Socio-Economic Impacts of Baltit Fort Restoration

Maryam Shah

Dedicating my last post also to my hometown, Hunza, to familiarize my colleagues with where I come from. Today I will talk about the sudden shifts in the socio-economic structure of the Hunza region, in light of one of the first touristic destinations. Hundreds of years ago, the Northern Areas of Pakistan was run by several small independent states. Hunza and Nagar were the famous rivals, facing each other, separated by the Hunza River. The rulers of Hunza Valley Initially resided in Altit Fort, but some family conflicts led one of the rulers to shift to Baltit Fort and it was declared as the seat of power of all Hunza region.

Location 

Baltit Fort is one of the remaining examples of influences of neighboring regions on the architecture, lifestyle, and customs of the Hunza Valley. The fort’s structure was influenced by the Ladakh/ Tibetan architecture and the whole region has ethnic and cultural resemblances to the Ladakh region in India. After its restoration in 1996, it has become one of the main tourist attractions of the region. It was the first built heritage site to be restored by Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The fort’s restoration led to the restoration and rehabilitation of the surrounding settlements, streets, market places, and other public places.

Baltit Fort from the East

The Fort was converted to a museum displaying ancient artifacts, living traditions, and influences of different cultures on the architecture over centuries. It is open all year round with an entry fee and aims to be self-sustaining and provide income for its employees, tour guides, and maintenance repairs.  
The way to Baltit Fort is through a steep street that passes through the old residential settlements which have been restored during the fort's restoration. It is a long and steep way with approx. 45 mins uphill to from the start to the end destination, the Fort. Increasing tourist influx brought with them the opportunity for the locals to set up their souvenir shops and eatery places. Almost every family has set up their small business along the way and benefit from thousands of visitors passing through every day. Traditional jewelry, handicrafts, caps, dry fruits, apricot, and walnut oil are the most popular souvenirs from the area. The area is famous as ‘Karimabad Bazaar’ in all of Hunza, and taking advantage of this, people have converted their own houses into guest houses for tourists claiming to provide them a unique experience of living in the area. The restoration and conversion of Baltit fort brought with it employment opportunities for the locals, directly and indirectly, but this has had its effect on the social life of the people as well. 

Karimabad Bazaar Street

The locals who used to work in their farms and orchards to make a living and sustain themselves with locally produced vegetables and fruits are now focused on converting their houses into guest houses, renting their farmlands to camping sites, and focusing on selling locally produced oils and dry fruit with high prices to the tourists. The outlook towards living a healthy life has changed, people have started focusing on comfort through economic stability. The street which leads the way to the fort used to be a social space for the elders and women of the community, and a play area for the children. People used to go out the street with a sense of comfort that comes by being around their people and socializing. Now with the tourists passing through the street all day long, stopping for rest or to buy souvenirs along the way, has caused the locals of the area to take a step back. They do not feel comfortable and the street’s character from a social space has turned into just a passage drastically. Many a time’s issues among the residents and tourists are noted concerning privacy in the closely-knit houses in the settlement.

Entrance to Baltit Fort

All in all, the restoration of Baltit Fort has changed the lifestyle of the locals, brought with it comfort and economic opportunities and the people are starting to experience new ventures in businesses and marketing. The people have shifted from working in farms in the difficult terrain to sitting in their shops or running hotels, and are living a comfortable life. Excessive tourism has brought with its economy and comfort but at the cost of privacy and comfortable communal living. 

They don't want to be forgotten

Tekla Balogh Bodor 

Esztergom is famous for its medieval and religious heritage. If someone visits the town, obviously the medieval castle and the Basilica will be the first places on the sightseeing list. Moreover, these two buildings are so dominant that they put other possible destinations into the shade. In this post, I would like to concentrate on some pieces of the built heritage of Esztergom that are rarely in the spotlight.

During the small period, I spent in Esztergom; I had been walking around in the downtown many times. I quickly fell in love with beautiful buildings mostly from the 19th–20th century. Sadly, most of these buildings are in very bad condition. Until recently, the buildings’ renovation has been hoped continuously.  

