The role of local governments in the protection of the cultural heritage: A sample of Beyoğlu municipality

The thesis study aims to prove that our historical and cultural values are protected and that the local governing establishments are competent significantly in this respect. Thus, the provisions in the related municipal laws and what might be the duty of the local governments to protect the historical and cultural values have been tried to be explained. Since the local government bodies are the nearest administrative units, they should be the first authorized unit responsible for all kinds of activities for the protection of immovables which are regarded as historical and cultural values in the city. Based on this point of view, some examples of conservation work implemented by local governments in some countries have been given. If a cultural heritage conservation work is to be conducted in a region, one should be knowledgeable with the history of the region. In the thesis study, the importance of this was tried to be mentioned and the historical development of the studied region was conveyed following the chronological order. In fact, the main historical-cultural assets that the region possesses have been tried to be explained by periodization. In this way, a sort of inventory of the investigated region has been created. In addition, the conservation works of historical and cultural assets applied by the municipality of the investigated region are explained with a few examples. In the light of these studies, solutions on conservation are offered connecting the cultural heritage and local governments. The aim of the research is to raise awareness on the issue of cultural heritage protection by local governments. Key words: Culture, cultural heritage, local governments, history, art, architecture, law, municipality