„I beg your pardon, Lady Europe, but it is only Bosnia that has monuments – stećci. What is a stećak? It is a depiction of a highlander – a Bosnian. What does the Bosnian on a stećak do? He stands upright! His head raised, his arm high! But nowhere, nowhere, never, no one has ever found a stećak with a Bosnian kneeling or begging. A stećak with a Bosnian portrayed as a slave.” Miroslav Krleža
Have you ever taken a stroll alongside a river and felt the spirits of old houses, bridges, mills and legends? Come to this part of Stolac to experience all that and more.
Since 2007, the Foundation Cultural Heritage without Borders has implemented sixteen restoration camps. The goal is to gather young professionals from the Western Balkans to enable them to learn more about the practical use of traditional materials and techniques during the restoration and conservation projects. The presence of young people from the entire Western Balkans in one place makes it possible to examine individual cultural identities in a professional environment that is both socially and culturally different from the environment from which participants come. Mutual respect for the cultural heritage is of great significance to the efforts on establishing and keeping peace in any society. The use of cultural heritage in the process of reconciliation and establishing of respect, understanding and trust in and among people is deeply rooted in the very foundations of the Regional Restoration Camps.
The topic that were explored during the Regional Restoration Camps included: techniques of documenting and measuring, use of traditional materials, local community development, interpretation of historical sites, spatial planning aspects related to the revitalization of a historical location or town, and other. The development of camps was supported by seven educational institutions from Sweden, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Several Albanian universities include the camp attendance as a compulsory element of studies.
CHwB Regional restoration camps are designed to provide participants with solid knowledge of theory, active field work, and personal interaction that will change their lives. Practical restoration and conservation work on monuments encourage and remind their owners of the indisputable value of the facilities in which they live and which they own.
Smelling, touching and feeling the authentic wood, plaster and stone is necessary for proper understanding of cultural heritage and getting to know the tangible value of a building. Only after incorporating the sensibility for authentic materials into the hands and minds can one recognize the need to conserve what remains and restore what is dilapidated and decaying.
Regional restoration camps have been organized with the intention to establish an atmosphere that will stimulate reconciliation, a necessary prerequisite of democracy and peace, with full respect for human rights. By motivating personal understanding, CHwB contributes to creating new cultural policies based on dialogue and conflict prevention.
Some facts on the camp:
Practical work on 5 monuments:
Exam and certificates
The first step was to explore the rich cultural, historical and natural heritage of Stolac and select the main attractions.
„There are many stories about Stolac, and one of them tells about a young man who was about to visit the town. Before he went on his journey, his father offered him advice about the beauty of Stolac: “Be careful, my son, or you will be blinded once you enter Stolac.”
If you have any comments or suggestions, please write!
Copyright 2013 CHwB Regional Office Sarajevo / BY CODEANDDESIGNERS.COM