MOV CITY; Environmental monitoring programme

Environmental conditions and state of preservation in selected medieval towns and the WHS Bryggen.

MOV CITY is a long-term archaeological environmental monitoring project conducted by NIKU in collaboration with COWI and Cautus Geo, initially from 2025-2029. The project is funded by the Ministry of Climate and Environment (KLD) via the Directorate for Cultural Heritage (RA).

This environmental monitoring program is a continuation and merger of two programs: Monitoring of Cultural Layers and Settlement Development and Operation and Maintenance of Infiltration Systems at Bryggen (MOV Bryggen) and Status and Condition Monitoring of Cultural Layers from the Middle Ages in Selected Medieval Towns (MABYMOV).

The program aims to gather data and knowledge about automatically protected cultural layers in four selected medieval towns (Bergen with Bryggen, Oslo, Trondheim, and Tønsberg) and ensure Norway’s commitment to preserving the World Heritage Site Bryggen according to best practices.

The knowledge built through the program will provide crucial reference data for the management of Bryggen and the medieval towns, as well as other related types of cultural heritage. Establishing long series of reference data at selected points within the medieval towns will also contribute to faster and more predictable management in the long term.

MOV CITY will also help maintain the necessary specialized expertise, which is crucial for in situ preservation to remain a viable tool for cultural heritage management. The Directorate for Cultural Heritage coordinates the national environmental monitoring of cultural environments on behalf of the Ministry of Climate and Environment.

Knowledge obtained through the program provides a basis for reporting on the three national cultural environment goals in Meld. St. 16 – engagement, sustainable development, and diversity. The insights from the program will also provide information into the effects of climate change on cultural environments.

Project manager: Vibeke Vandrup Martens.