Kizhi Museum
Federal State Budget Institution “Kizhi State Open Air Museum of History, Architecture and Ethnography”

Summing up the work done, it is safe to say the following:

1. tasks set for year 2009 have been completed;
2. lifting equipment has been assembled and installed;
3. engineering restoration tiers of the Church of the Transfiguration have been suspended;
4. upper engineering restoration tiers I-II-III have been taken to the design elevation, their weight has been transferred on the metal framework built in 1982; thus, the church log walls and lower tiers have been unloaded from the weight of 150 tons. Unloaded lower tiers are suspended on metal supports and rest on transverse foundations. All of the previous made it possible to remove the lower restoration tier and then reconstruct the foundation;
5. refectory that links on to the church has been disassembled and prepared for restoration;
6. restoration of the original floor has been completed; the components of the floor are protected in the storage of «Carpenter’s center»;
7. restoration of carved gilt-frame of the church iconostasis is in progress;
8. construction documents for the restoration work in 2010 are available almost in full;
9. the amount of financing required for 2010 have been approved.

The following works are forthcoming in 2010:

1. restoration of all components of the refectory that were transferred to the restoration complex;
2. removing VII-th restoration tier of the church, transporting the disassembled parts to the Restoration Complex and preparation for restoration works;
3. reconstruction of a rubble concrete strip foundation of the church (approximately to 70%) and reconstruction of the foundation of the church refectory;
4. continuation of all necessary project works for the restoration in 2011;
5. continuation of the restoration of iconostasis;
6. start construction of the pumping station for fire protection of the Pogost; according to the project, this pumping station is meant to secure all year round protection of Pogost monuments; start reconstruction of the network for fire protection system;
7. start projecting equipment for thermal detection that protect from the penetration of unauthorized persons to the Pogost area at night;

Successful completion of the preparatory period made it possible to start full-scale works on restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration in 2009. The most important thing now is to keep working.

The Kizhi Museum is ready to continue work and finds it essential to establish direct full time contact with the Center of the World Heritage of UNESCO and ICOMOS for the joint discussion of the questions concerning protection of the World Heritage Site Kizhi Pogost.