Let’s start our short online walking tour, with four building next to each other that are accidentally located on the way to the Basilica and the medieval castle from the downtown (Széchenyi square). Their renovation is more than urgent…

Red pin: The location of the buildings

The first building is the Fürdő szálló (Bath Hotel) in Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Endre street 11. The building was built in classicist style, in 1841. It was designed by Lőrinc Zofahl and Ignác Gramling. The hotel had its theatre, thus it quickly became the center of the local cultural life. After 1989, the building started to decay.  Today the hotel is empty, practically it is beyond recovery.

Source: https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fürdő_Szálló
The Bath Hotel in 2011

Source: https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fürdő_Szálló

Inside of the Bath Hotel (source: Fortepan / Bauer Sándor 1967) 

                       

Inside of the Bath Hotel (source: Fortepan / Bauer Sándor 1967) 

Kékfestőház in 2020 (The photo is taken by the author)

A few meters away from the Bath Hotel is located the Kékfestőház (Blue-Dyeing house). It was built in the second part of the 20th century. One part of the building functioned as a workshop, where the blue textiles were made. The traditional blueprint dyeing technique is on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list since 2008. (More about this technique in English: http://szellemikulturalisorokseg.hu/index0_en.phpname=en_0_magyarorszagi_kekfestes_hagyomanya ; https://hungarytoday.hu/traditional-blueprint-technique-added-to-unesco-world-heritage-list/)

Beside the Kékfestőház, there is the Wimmer-house in the Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Endre street 22. The single-floor apartment house was built around 1860. The romantic building was probably designed by the architect János Prokopp. The window frames are characteristic neo-gothic. Although in 2010, at least the façade was not in a very bad condition, today the building is on the very edge of collapsing

Wimmer-ház in 2020 (The photo is taken by the author)

Wimmer-ház in 2010 (source: https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fájl:Esztergom_-_Wimmer-ház.JPG)

Directly beside the Wimmer-house is located the Káptalanház (Chapterhouse) that was also built in the year around 1860. The façade has two neo-gothic style niches. In the right one stood Mary with her child Jesus, probably the statue was removed in the past few years.

Káptalanház in 2020 (The photo is taken by the author)

Káptalanház in 2009 (Source: https://www.szeretgom.hu/content/57944-kaptalanhaz)

To be continued... 

Reference

Haris, Andrea and Somorjay, Sélysette. Magyarország műemlékjegyzéke – Komárom-Esztergom megye. Budapest: Kulturális Örökségvédelmi Hivatal, 2006.

 

Museum Sector Challenges in the Region of Adjara

Tinatin Baghashvili 

Interview with Tamuna Oragvelidze, Ph.D. Mass Communication and former director of the Association of Museums in the region of Adjara

- Tell us about your career in the museum sector?

I have been working in the museum sector for almost 14 years, but even after I have left the museum I continue to work as a freelancer on various projects in the museum sector. I really believe that once you fall in love with museums, you will always be connected to them.

Tamuna Oragvelidze
I started working at Nobel Museum in Batumi, later I became the director of the museum and then I managed the Museum Union of Adjara Region, which includes up to 10 national museums. During my work in the museum I learned a lot, taking risks and overcoming the challenges was one of the greatest experiences I had. Contemporary approaches are very different and we all have to accept them. I think that museums today have a different meaning, they focus more on human emotions and identity. We should promote this value, real-time interaction with visitors, to make the museum sector in Georgia more popular. Creative thinking is also very important, by offering different objects with creativity, which are related to the museum context.

- What were the challenges you faced while working in the museum field?

In the Soviet era, there were times when schools or organizations were told to go to the museum, but in today's world, people have the freedom to choose whether to go to the museum or not. Therefore, we should turn the museum into a space where people like to go and spend their time. Moreover, it is not only the exhibition that can attract visitors, although it is very important, but I mean the additional services, cafes, shops, open spaces or even parking, which is a very problematic issue for our museum spaces. I understand that this is a complex issue, but it is very important because there are many busses and tourist groups that go to the museums and need parking. In addition, there are no paid terminals, which can also be understood as an inflexible and non-customer-oriented service. However, during my time as director, we introduced online ticket sales, audio guides and virtual tours, and all of this is now available. I consider this the greatest success in my time as director of Museum Union. We have also added separate programs.

Another challenge I would note is that staffing is also very problematic in the museum field. They are not professionals and are not open to the initiatives that give the museum less chance to develop and experiment.

-Why are the museums in Georgia unique, especially in the region of Adjara?

