Russia Is Building a Digital Marketplace for Heritage Sites in Need of Restoration
A unified platform listing cultural heritage sites requiring restoration is being developed in Russia with support from DOM.RF, aiming to attract investors faster and preserve historic buildings across both major cities and smaller towns.
The corresponding law enabling the platform was adopted and signed by the President of Russia at the end of last year.
The portal nasledie.dom.rf will host detailed information on cultural heritage sites, including legal status, classification, investment potential, preservation requirements, usage restrictions, and available support measures for investment projects. It will also include analytical and statistical data on the condition of sites and the progress of restoration efforts.
The platform will only include properties that are in poor condition, suitable for restoration, and not located within protected historical and cultural reserves. In other words, it focuses on sites that can realistically be considered for investment. Data will be sourced from federal, regional, and municipal authorities, as well as from the unified state real estate register.
A Digital Showcase for Investors
The creation of a unified portal for restoration-ready heritage sites represents an effort to shift the market for restoring and adapting historic buildings into a more transparent, accessible format – effectively a digital showcase. This interface will consolidate key data, helping investors quickly assess a site’s potential, make funding decisions, and move toward actual restoration work.
The government will provide financial support mechanisms funded through the federal budget to facilitate preservation efforts. The platform is expected to simplify workflows for both investors and other stakeholders involved in heritage projects.
“DOM.RF continues to expand the capabilities of the nasledie.dom.rf platform to make it a central hub supporting investors at every stage – from selecting a property to integrating it into the modern economy. In addition to information on more than 1,600 sites and their current status, the platform already includes a restoration roadmap. Each project page will track all stages of restoration, from initial publication and preparation for auction to full completion. The system will support uploading photo reports, work completion certificates, and other documentation. This will give regulators a transparent monitoring tool and provide businesses with clear rules for working with the state,” said Alexey Nidens, Deputy CEO of DOM.RF.
By 2030, at least 1,000 cultural heritage sites are expected to be restored through the use of this unified platform.
New Life for Historic Assets
In recent years, global interest in large-scale digital platforms for cultural heritage has grown. Notable examples include Europeana, a pan-European digital heritage aggregator, and Google Arts & Culture, a global platform providing access to museum and architectural collections. However, these platforms do not address the same challenge as the Russian initiative – restoring and reintegrating heritage assets into active use.
Russia is moving beyond cataloging and digital registries toward building a tool that returns historical properties to economic circulation. This shift has implications across multiple sectors, including tourism and hospitality infrastructure. It also creates opportunities for businesses and creative industries, which often drive projects that leverage the cultural and historical value of a location.
The unified portal is expected to help regions attract private investment, develop domestic tourism, and manage cultural heritage assets more effectively. With tools like this, cultural preservation begins to function not just as a budget expense but as an economic driver for regional development.
