Industrial heritage of the “gray belt” of St. Petersburg: Problems of preservation and future prospects

Abstract

The article examines the features of the functioning and preservation of the industrial heritage of St. Petersburg within the “gray belt”. The author formulates the concept of industrial heritage based on the materials of international documents. The article also provides several types of classification of industrial heritage sites, which have chosen one of the key principles as their basis, as well as the main criteria for preservation. By reviewing the history of the development of the industrial “gray belt” as a historically established urban environment that has become a barrier between historical buildings and residential neighborhoods of St. Petersburg, the author aims to display the key problems of preserving industrial heritage within the belt and identify the main trends in working with it. Thus, having originated almost simultaneously with the city, the “gray belt” formed its main image at the turn of the 19th — early 20th centuries. Throughout the 20th century, several attempts were made to reconstruct industrial areas, but they were unsuccessful. Only in the late 1990s did certain processes begin that were associated with the relocation or closure of industrial enterprises. At the moment, the territory of the “gray belt” contains many monuments of cultural heritage that need protection from looters and unscrupulous owners. In the article, the following are indicated as the main directions of work with the belt’s industrial heritage: conservation, redevelopment, revitalization, etc. Special attention in the article is paid to museumification. In the author’s opinion, this is the most underestimated direction by the state authorities and private investors. Also in the article, the author formulates further prospects for the development of cultural practices in this segment of urban development.

Keywords:

industrial heritage, gray belt, museumification, revitalization, redevelopment, preservation of industrial heritage sites, conservation