September 27-29, 2018
Throughout its more than three decades long history the biannual vernacular architecture conferences in Békés are the most popular and one might say the biggest professional forum of those civil organisations and specialists who work for preserving the built heritage of our villages.
After restructuring, the conference gained back its biannually organized feature in 2010. Accordingly, this year the 21st event takes place with the working title „Diverse protection”.
The conference has the aim to introduce not just the diversity of the built heritage in the villages, but also the plurality of the possible protection methods and initiatives. Moreover, it has the goal to emphasize the role of vernacular architecture in education.
With the presentations, the audience that consists of professional and civil participants reaches a more complex understanding of our vernacular architecture. The conference also discusses contemporary issues such as the Settlement Structure Appearance Manuals, the Inventories of Heritage Values, their importance and consequences.
The first day is dedicated to the introduction of themes. After that comprehensive lectures are given connecting to the thematic structure of the event. In the afternoon presentations discuss diversity, vernacular architecture of different regions, peculiarities of numerous minority heritage, public buildings within traditional village structures and their potential change due to the vernacular architecture surrounding.
The first day is concluded with award ceremony and exhibition openings. The Sub-committee of ICOMOS Hungary on the Vernacular Architecture acknowledges with prizes those traditional vernacular architectural heritage examples that combine on an outstanding level the utilization according to the contemporary needs and the protection of monument values. Following the award ceremony, the winning architectures can be explored on the opening exhibition.
On the second day a study trip is planned. On the 17th conference in 2010 that was organised together with the Association for the Protection of Monuments and Memory Sites in the Partium and Banat Regions a decision was made that the study trips target the historical, architectural ethnographic values and the colourful, multi-ethnic and by the Hungarian experts unfortunately less known settlements of Partium and Banat region. Since today participants of the conferences visited Érmellék region (2010), within County of Temes the area that is situated to the north from Timișoara (2012), later the valley of Crișul Alb (Fehér-Körös), monuments in Arad Hegyalja and Arad, and the left shore of River Mureș (Maros) (2014). On the 20th conference the participants visited the monuments in the settlements near to River Crișul Negru (Fekete-Körös), the vernacular and ethnographical values of the local minorities. This year the organisers plan to explore the valley of River Crișul Repede (Sebes-Körös).
On the third day of the conference lectures further explore the diversity of village architecture in regional scope. Similarly to the previous conferences the organisers plan to organize forums as sessions to exchange views and perspectives. Short presentation slots are ensured to introduce best practices of monument renovation.
Project owner: Hungarian National Committee of ICOMOS
Project type: conference
Venue: Békés
Contact: http://www.icomos.hu/