Initially, before coming to the city of Batumi, there is the Religion Museum, because of its content and the tolerance that Batumi brings. It is important that the city has always been multicultural and very tolerant, where all religious representatives have always lived friendly and peacefully. We have many families where we meet different religious groups of people, mainly Muslims and Christians, who live in a free and tolerant environment. They celebrate all the events and holidays as for the Muslims or for the Christians. 
Nobel Museum in Batumi

Along the two quarters there is the brother Nobel Museum, which is the unique story of the inventor's life period in Batumi. There are many cities that try to be identified as posh cities, while Batumi does not need that because there is the living history of the house where the Nobel Brothers lived. They put in railroads and an oil terminal and made Batumi the closest gateway to Europe. And since Batumi is a port city, all new things were integrated there first. There were many internationally known writers living in Batumi. I would also like to note that Archeological Museum is unique because it tells the story of gold mining and the story of Medea, who was Georgian, and the story of Golden Fleece, story that is internationally known. Also, I must mention that the oldest museum in Adjara region Khariton Akhvlediani Museum is dated 110 years, where you can see the rich exhibitions about fishermen, local life, Georgian cuisine, ships, national clothing and Georgian culture.


-What are the funding models for museums in Georgia?

Mainly the museums are state funded organizations, but there are also some privately funded projects that published books, contributed events, etc. I suggest that there is a huge potential and I think a team of professionals is needed who would consciously work on fundraising. We also do not have a fundraising service, for example if members of the public or visitors want to donate to the museums. But I must mention that we have "Friends Club" initiated by the museum, who often participate in the activities and events of the museums for free. Therefore, this kind of contribution also helps the museum sector in general. The "Friends Club" includes various professionals and I am really grateful to them. With the support of the club members, we have made some promotions and advertisements in the city of Batumi for the very special event "110 Annual" of Akhvlediani Museum.

- Is the museum sector in Georgina ready to develop additional services to generate more revenue? 

From my perspective, there are a lot of challenges when you talk about finances and management that still need to be worked on. I understand that there is very little capacity in the museums, but we can still hire some professionals or people from Friends Club who would contribute. I think if the desire is there, anything is doable, and I think museums should be more open and management should not really be afraid of the challenges. There are some museums that have shops, but that is not enough.

-	What would be your advice to the future director of museums?

We should not identify the museums only for the "museum people" or art lovers, we should create the space in the museums where different groups of people can come together, work, collaborate and create. There is a huge potential in Adjara. Besides, there are so many museums in Batumi, you cannot just leave out the museums, otherwise you will not really feel the spirit of the city. I suggest that the museum should have a strong management, operational systems, marketing and communication. It should be open to new initiatives and experiments that can expand audiences and engage the public. The museum should be the place where people like to go to have memorable experiences. In the end, I have to admit that Batumi itself is a city museum that will not let you go once you have visited it.

Revival of Oral Histories in Burushaski Language

MaryamShah     

    Burushaski is one of the six main languages spoken in the Gilgit Baltistan region. It is spoken in Hunza valley and some are dialects are spoken in Nagar and Yasin valley. Apart from the Northern Areas of Pakistan, with some 90,000 speakers, there are no traces of this language anywhere else in the world. However, some studies, mainly the research of Professor Ilija Casule of Macquarie University, show that this language has an Indo-European origin. He links the native speaker of Burushaski to a migration that started in the Balkans and moved to the East some 3000 years ago. 

    Burushaski has no standard writing system. Some scholars are of the view that it had its script many years ago, but has been lost with time and the Perso-Arabic writing system is in use since the 1940s. No written literary traditions in Burushaski are found, but there was a focus on oral traditions which used to be passed down through generations. However, as the Hunza region saw development, exposure to technology, and the outside world, this tradition of passing on stories and folklore orally from generation to generation declined. Focus on Urdu and English for education reduced the use of Burushaski even in everyday conversation. Bedtime stories for kids in Burushaski were replaced with stories in English and Urdu. Most stories were known by our grandmothers and grandfathers, as we lost them, we lost those stories. The stories were forgotten and the new generation rarely knew about more than one famous story. Lack of written literature and script added to the loss of these tales as well as histories. The books that have some texts, in Perso-Arabic script, are rare and not readily available for everyone to learn and know about our history in our language. 

