The Struve Geodetic Arc – World Heritage Monument

Abstract

The Struve Geodetic Arc is a series of triangulation survey points along the 26°E meridian, spanning approximately 2,820 km from Hammerfest in northern Norway to Izmail in Ukraine. Established and measured between 1816 and 1855, the Arc was instrumental in determining the Earth's size and shape by measuring triangulation arcs and astronomical coordinates. The survey was a model of international cooperation, involving both scientific and administrative collaboration [7]. The Struve Geodetic Arc include 258 main triangles with 265 main and over 60 subsidiary station points that passes through ten countries, i.e. Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. Each of the ten countries possesses some sites with reliable signs, which mark on the ground the positions of the geographical points where the measurements were performed [1][2][3]. The ten countries concerned have contributed to the preparation of the documentation with a view to nominating the Arc for inscription on the World Heritage List. The World Heritage Committee inscribed the Struve Geodetic Arc on World Heritage List in July 2005 [8]. The World Heritage site includes 34 commemorative plaques or built obelisks out of the original 265 main station points. According to the common procedures and guidelines based on the World Heritage Convention, each State Party is responsible to take care of the preservation and other management of the sites within its territory. The Struve Geodetic Arc is one of the foremost scientific and technical achievements of its time, and it has a truly universal significance. For almost 200 years the Arc has connected from the Black Sea to the Arctic Ocean and will continue connected also in the future. The paper describes the status of Struve Geodetic Arc and procedure of the national legislation, preservation and Management Mechanism and joint international responsibility of the countries possessing the Struve Geodetic Arc sites [4][5][7][9].