, the highland settlement in the historic Khevsureti region of Georgia will be named among the 27 winner projects at the summit.

The National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia presented the project in 2018. The project was implemented in 2014-2018 with the financing of the Georgian government and Kartu Fund.

The 2019 European Cultural Heritage Summit will be held from 27 to 30 October under the Patronage of Emmanuel Macron, President of France.

Over 400 participants from all over Europe will attend the Summit, including heritage professionals and volunteers from France, the rest of Europe and beyond.

Mutso, one of the former strongholds of the historic Georgian province of Khevsureti (now part of Mtskheta-Mtianeti region), is located on a rocky mountain (1880 m) on the right bank of the Andakistskali river.

The village, almost completely abandoned more than a century ago, is home to approximately 30 medieval fortified dwelling units arranged on vertical terraces above the Mutso-Ardoti gorge, four combat towers and ruins of several old structures and buildings. Difficult to access, the village retains original architecture and is a popular destination for tourists and mountain trekkers.

“The village of Mutso is a remarkable fortified settlement which for centuries was the strongest outpost in northern Georgia, controlling the roads and protecting the state border. The village, strikingly integrated into the surrounding landscape thanks to the harmonious use of materials, was inhabited from the 10th century onwards. The harsh climate, the lack of arable land, the poor infrastructure together water shortages led to the depopulation of the village by the middle of the 20th-century. Through slow deterioration and lack of maintenance, this unique village was set to be lost. In 2014, a project to rehabilitate the settlement was initiated by the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia (NACHP) under the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, with the support of the Georgian Government and in collaboration with other State institutions. The project was also supported through private funding, in particular, the International Charity Foundation Cartu”, the website of European Heritage Awards reports about Mutso.

By Ana Dumbadze

Related Story: Georgia’s Mutso Village Nominated for Europa Nostra Public Choice Award