Polish National Committee of
International Council on Monuments and Sites

ICOMOS-POLAND

  • The Royal Castle in Warsaw
    The Royal Castle in Warsaw
  • Toruń, The Old Town
    Toruń, The Old Town
  • The Royal Lazienki, Warsaw
    The Royal Lazienki, Warsaw
  • The Wawel Castle, Cracow
    The Wawel Castle, Cracow
  • Zamość
    Zamość
  • Museum of Żupy Krakowskie, Wieliczka
    Museum of Żupy Krakowskie, Wieliczka
  • Malbork
    Malbork
 RUINS RGB  roslinka
 

Project title: Sustainable re-use, preservation and modern management of historical ruins in Central Europe - elaboration of integrated model and guidelines based on the synthesis of the best European experiences

 
 

Project acronym: RUINS
Start date: 01.06.2017
Project budget: 1,77 million €

End date: 31.05.2020
ERDF funding: 1,47 million €

Project summary

Topic of project are medieval ruins. In Europe there are at least several thousand historical ruins. Owners and managers of these sites struggle with the same problems: protection of ruins is problematic due to ongoing process of destruction, and modern use of ruins is limited. Ruined historical buildings are often either neglected or increasingly transformed. They lose their key features – authenticity and integrity. Problem applies to entire Europe.

 

Importance of project arises from fact that historical ruins in many countries are in danger for two reasons. Firstly, all historical ruins are in state of constant destruction (it results from their form - lack of appropriate protection against weather conditions). Therefore, their technical protection - assuming minimal interference in historical form and substance - is difficult and expensive, moreover, it is a continuous process. Such a process is difficult to organize, so for many ruins destruction process keeps progressing. Secondly, form of ruin often is not considered a proper form of maintenance of historical object. Increasingly, owners, users, public opinion, journalists, local communities demand rebuilding of ruins. Rebuilt ruins are transformed into hotels, restaurants, museums, offices, etc. Such reconstruction irreversibly destroys authentic historic ruins. The number of such projects keeps increasing. Cultural heritage represents a big potential for economic growth, generating value and thereby directly benefiting citizens. Finding better balance between preservation of cultural heritage and sustainable socio-economic development of regions is necessary. Therefore there is urgent need for development of modern, attractive forms of re-use, management and protection of ruins in their present form, while preserving their historical value.

Project objective is to give “the second life” to medieval ruins through modern management and attributing contemporary, socially useful functions, while preserving historical value of these sites.

Project aims to develop and disseminate transnational guidelines and integrated model of contemporary use, modern management and protection of medieval ruins in Central Europe in order to enable elaboration of comprehensive management plans for ruined historical sites. Elaborated comprehensive management plans will help owners and managers of historical ruins, local, regional and public authorities exploit economic potential of this heritage in economic development of regions, and to preserve value of medieval ruins as cultural heritage.

Traditional approach to preservation of ruins has been focused on only one issue - how to maintain historical ruins from technical point of view. Innovation of project is to go beyond technical problems and to create integrated model that brings together three elements: contemporary use, modern management and sustainable preservation of ruins. Activities undertaken within project will be combination of research tasks concerning documentation and evaluation of technical state of ruins, conservation tasks concerning the form of protection of ruins and, most of all, activities aimed at contemporary use and modern management of historical ruins.

Cooperation of 6 countries with various traditions and experiences will result in development of universal models that could be applied for management, use and protection of medieval ruins all over Europe, providing European added value.

 

Partners

  1. Lublin University of Technology – Lead Partner (Poland)
  2. Matej Bel University (Slovakia)
  3. The Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics CAS, v. v. I (Czech Republic)
  4. ICOMOS – POLSKA, Polish National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (Poland)
  5. City of Zadar (Croatia)
  6. Higher Institute on Territorial Systems for Innovation (Italy)
  7. Italian Association for the Council of Municipalities and Regions of Europe (Italy)
  8. Venetian Heritage Cluster (Italy)
  9. Municipality of Velenje (Slovenia)
  10. Zadar County Development Agency ZADRA NOVA (Croatia)

 


Thematic Workpackages:

T1 Sustainable protection and conservation of medieval ruins

Activities:

  1. Elaboration of state-of-art on protection of the ruins (based on the literature and case studies)
  2. The survey and analysis in selected objects (ruins) – study visits in Poland and Slovakia
  3. Examining and assessment of all the most innovative techniques, technologies, restoration materials
  4. Elaboration of universal transnational rules and models of protection and preservation of ruined sites

T2 Sustainable use and re-use of the medieval ruins

Activities:

  1. Elaboration of state-of-art on contemporary use and re-use of the medieval ruins
  2. The survey and analysis in selected objects (ruins) – study visits in Croatia and Slovenia
  3. Socio-economic survey concerning re-use of the historical ruins
  4. Elaboration of transnational rules and model forms of sustainable use and re-use of ruined sites

T3 Modern management of the medieval ruins

Activities:

  1. Elaboration of state-of-art on management of medieval ruins and best practice of risk assessment
  2. The survey and analysis in selected objects (ruins) – study visits in Italy
  3. Elaboration of legal and regulatory framework for the protection of medieval ruins
  4. Elaboration of universal transnational model forms of the modern management of the medieval ruins
  5. Organisation of project knowledge-exchange seminars

T4 Transnational guidelines for development of comprehensive management plans for medieval ruins

Activities:

  1. Development of Guidelines for elaboration of action plans for medieval ruins based on the integrated model of sustainable preservation, modern management and contemporary use of historical ruin
  2. Pilot testing of integrated model of sustainable protection, contemporary use and modern management of medieval ruins
  3. Organisation of project knowledge-exchange seminars
  4. Training seminars for stakeholders dealing with management, use and protection of cultural heritage


Project outputs

  1. Tools developed for the sustainable use of cultural heritage:
  • Universal transnational model of sustainable preservation and protection of the medieval ruins
  • Universal transnational model forms of contemporary use of medieval ruins
  • Universal transnational model form of modern management of medieval ruins
  • Transnational guidelines: how to apply integrated model in development of comprehensive action plan
  1. Pilot actions implemented for the sustainable use of cultural heritage

 

  1. Action plans developed for the sustainable use of cultural heritage
  • 6 plans of modern management, contemporary use and sustainable preservation of selected ruined sites
  1. Trainings implemented on the sustainable use of cultural heritage
  • Study visits to ruined medieval sites in Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy
  • Training seminars for stakeholders dealing with management, use and protection of cultural heritage

Calendar

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