PROFESSIONAL REPORT

The TUSNAD conference on built heritage conservation is the most significant professional symposium for specialists from East-Central Europe and at the same time a synthesis meeting of the professions interested in built heritage conservation from different regions of the world. The event was organised every year between 1992 and 2001, after which it became a biannual conference. During the past years it also became a tradition to organise the meetings of specialist built heritage organisations in parallel with the conferences.

RETROSPECTION:

The international Conference Series on Theoretical and Practical Issues on Built Heritage Conservation – TUSNAD was launched in 1992 as a specialist training course on built heritage conservation in Băile Tuşnad (whence the conference's name derives), then after 1993 it developed into a 6-8 days long scientific conference organised during spring (usually in March).

Starting with the year 1994 the lectures have been printed in proceedings volumes, which, since 1999, have been issued prior to the conference session. The volumes containing theoretic and practical information of a high scientific level are, quite rightly, much appreciated by the specialists. Since 2000 the plenary papers and round-table discussions may be read in complementary volumes, which are presented in their final form by the succeeding conference. Beginning with the 12th edition, the internationally renowned conference has been organised each time in a different location. Along the years the lectures were clustered around more and more precise and accurately determined topics. While between 1992 and 1994 the conference was organised without a specific topic, since 1995 the event's subtitles were formed by clearly differentiated topics: The Change of Attitude towards Monument Protection from the Venice Charter to Present (1995), Castles and Mansions from Eastern Europe (1996), Ecclesiastical Built Heritage Conservation (1997), Historic Towns (1998), Vernacular Architecture (1999), Built Heritage and Society (2000), Integrated Built Heritage Conservation (2001), Built Heritage Conservation, Compatibility Issues (2003), Realistic Approach to Built Heritage Conservation (2005), Global Protection of Historical Towns (2007), The Vernacular and the Multicultural Dialogue (2009), Fortresses Once Again in Use (2011).

The number of specialists participating in the event has grown from year to year, as well as that of the applicant lecturers, in turn the organisers trying to elevate the event's standards in a proportional manner. The participants' increase in number is due to the fact that the representatives of 15 professions (archaeologists, art historians, architects, engineers, landscape architects, mural, painted wood, stone, glass and metal restorers, building biologists, building physicists, soil mechanics specialists, geodesists, respectively HVAC specialists) arriving from different countries to this event, which by today has developed into an international conference, have a chance to meet, to exchange experience or to debate on problems regarding conservation that have risen during their work. The scientific level of the volumes contains the lectures, of the programme booklets, conference materials, field trip booklets, respectively that of the trilingual simultaneous translation have to be in conformity with the European norms as well, this being an essential requirement in the case of an international event.

Starting with 2007, the members of the ICOMOS scientific committees competent in the given fields have also taken part in this event, representing, besides displaying their personal professional experiences, the ICOMOS standpoint on the main topic. In 2007, the conference organised in Sibiu hosted the annual meeting of the European ICOMOS presidents. One of the significant achievements of the ICOMOS meeting that took place in the city holding in 2007 the title of European Capital of Culture was that the participating presidents had the chance to visit its preserved historical centre, starting thus the process the result of which will be the inclusion of Sibiu on the World Heritage List.

TUSNAD 2011

The 15th edition of the international Conference Series on Theoretical and Practical Issues on Built Heritage Conservation – TUSNAD, held in May 18-21, 2011 on the topic of Fortresses Once Again in Use, was organised by the Transylvanian Historic Building Conservationists' Society and the Transsylvania Nostra Foundation. The important international scientific event took place in Alba Iulia (Alba County) and Şimleu Silvaniei (Sălaj County), its first and last days consisting of lectures organised in modules and professional debates, while a two-day long study field trip was planned in between.. The yearly meeting of the ICOMOS–ICOFORT International Scientific Committee on Fortifications and Military Heritage also took place in parallel with the 2011 TUSNAD conference.

Wednesday, May 18 and Saturday, May 21, were reserved for the lecture series, during the course of which important representatives of this profession presented their works, papers and researches related to the conference’s topic. The presentations compressed into two days were arranged in modules, thus it was possible to present 43 lectures in 8 modules, from which 18 in Hungarian, 14 in Romanian and 12 in English.

On May 18, during the official opening held in the Vauban fortress of Alba Iulia, the participants were greeted by Christoph MACHAT, Ph.D., (member of the ICOMOS Executive Committee), Milagros FLORES, Ph.D., (the ICOMOS-ICOFORT president), Sergiu NISTOR, Ph.D., (the ICOMOS Romanian National Committee president), Vasile TIMIȘ (the under-secretary of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage), Josef KOVÁCS (director of the Institute of National Heritage), Mircea SABĂU TĂTAR (director of GRUP CORINT Ltd.) and Bálint SZABÓ, Ph.D., (president of the conference's Organising Committee). Following this, under the chairmanship of Sergiu NISTOR, Ph.D., Hans-Rudolf Neumann presented the Short History about the Historical Development of Fortifications in Europe and their Typology in Modern Age, István FELD, Ph.D., talked about The Historical Periods of Castle Construction in the Hungarian Kingdom, Christoph MACHAT, Ph.D., presented The Inventory and Evaluation of the Fortification / Defence Concept in the Case of Transylvanian Saxon Settlements and finally Josef KOVÁCS discussed The Fortifications of Bucharest during 1888-1900.