Shahzada Bahram ke Burum Pf'ut- Folk tale with translation

    The above image is from the republished volumes of the book by Lieutenant-Colonet D.I.R Lorimer by Aga Khan Cultural Services Pakistan. Colonel Lorimer was based in Gilgit between  1920 and 1924. His book is one of the earliest and important explorations of the Burushaski Language. 

    Luckily, today’s generation is aware of the need for preserving and recording these narrations. Efforts for the revival and preservation of oral histories have started. People have started to record the dying oral histories in audio, visual, and textual form. Many people are coming together to collect stories from older generations and present them on different platforms. Initiatives on an individual and collective level have started such as Facebook groups and websites. YouTube channels are also being launched to revive and pass on this tradition.

    People from the field of arts are contributing to these initiatives by adding audio and visual representation to oral histories. For example, Giri e Bait is a heart-wrenching folk tale, not known by many,  of a young ibex and its mother. There are several variations of this poem describing a hunting scene from the perspective of the Markhor. This story depicts the power of love and sacrifice and was also told to discourage hunters from hunting females, particularly pregnant Markhor.  

    Listen to the story narrated by an old lady who has known it since she was very young, recorded by the Mountain Heritage Archives initiative in 2014. (https://web.facebook.com/mountainheritagearchives)

This folktale has many versions, and in the olden days, people would enact this song during festivals and people could not hold back their tears. Recently, an animated video has also been developed on the same story. 

These collective and individual initiatives, although have just begun, but are a ray of hope for the revival of oral history and stories in the Burushaski language. 

Let’s Walk Oradea and Talk Buildings

 

2. Art Nouveau, Oradea and me

I was born and raised in Oradea, Romania, a place that is part of the network of Art Nouveau Cities in Europe (along with Helsinki, Barcelona and Vienna- just to name a few). A place one must visit! Growing up in this small city, familiarized me with this architectural style, which I have found fascinating from the beginning.  While still living in my hometown, I discovered that most of the edifices that are nowadays listed as heritage buildings belonged to Jewish families (or that the architects were Jewish).  As such, I started to be very interested in all this, and made me want to create narratives, kind of bridges that connect the Jewish community and the European Art Nouveau architecture.

Map of Romania- Oradea

Source: Oradea - ROMANIA. Oradea City Map (Harta Orasului Oradea) (romaniatourism.com)

Not having any background in art history or architecture, but very interested in “the people of the book”, and eager to know more about the world of architecture and art in general, made me want to collect, convey and make more accessible to the public the stories and the links between this community and this tangible patrimony which put Oradea on the map of the Art Nouveau cities.

How did I first meet these architectural treasures? 

When a child, I used to go every week with my mother to the Vulturul Negru (Black Eagle Palace). For her, was the weekly walk in the city center, when she could visit the interesting and rare shops which would treasure rare objects, difficult to find during Ceausescu’s time.

Consignatia(the shop seen on the right-hand side of the photo below) was an “oasis”, where in the 80s and 90s one could hunt art objects and unique items that arrived (somehow) from the West. It was the place I remember the most! I was always very excited to be there and spend my time contemplating the paintings and smelling the old air. If I recall well, this was my first encounter with this stunning architecture…a first mise-en-bouche with a style which “haunted” me for years...

                                             The Black Eagle Palace- interior

Source: startupcafe.ro

The Black Eagle Palace is considered to be the most representative Secession architecture in Transylvania, and since 2011 is the symbol of the city. If you have ever been to Milan, Italy, and managed to see The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, you will be surprised to find many common points with our building, especially when it comes to the interior glass passage.

The interior and the façade’s “make-up” did change during the past years, from its glorious time at the beginning of the 20^th century (when the palace hosted the first cinema showing Paramount pictures in Romania) until today when the edifice is trying desperately to regain its formal glory. 

Today, this magnificent building is hosting mainly bars, pubs, offices, and apartments. It is the magnetic spot of the city and the place everyone knows and loves. If anything happens in the city, it definitely has to happen by the Black Eagle Palace.

                                                            Black Eagle Palace- today

To be continued...

by Flavia MATEI

EXPLORING DIGITAL POSSIBILITIES TOWARDS SAFEGUARDING HERITAGE

 

 

EXPLORING DIGITAL POSSIBILITIES TOWARDS SAFEGUARDING HERITAGE

Digital possibilities towards heritage safeguarding has continued to develop in several ways making room for the art to deliver better and faster in the technological space. This trend of culture helps to promote national development and capacity building by constructing influences in technology organizations in a variety that easily helps to understand the cultural heritage.

