More than 100 children from different counties will explore the national heritage through an educational caravan organized by Pro Patrimonio, which will stop at five emblematic historical locations in Romania. The purpose of this project is to instill in them the appreciation and desire to preserve the architectural and historical values of the country.
The children involved in saving Romania’s treasures through the Photo Pro Patrimonio Heritage Caravan
The cultural adventure of discovering Romania’s hidden treasures, which started this fall, will continue until next spring. The five destinations chosen within the project represent representative buildings for the architecture, history, religion, music and culture of our country: Enescu House in Botoșani, Viscri House in Brașov, Golescu Villa in Argeș, Urși Wooden Church in Vâlcea and Neamțu Mansion in Olt.
The “Heritage Kit and Caravan – Homes and Communities Working Together” program will organize camps and community days in the five counties, providing opportunities for children to learn and explore. The kits – boxes full of surprises – will allow them to look at the world from a new perspective, following some missions and challenges. The stories of the heritage buildings will come to life through workshops, cultural, sports and culinary competitions, exhibitions and film evenings, in which the families of the children involved will also participate.
In these mini-camps, children will create models of the community, imagine what the “new village/town” would look like and make creative videos to promote the area. Activities include DIY, hot meals and prize competitions, along with outdoor movie nights.
Urși Church in Vâlcea – winner of the European Heritage Awards 2021 Pro Patrimonio
“We want to leave no child without a smile on their face”
The first stage of the Caravan will take place between September 15 and October 11, 2024. During this period, the first stop will be at Casa George Enescu in Botoșani. Then, the caravan will go to the peasant house in Viscri – Brașov where the camps will benefit from the support of the Alba Eglesia Foundation.
Next, the caravan will dedicate an extended weekend to the community of Câmpulung Muscel-Argeș, at Vila Golescu. At the beginning of October, it will arrive for the first time in the community around the Urși Wooden Church in Vâlcea. This community has supported for 10 years the Pro Patrimonio volunteers who have contributed to the conservation of the church, winner of the Europa Nostra Awards 2021.
Villa Golescu from Arges Photo Pro Patrimonio
The 2024 route will end at Conacul Neamțu in Olt. Here, the community has collaborated with the foundation for 10 years, and the mansion will now be used to a greater capacity thanks to new restoration work carried out over the past year.
Andreea Machidon, director of the Heritage Education program, explained what the cultural adventure consists of: “We really miss the openness and sincere kindness of the people near the border on Siret, and we are very excited to come into contact with the children’s community from Viscri and Urși through these new projects – new communities for our team. The active community in Câmpulung, like the one in Olari, welcomes us every time and through this extensive program carried out over a year and a half, we want not to leave any of the 125 children without a smile on their faces and the two days of camp and celebration in the community to seem like seven and to keep the curiosity burning until the next visits in the spring”.
The hidden treasures of Romania, winner of the Europa Nostra Awards
All the historic buildings involved in the project benefit from the support of the Pro Patrimonio Foundation.
The George Enescu House in Mihăileni – Botoșani was transformed, after restoration, into the Academy of Music and Sound Studies. The center of excellence not only promotes the study of music, but also supports traditional architecture and visual arts, while preserving traditional building techniques.
The Urși wooden church in Vâlcea is a unique case study within the foundation’s research program. Its construction technique – a lightweight structure made of hazel reeds with an unusually large central dome (5 x 7 m) – is an example of renewable and efficient architecture, also applicable in the contemporary context, the foundation’s representatives claim.
The Neamțu mansion in Olari – Pârșcoveni, Olt county, is one of the few mansions preserved in southern Romania, where many have disappeared in the last 25 years. This mansion, in a state of advanced decay, requires urgent conservation and strengthening work to prevent its complete destruction.
Workshops in Conacului Neamțu – Olt Photo Pro Patrimonio
The Golescu Ensemble from Câmpulung Muscel, Argeș, is an outstanding example of saving and integrating cultural heritage. Pro Patrimonio uses this property to demonstrate how heritage can be reused and integrated into everyday life, not just preserved statically. Creative residencies, landscape and craft workshops, open days and children’s activities take place here annually.
Gospodăria Viscri 18 in Brașov, a Saxon house built at the beginning of the 18th century, was restored by the Pro Patrimonio Foundation in the period 2001-2002. It is now used for cultural events, education and cultural tourism, continuing to serve the community in an active and valuable way.
“Homes and communities working together” to save heritage
“Heritage Kit and Caravan – Homes and Communities Working Together”a project of the Pro Patrimonio Foundation, benefits from the support of the Romanian Order of Architects through the architecture stamp and is co-financed by AFCN, with the support of the UiPath Foundation.
“Education for Heritage” is an interdisciplinary program dedicated to communities where the foundation is active in saving, preserving and rehabilitating architectural heritage. Every year, it organizes practical workshops, in which both children and adults are involved, and which promote learning through experiment and creativity, addressing themes such as architecture, local identity, nature and cultural values, such as: “Zthe Enescu House” (2020), “School of Landscape, Art and Sound” (2021), “The Story of My Village” (2022) and the kit series “Heritage at Pachet”.
For over 22 years, the Pro Patrimonio Foundation has been dedicating its efforts to the revitalization of disadvantaged communities throughout the country, helping them to save and integrate their heritage.