During Module II, its chairman being István FELD, Ph.D., the lecture of Philippe BRAGARD, Ph.D., entitled The Brialmont Forts in Belgium could be heard, after which Robert TREUFELDT presented his lecture entitled Introducing the Prussian System to the Coastal Defence of Tallinn, an Important Naval Base of the Russian Empire 1820-1840, followed by Adrian A. RUSU, Ph.D., with Transylvania's Castellation in the 15th Century – Present-day Research Performances, Athanasios NAKASIS with Greek Fortifications from Prehistory till Hellenistic Era andTeodor Octavian GHEORGHIU, Ph.D., with The Fortifications of Timişoara (presented by Liliana ROȘIU). Domingos BUCHO, Ph.D., presented Systems and Schools of Bulwarked Fortification Adopted in Elvas in Portugal, while in the end András Sófalvi presented the Odorheiu Secuiesc Castle.

During the afternoon, Module III was chaired by Ádám ARNÓTH, in which lectures were given on the topics of Evolution and typology of fortification systems and Survey and inventory of fortifications – heritage values by Daniela TOMŠIČ, Solitary Defence Systems between Holy Roman Empire and Republic of Venice. Typology and Reuse, Daniela Marcu ISTRATE, Ph.D., The Ardud Castle Evolution from the Archaeological Researches Point of View, Károly Bugár-Mészáros, The Functionality of Mediaeval Castles from the Viewpoint of Lifestyle, with Special Consideration for Transylvania and the Keeps, Liliana ROȘIU, Ph.D., The Fortress of Arad. The Relationship with the Historical Area's Evolution and Regeneration Perspectives, György Terei, Castle Topographies in Hungary, Luz Maria BERISTIAN DIAZ, Ph.D., The Mexican Fortresses over the History and Gábor András Szörényi, Fortification Research and Geospatial Informatics.

Following the brake the lecture series continued with Module IV, in which presentations were made on the topic of Research of fortifications, presided over by Liliana ROȘIU, Ph.D. The floor was taken by András Kovács, Ph.D., The History of Báthori Castle in Şimleu Silvaniei and the Recent Archaeological Excavations, Daniela Marcu ISTRATE, Ph.D., Archaeological Researches at the Deva Castle, Zsuzsanna Eke, The History of Károlyi Castle in Ardud in the Light of Recent Researches, Radu Lupescu, Ph.D., The Conservation History of Castle in Hunedoara, Livia Bucşa, Ph.D., The Problematic of Biological Decay at Alba Iulia Fortress, Tamás Mezős, Ph.D., Principles of Fortification Research, Filip JAŠŠO, Ph.D., Castle Ruins in Western Slovakia – Research and Conservation and finally Rezső Babos, Building Biology Researches at Fortifications from Hungary closed the series of lectures programmed for Wednesday.

In the evening, within the opening reception, a Renaissance thematic programme was organised with the purpose of presenting to the conference's participants a characteristic element of the once existing life inside the castles and manor houses: dancing. For this purpose we invited the Passeggio Historical Dance Ensemble (www.passeggio.ro) from Cluj, who by presenting the dance performance entitled Fedelta d'amore, revived this form of social activity characteristic of the Renaissance Period.

Between May 19-20, 2011, a two-day study field trip was organised with the participation of the ICOFORT members, as well as of renowned specialists from Romania and abroad, in order to visit some of the castles and fortifications that are more noteworthy and illustrative from the point of view of the conference's topic, respectively some of the more important conservation sites in Romania. On May 19, the participants visited the Alba Iulia Fortress with the help of GRUP CORINT Ltd., after which, departing from Alba Iulia they viewed the fortification walls of Mediaș, where the professional guidance was ensured by Szabolcs GUTTMANN and his team. This was followed by the visit of the fortified church in Valea Viilor, included on the UNESCO World Heritage List and by Huneadoara Castle, where the participants were guided by the museum's team. The last stop on Thursday was Deva, where our guests were accommodated.

Next day the participants visited the Deva Castle, where Daniela Marcu ISTRATE, Ph.D., presented on site the results of the archaeological researches, then travelling onwards to Oradea the fortress was presented by Tamás EMŐDI, lastly the participants visited the ruins of Báthori Castle in Șimleu Silvaniei, guided here as well by archaeologist Daniela Marcu ISTRATE, Ph.D. In the Town Hall of Șimleu Silvaniei, within festive circumstances, architect Éva EKE reopened the exhibition entitled Past, Present and Future in the Báthori Castle from Şimleu Silvaniei – Facets of Interethnic Dialogue, which was followed by the participants with heightened interest.