Opoku Boateng et al argued that, digital transformation places value on the need for safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage. This also helps to embark on a digitization projects to digitalize almost all the materials available within the space that looks at the perishability and volatile nature of storage media of information as well as losing it completely if care is not taken properly. (Opoku Boateng et al 2020)

Digital technology has tremendous impact on the art of culture. The positive use of digital innovation and appliances helps solve problems in cultural spaces, museums, art exhibition and archaeological centers. This is because cultural heritage through the preservation of cultural artifacts relics on global movement of identity politics where people through technology can develop a new tool accessible for communication.

Francesco Piccialli and Angelo Chianese confirmed that, “technology has become a facilitator of interactions and connections between all involved actors and where interventions can be sustainable, where enjoyment can be enhanced and where people can learn more effectively on culture.” (Piccialli and Chianese, 2016)

The emergence of covid-19, has enforced many cultural institutions such as museums, operas and art festivals to explore another mode of operation of interaction among visitors and curators with the concept of virtual reality. The idea of virtual reality has brought the alternative use of digital space with the introduction of online exhibitions. Now cultural institutions are looking at the exclusive of streaming services, organizing events, concerts on Instagram, Facebook and other social media whiles some with the idea of setting up virtual concerts on apps.

 Charlotte Coates in her article, What Are the Best Examples of Virtual Reality in Museums adds that, “it is clear that emerging cultural technologies play a huge role in the modern museum experience. Where many cultural institutions having implemented these for a while looks like that is the new trend of heritage interpretation.” (Coates, 2020).  Virtual museums the new era of technological transformation and digital tour at the comfort of your place allows you to explore, experiment and immerse yourself in the art regardless of your geographical location.

Heritage institutions such as museum aims to bring collections to life and the involvement of VR is a great tool for learning where the visitor/ user inside an experience, can be in the form of interactive or 360-degree video.

The emergence of digital technology being used in cultural institutions create tours, make interactive exhibits and bring scenes to life. These help curators put objects in context as well as show their true scale.

To conclude, the act of experiencing the digital world of art gives cultural institutions, curators, visitors and stakeholders a model to better development.  This is because the digital age helps share and preserve our heritage. This as a very significant and crucial tool for the protection and renovation of cultural resources.

 

 

Reference

Coates, Charlotte. “What Are the Best Examples of Virtual Reality in Museums?” MuseumNext, July 29, 2020. https://www.museumnext.com/article/how-museums-are-using-virtual-reality/.

Francesco Piccialli and Angelo Chianese. Cultural Heritage and new Technologies Trend and challenges. Springer- Verlag London,2006.

Opoku-Boateng, J., Cann, E., Ntewusu, S. and Owusu, S., 2020. The J.H. Kwabena Nketia Archive at the University of Ghana- Legon. History in Africa, 47, pp.375-382.

 

 By:Nana Twumasi-Ntiamoah

Home- From Utilitarian to Symbolic

Maryam Shah 

Starting my first blog with ‘sagam’ (traditional skylight) which is bridged to two things close to my heart, architecture, and my hometown, Gilgit-Baltistan.  

Before coming to the skylight itself, I would like to geographically orient you about the Gilgit-Baltistan region. It is the northernmost mountainous region of the country, considered as one of the most important and sensitive parts of Pakistan, due to its proximity with India, China, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, all accessible through passes made in a sea of snowcapped mountains in olden times. This proximity with these regions had made migrations from different countries to the region possible, hence it presents a picture of diverse cultures, religions, and social values. Although opulent with heritage sites and natural attractions, this region is concealed in the mountains in a way that it has only seen a tourism boost in the past decade. Earlier, mostly international mountaineers used to visit. 

Gilgit Baltistan Region

The more one explores the remote villages of the region, the more one uncovers the cultural diversity. Significant architectural features and materials native to this region are seen in construction which influenced the daily life of the people. Harsh, cold, and dry winters led the people to construct compact houses with only one opening, and lack of resources led them to live in a single-roomed house, which had a single central opening in the roof. Known as sagam, som, sum, komal, or eyechan in different local languages. It was constructed with square layers of small beams laid one above another in the center of the roof. The squares are diagonally placed and reduce in size as it grows up towards the final opening. The exact location of the opening is above the hearth. The skylight was the most significant feature of the house to a degree that there was no concept of a window in the wall, isn’t a word for ‘window’ in the local languages. It has a unique rotated square geometry and it not only served as an opening for light, air, and exhaust for the smoke but also played a role in bringing the family together. 

