Europe's largest wooden building and second largest in the world, located on Istanbul's Büyükada island, is now among the seven most endangered cultural heritage sites identified by the organization Europe Nostra on Thursday.
The Prinkipo Greek Orphanage, on the Princes' Islands off the coast of Istanbul, was built in 1899 and is now at immediate risk of collapse due to negligence and exposure to adverse weather conditions.
Already damaged by a fire in 1980, the 20,000-square-meter wooden building's sections of the roof and corner posts have fallen and are in need of reconstruction, the organization warned.
This year's selection also includes a number of Post-Byzantine churches in Albania's Moscopole and Vithkuq towns, the Historic Center of Vienna and the David Gareji Monasteries and Hermitage in Eastern Georgia.
The only Western European cultural heritage selected was the Grimsby Ice Factory, the oldest ice factory in the United Kingdom.
"This newest list of 7 Most Endangered comprises rare treasures of Europe's cultural heritage that are in danger of being lost. The local communities are deeply committed to preserving these important examples of our shared heritage but need broader European support," Maestro Plácido Domingo, President of Europa Nostra, stated.
