In 1961 and 1963 new Decrees were issued concerning the new city plan. They provided for the widening of existing streets and the opening of new ones. These were not implemented in the old city due to the resistance of the Archaeological Service. In 1988, the old town of Rhodes was designated as a World Heritage City by UNESCO.

The Ministry of Culture, through the local Archaeological Service, is the agency responsible by law for archaeological excavations and the preservation of historic buildings and works of art.

One of the first tasks of the Archaeological Service was to reconstruct and consolidate the extensively damaged fortifications and the building which houses the Archaeological Museum. Upon excavation, the north-east corner of the medieval city, which was bombed during the war, revealed the fortification of the Hellenistic city in front of the ancient great port (today’s commercial port). The scarcity of construction of new buildings in the medieval city at that time gave the Archaeological Service very few opportunities for excavations. On the other hand, the building boom of the 1970’s and 1980’s in areas outside the fortified city kept the archaeologists busy.

Later excavations in a private plot brought to light two historic phases of the wall of the Hellenistic city, one before and one after the siege of Demetrios Poliorkitis (the Besieger) (305-304 B.C.).

The base of the clock tower and the square tower of the Hospitalier walls further to the east were some of the few known surviving buildings of the Byzantine era. In excavations after 1980, two major early Christian  basilicas in the medieval city were revealed. The east and a portion of the south Byzantine wall were also discovered.The positions of the wall and towers of the Collachio wall were identified.

In historic cities like Rhodes where contemporary life continues, architectural conservation becomes a more complicated task. In an attempt to cope with the complex new problems of the medieval city, the Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Rhodes and the Archaeological Receipts Fund drew up a contract (1984) which resulted in the establishment, in 1985, of the Office for the Conservation and Restoration of the Medieval Town of Rhodes. The basic contract concerning the medieval town aims at the enhancement of its historic and cultural character, the improvement of living standards and the development of productive activities. The objective of the contract is to produce city planning projects as well as restoration studies, and also to carry out restoration projects and archaeological excavations.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and with the agreement of the Archaeological Service, the Office produced a new Decree for the old town. In it the old town is designated as a town protected by the Ministry of Planning.  It proposes a land use plan separating the commercial centre from the residential area, incorporates the regulations already mentioned above, defines minimum distances between shops of the same trade and provides building regulations for the few plots which have not yet been built on. In an attempt to bring in close collaboration the Ministries of Culture and Planning, the Decree provides that the Ministry of Culture, through its local Archaeological Service, is responsible for its application. The Decree was submitted to the Ministry of Planning for approval.

Parallel to the above, the Office for the Conservation of the Medieval City has executed various conservation projects, which have been completed or are in progress. Among them are:

Restoration of twenty-four residential buildings that are occupied by poor families paying low rents. The buildings belong to various historic periods so they present a mixture of building styles one next to the other.

Restoration of St. Catherine’s Hospice, a 15^th century building, which was restored to its original form. A bedroom of the period is represented in all its details. It is used as an exhibition and seminar centre.

Construction of the Municipal Clinic. A residential building that had been destroyed in the air raids was reconstructed and today houses the municipal clinic of the medieval city. The reconstruction was based on pre-war photographs.

Restoration of the House of the Orthodox Bishop, known as the Admiralty Building. A 15^th Century Hospitalier mansion with renaissance influences is now under restoration and consolidation and will house the Public Archives of the Dodecanese Islands.

Restoration and maintenance of the Municipal baths. Built by the Ottomans in 1581 and known as Yeni Hamam (New Baths), they served the residents of the medieval city for more than four centuries. They are under restoration and maintenance. During the works two previous layers have been revealed and they will remain visible in some of the walls.

Construction of the city infrastructure. New water, sewerage, telephone, fire protection and cable TV networks are included in this project. The streets are being re-paved with traditional natural materials. At the same time, open spaces are being designed to combine public parks, squares and parking areas.

Illumination of the city walls. The fortifications have been illuminated at night in an effort to discretely silhouette their most characteristic features. The ramparts, the gates, the towers and sculptural decorations have been accentuated through proper illumination.

The street lighting has been redesigned to achieve proper lighting of the streets . The old streetlights have been preserved and maintained and new ones have been installed. The project will continue in order to cover all the streets of the medieval city while special lighting will be designed for each of the squares.

The English bombs that fell on the medieval city of Rhodes in 1944 claimed human lives and destroyed a great number of buildings, leaving large gaps in the urban tissue. One of the first Decrees of the Greek administration designated those areas as reserved for future excavations and a number of edifices as safeguarded buildings.

In 1957, a new city plan was approved by a Decree and in 1960 the entire medieval town was designated as a protected monument by the Ministry of Culture.