The phrase ‘Garee ‘Tze’ in one of the native languages, Burushaski, literally translates to ‘by the hearth’ (which used to right under the skylight) but is used to connotate sitting together after a long day of work and bonding with family members. Although the houses have very much evolved with time, this phrase is still used to bring people together. 

But how did this sky become such an integral part of the daily life of the people and what is its significance now? 

Around 2000 years back in the era of Legendary Aryan king Jamshid the traditional Pamiri (mountain range in Central Asia) house was planned and designed.  According to history, the main objective was to protect his people from life-threatening cold conditions. For this purpose, architects of king Jamshid designed a simple but versatile, earthquake-proof house that was self-sufficient and self-sustained. It was a purposeful and very valuable design that even after thousands of years didn’t lose its significance and is still functional.

Traditional Pamiri House

Structure, layout, and elements of Pamiri houses were based on the number seven. Adding to the significance is that the seven elements and features of Pamiri houses are all part of Zoroastrian Heritage. This architectural style has traveled from Central Asia to this region with the migration of Pamiri people. Although some myths- like skylights being inlets for fairies and ghosts of beloved ones- remained, the architectural features lost their original religious values with time and influence of other religions, it turned into a symbolic belief that it is as a source of letting in blessings in the house because of which many important events of the family took place in the main room. 

Plan of Traditional House in Hunza Valley

The region opening up to the world brought with it opportunities for the locals to improve their living and bring comfort for themselves. With new materials and resources, bigger houses were built, improved quality of life gave access to better heating conditions in winters, thus the skylight didn’t remain as the only opening in the house. Windows were added which fulfilled the purpose of lighting up the interiors. The skylight remained but was losing its significance with time. 

Skylight in Mir's (King) Hall in Baltit Fort

Fast forward to today, with a fast-paced and comfortable life, most houses built today do not feel the need of a having the skylight because huge open windows are in. those houses which do build the central common space, only do so to symbolize the communal living and family bonds, and is rarely used. 

It remains a distinct architectural element seen in historic houses or forts. It is close to the hearts of the local people which gives them a sense of identity, belongingness, and nostalgia. Owing to multiple factors such as passing on of traditions over generations, technological advancements, economy and resources, and changing lifestyles, this skylight has come to be a rare element now. Religious associations with the skylight now remain as myths and stories in the minds of some people. 

Let’s Walk Oradea and Talk Buildings

                                            

                                       1. Jews and Art (Nouveau), an undeniable connection

     The European art of the late 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century was subject to a great deal of influence from the Jewish community (Bedoir 2004). Unfortunately, this topic has been a less popular subject in the academic field and thus is subject to a very low degree of public awareness. My choosing to write about the links between the Jewish community and art, especially the Art Nouveau architecture, was very much influenced by the fact that the cultural stamp of this community during these years was never fully recognized.

 Source: https://www.culturespaces.com/sites/ceportail/files/dp_21_rue_la_boetie_vuk_bd.pdf

Figure 1. Paul Rosenberg- one of the world’s major art dealers of the 20th century, was behind such  famous artists as Picasso, Matisse, Monet & Braque 

                                                  

    This community, which has been living with us for many centuries, is still largely unknown to the public and often victim of unfounded stereotypes, as recent cases in Eastern Europe have shown. Even today, when Europe commemorates 75 years since the Holocaust, the evidence of rising anti-Semitism in Europe has become impossible to neglect, and especially in the western European countries where research shows that anti-Semitic violence is increasing (Stremmelaar and Lucassen 2018). 

     Yossie Hollander, Founder of the online platform for Holocaust studies “Echoes & Reflections” stated: "I firmly believe that education is the best way to prevent the next Holocaust" (Echoes & Reflections 2020). My MA research proposal starts from this very same idea that education – in this case not only through academia but also through tourism – is much needed for a better understanding of the Jewish community and its contribution to our wider society. 

