Dear colleagues, friends, co-workers and lovers of monuments!

 

This year's XXXII. edition of the traditional Bardkontakt series of scientific conferences will again be dedicated to researching and solving current challenges. The stimulus is the globally turbulent conditions of contemporary life, its natural and environmental environment, which result in new tasks for the protection and restoration of monuments and the preservation of cultural heritage.

 

The organizers of this year's conference follow up on the current movement of experts and enthusiasts for the preservation of monuments around the world, when they chose the topic as the main theme of this year's Bardkontakt:

 

"PROTECTION AND RESTORATION OF MONUMENTS
IN THE CONTEXT OF CRISIS SITUATIONS".

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The theme is in line with the decision of the ICOMOS 2023 General Assembly in Sydney, where the theme "Disaster and Conflict Resilient Heritage – Preparedness, Response and Recovery" was chosen as the guiding theme for the Triennial Science Plan 2024-2027.

 

As we have recently learned, life brings situations that we are not confronted with on a daily basis, but we are not immune to them, and as it turns out, we are not always prepared for them either. It is a thematic area that is diverse in content, wide in terms of causes, consequences and solutions - unexpected, in the normal rhythm of life, unforeseen situations that arise/hit/roll over unannounced, in an instant or a short time, and usually with tremendous destructive power. A destructive force that is not limited to the centuries-old cultural heritage, but which attacks the lives and living conditions of a wide range of residents.

This year's conference will thus deal with questions, experiences and possible solutions in such situations as:

• natural disasters – floods, windstorms, earthquakes, etc.,

• man-made disasters - fires, changes in the earth's surface, unforeseen technical disasters, malicious attacks, etc.,

• preventing crisis situations - prevention management, etc.

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Recommended areas of focus are:

• Thematic areas of the conference:

• experience from specific cases of natural disasters - floods, windstorms, earthquakes, avalanches, etc.,

• experience from specific cases of disasters caused by human activity - fires, landslides and landslides, unforeseen operational and technical accidents - explosions of various origins and materials, traffic accidents, etc.,

• experience of specific cases of malicious attacks, either as isolated expressions of hatred against other communities or cultures, or in the context of war conflicts,

• prevention management – preventing crisis situations – context, conditions, implementation, etc., also procedures and recommendations of a technical, legislative, organizational, methodological and other nature,

• the contribution of the Venice Charter to the protection and restoration of monuments in critical situations with a reflection on current charters and methodologies for the protection and restoration of monuments.

 

Part of the conference will be an evaluation of our specific and foreign experiences with respect for prospective prevention of similar crisis situations.

 

At the same time, this year we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Venice Charter - one of the fundamental international documents in the interest of preserving monuments. In the words of ICOMOS News of February 2024: “The Venice Charter was created in 1964, two decades after the Second World War and in an age that promised unlimited progress and economic development. Six decades later, we face a climate emergency, an increasing number of natural disasters, as well as conflicts that are destroying cultural monuments and displacing communities on a large scale.

"The purpose of preservation and restoration of monuments is to protect them not only as works of art, but also as historical evidence" (Article 3) while maintaining them on a "permanent basis" (Article 4). – Charter of Venice

 

This year's International Day of Monuments (April 18, 2024) was dedicated to a theme connecting both of these circles and was entitled "Disasters and conflicts through the prism of the Venice Charter." Therefore, the organizers of this year's Bardkontakt will also welcome contributions in which the authors will reflect - as in analyzes concrete experiences, when examining the lessons learned from them and especially when proposing measures both for the rehabilitation of damaged monuments and for the prevention of further or similar disasters, they were helped by the Venice Charter with its recommendations.

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In contributions presenting experiences from specific cases, we invite authors to clearly structure the contribution in the following way - analysis of causes, related conditions, manifestations and impacts, method of solution, lessons learned and recommendation of measures to overcome damages in the future.

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Experts with experience in dealing with the protection/rescue/restoration of monuments affected by unforeseen crisis situations in Slovakia and abroad, employees of the Monuments Office of the Slovak Republic, Association of Towns and Municipalities of Slovakia, representatives/representatives of municipalities with monuments and monument areas, members of the Slovak Chamber are invited to the discussion. architects, members of the Slovak Chamber of Civil Engineers, members of the Chamber of Restorers, experts from the academic environment, owners of buildings affected by unforeseen crisis situations, investors, designers, members and representatives of civic initiatives, enthusiasts and everyone who is interested in this topic here and abroad.