During the two-day documentary field trip the ICOFORT delegates had an opportunity to acquaint themselves with Transylvanian castles and fortresses that were or still are the subjects of complex conservation works funded through the Romanian Regional Operative Program by the European Union, respectively to view the on-going works on historic building conservation sites.

On Saturday morning, May 21, Septimiu ȚURCAȘ (the mayor of Şimleu Silvaniei) gave a welcoming speech in the Town Hall, followed by the synthesis report of István VARGA, Management of Fortifications. The conference continued with Module V, Interventions on fortifications: conservation, restoration, renovation, reconstruction, the chairman being Christoph Machat Ph.D., where 6 lecturers were presented: Ioana Rus, Methods of Intervention on Transylvanian Fortresses in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Tamás Mezős, Ph.D., Conservation and Presentation of Ruins from the Roman Period – presented by Gábor OLASZ, Ligia ANDREICA, Design by Virtual Modelling, Luc SCHUEREMANS, Ph.D., The Historic City Wall of Leuven, Zsuzsanna Buda, Interventions on Károlyi Castle in Ardud, and Márta FEKETE, The Research and Theoretical Conservation Proposal of the Ika Castle in Cernatu de Sus.

Following the break, the conference continued with Module VI, in which the lectures were organised around the topic of Use of fortifications - Case Studies, its chairman being István VARGA. In Module VI presentations were given by Ádám ARNÓTH, Conservation of Castles and Ruins, Milagros Flores ROMÁN, Ph.D., Fortresses Once Again in Use. San Juan Fortifications Case Study, Sergiu Nistor, Ph.D., The Revitalization of the Dealu Frumos-Schönberg Fortified Church: Example or Exception, György Terei, Castles and Non-Governmental Organisations in Hungary, Antony Gibb, “Heritage Lets”: the Re-use of Historic Fortifications for Tourist Rentail Accommodation, Ioana Urdea, Transylvanian Fortifications – The Fortifications of Sibiu, Zsolt MÁTÉ, Ph.D., Castles in the Urban Structure, finally BOGDANOVITS NAGY Péter, with  The Rehabilitation of Aiud Fortress – the Role of Society in the Durable Development of the Settlement, closed the series of lectures.

In the following a round table discussion took place with the topic of Concepts of interventions on fortifications. National and international regulations – The role of IcoFort, during which the internationally acknowledged specialists could share their viewpoints on what they have seen during the preceding two days and give professional advice to the participating specialists. Thus, during the round table discussion we have ensured for the specialists arriving from different countries, continents or cultural backgrounds the possibility to exchange experience and information respectively to get acquainted with and debate on new methods of conservation.

The chairman of the closing Module VIII was Bálint SZABÓ, Ph.D. At this point the chairmen were given the opportunity to formulate their conclusions, and then finally the chairman posed the topic of the following 16th edition: Contemporary Conveniences in Historic Buildings – Globalisation and Heritage Vales, which will probably be organised on May 21-24, 2013, in Bistrița.

Notwithstanding the fact that the presence of the internationally renowned specialists from ICOMOS–ICOFORT was a crucial requirement for the event's success, their participation was essential especially from the viewpoint of the event's target audience, because besides the recognised specialists active in the field of built heritage conservation from within our country and abroad, the event was also organised for students at architecture or civil engineering, for whom we ensured a forum for exchange of information and experience, respectively for professional debates. The presence of the invited lecturers greatly contributed to the international scientific level and efficiency, because they contributed to the professional progress of the participants with new information and positive examples, respectively by presenting the international regulations regarding the conservation of castles and fortresses.

The number of participating countries has reached 13 (Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Estonia, Greece, Portugal, Slovenia, Mexico, Slovakia, Great-Britain, United States of America, Latvia and Romania), while the number of the participants exceeded 90.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE ORGANISING

Due to organisational problems, we were forced to modify the plans for the study field trip. Originally the fortification walls of Orăștie and the Dacian fortress in Sarmizegetusa Regia were also included in the programme, but the organisers decided on their elimination due to the bad road conditions, observed during the preliminary route check. Thus they were replaced by the fortified church in Valea Viilor and the fortification walls of Mediaș.

Constant trilingual (Romanian, Hungarian, English) simultaneous translation was ensured throughout the conference's entire period, by the means of which we have ensured the flow and exchange of information between the participants of different ethnicities.

The conference was financed by the National Cultural Fund from Hungary, while the Renaissance dance performance by the Communitas Foundation.

THE FUTURE

The conference's continuity is ensured by the organising, according to our plans, of the 16th issue of the scientific conference on May 21-24, 2013 at Bistriţa, on the topic Contemporary Conveniences in Historic Buildings. Despite the decreasing funding opportunities, we wish to continue our work in organising the conference, because with every occasion we are confronted by the fact that in the scientific circles there is a need for such events. It fills us with pride that along the numerous returning participants, increasingly newer generations are interested in events of this kind.

Compiled by: TAKÁCS Enikő - Programme manager

June 16, 2011, Cluj-Napoca