     Contrary to popular belief, the history of the Jewish people did not start with and is not mainly comprised of the Holocaust! There was a very culturally rich Jewish life in Europe, prior to World War II, and like in other cities in Europe, Transylvanian Jews were part of the modernizations of the places they were living in.

 Federic Bedoire (2004) and Rudolf Klein (2005) have been writing about the undeniable impact of the Jewish community in the several European cities’ architecture, Oradea being one of the examples. They have also shown the strong ties connecting the Art Nouveau buildings and part of the Jewish community, particularly the upper-middle class one.

                                                  Source: https://editiadedimineata.ro/descopera-romania-palatul-vulturul-negru-simbol-al-orasului-oradea/

                       Figure 2. The Black Eagle Palace- beginning of the XXth century(Oradea)

    The heritage left by the Jewish communities in Europe has started to be more and more “fashionable”, judging by the booming numbers of available Jewish walking tours. The past years have witnessed an increase in the cities that are (re)discovering and promoting their heritage related to the Jewish community. Oradea is one of them. For the last decade, the municipality has been making considerable efforts to restore most of the cultural patrimony of the city and especially the Art Nouveau buildings. As a result, more and more tourists and locals have become interested in walking tours and in getting to know the city. 

     The project I chose for this MA will focus on the city of Oradea, Romania and the historical ties between Jewish culture and Art Nouveau Architecture. Stay connected for the next posts!

 To be continued…

by Flavia MATEI

 References:

1. Bedoire, Federic. The Jewish Contribution to Modern Architecture, 1830-1930. KTAV Publishing House, Inc., 2004; 

2. https://artnouveau-net.eu/city/oradea/ 

3. Institute for Jewish Policy Research. Retreived 29th January 2020, available at: https://archive.jpr.org.uk/object-neth60; 

4. Klein, Rudolf. SECESSION : UN GOUT JUIF ? Art Nouveau Buildings and the Jews in some Habsburg Lands: https://www.academia.edu/36082774/Secession_un_gout_juif_Art_Nouveau_Buildings_and_the_Jews_in_some_Hapsburg_Lands ;

5. Echoes & Reflections. Main Page. Retrieved 25th January 2020, available at: https://echoesandreflections.org;

My (Un)expected Journey

Tekla Balogh-Bodor

It was hard to decide the topic of my first blog post. I have started it at least four times since the beginning of October, but I couldn't come up with anything and I don't know exactly why. Obviously, I'm struggling to find my way and it may seem that I'm more lost than ever before. Hopefully, this is also just a station of my long journey, isn't it? So here I am, nothing is impossible. I thought it would be interesting to share some information about the evolution of my thesis topic, although only one month had passed since the university began.

So let's start with my original idea, and let's see some potential new paths after the first month on the CEU.

The goal of my thesis is to emphasize the situation of museums in small towns. For several different reasons, I chose a town in Hungary, the town of Esztergom that will be my Guinea-pig for my research. Esztergom is located on the north part of Hungary and was the capital of the Hungarian Kingdom from the 10th century until the 13th century. Yet it didn't lose its significance afterwards. Therefore plenty of cultural elements, sites, valuable built heritage are located there.

When I was finishing my masters at the university, I had my internship in one of the museums in Esztergom. Later on that time I worked and lived there for almost a year. Not only did I find a town with valuable cultural heritage, but I also found a town with a strong intellectual community. Sadly, these strong forces are unexploited. It is hard to understand at this time that a town is not a cultural centre with this amount of cultural resources. The whole idea came to my mind because of the unworthy situation of Esztergom and the multitude of possibilities it contains.

This is my original research topic, long story short. I have seen in the classes great case studies in connection with different kind of aspects of heritage and I must tell, we do a lot of brainstorming too. This makes me rethink over and over my thesis topic, I get inspiration.

After this one month, I would like to go after the connection of heritage and identity too. More fully, research the power of heritage, the community shaping power of heritage. I want to use it because the historic built environment can support the economic and social regeneration. Moreover, many of the cultural heritage’s elements are available daylong in Esztergom. I can imagine a built historical monument, where local people can meet regularly and do something together. The place reminds them of the long history of the town and gives them a common identity...

Well I know, I can't save the world with a MA thesis, but still this project makes me enthusiastic and I can't wait to start actively doing something. Even if I only raise awareness and discover the locals' attitude towards their heritage. Hopefully, at the end of my research, I will be able to understand the different kind of effects and processes, which define the cultural life of towns.

Of  course, I would like to find a way out of the current unworthy situation, so my project would be not only a research itself, but solution and ideas for the existing problems.

So fingers crossed, I hope I'm on the way of creating something. I'm ready for the challenges, although I still have concerns. I guess it is normal, right?

Contrast of The Soviet and Contemporary Management in The Museum Sector in Georgia

 Tinatin Baghashvili

Georgia is an old christian country, with spectacular landscape and cultural diversity. It is a small land that plays significant role in the geopolitics of the South Caucasus region. Admittedly, Georgia is aligned on the border of two continents of Europe and Azia. 

The geographical location and ancient history determined the rich and diverse cultural heritage. It is needed to highlight that the visible evidences support the proposed statement. The oldest christian built heritage is dated from VI century, Georgian alphabet is one of the 15 in the whole world - "მე მიყვარს საქართველო". Georgia is considered as the cradle of wine and the folk music, the song "Chakrulo" was sent by NASA to the space as the important musical piece of the world, and many more... but to feel the real Georgia, the best way is to visit and experience the local spirit. 

Svaneti, Georiga

According to the ancient history there have always been battles in Georgia between diverse groups of nations. Sometimes, the country was invaded by the Mongolians, Arabs, Ottomans, Iranians and Russians. Therefore, each of the ethnic groups have left their traces in the land of "Georgia". The history also influenced the shaping of combination of the European and Asian values that are still arguable in many context for Georgian society. 

Ultimately, the country got its liberation in XX century in 90s, after Soviet Union fall. The state transition has not been completed yet. There are many problems, issues regarding the system and democratic values, human rights etc. People still try to define what are the values that country should follow to. The Soviet understanding is still alive among the older generations that significantly affects the modernity. 

Since 90s, Georgia has been developing its institutions based on the European values and culture. However, the huge gaps between soviet period and contemporary Georgia is clearly visible, especially at the state cultural organizations such as the state museums. The problematic issues underline that the museum management does not speak the same language as it is demanded from the life nowadays. The staff is not well-trained, moreover, they are almost retired people having soviet mentality and life-style. Therefore, the modern challenges and technical requirements are not well-adopted in the museum sector. 

National Museum of Georgia, Rustaveli ave.

On the other hand, retired people are still employees at the state museums, and sometimes they even receive pension and salary at the same time. The administration has the legitimacy to fire these people, however, in practice this would be considered as disrespectful act to the older generation in the social, economic and cultural context. Meanwhile, there are youngsters with fresh ideas, that have ability to improve the museums to the modernity and replace soviet style of workflow and soviet management. 

The other issue arises on the museum infrastructure and accessibility to the institutions. All the state museum buildings are built in Soviet Union times. None of these constructions have special need facility in order to meet the underrepresented groups needs. There has been the Association Agreement between Georgian and EU, that considered by 2020 to complete the easy access program at the state museums, to build separate entrances, special elevators and bathrooms, audio guiding tutorials etc. It is obvious, the goals are not yet achieved. And the final aspect is the perception of the museum among Georgian society. The attitude towards culture seems problematic as it represents the joyful experience and entertainment, still the museums lack educational and mediator role in the society. Most of the people do not go to the museums nowadays, because simply museums are not attractive and they do not offer unforgettable experience to the visitors. Therefore, the fresh mind and creative entrepreneurship in the modern management in the museum sector seems crucial and survival step. 

"A Fisherman" - Pirosmani

Lastly, I need to tell personal story to support the arguments evoked previously. There is the one of the most famous Georgian artists, called Niko Pirosmani(1862 - 1918). His art is unique as he represented self-taught artist, painted with self-made colors made of the natural plants. He painted the animals he had never seem before too and it really is amazing. His style is somewhat in childish manner and pure. Couple of years ago, I went to the National Gallery and noticed that one of his painting "A fisherman" was hanging inclined. 

I expressed my emotion and could not resist myself of going to the guard in order to fix the painting. I went to the woman, that was controlling the gallery and told her, that if possible to turn off the alarm security and ask someone to fix the frame. She offhandedly whispered, "oh, when people take pictures, they lean on the painting and that's why it is not hanging right". The woman stood up, wend to the painting, touched and fixed it. I genuinely was shocked. I thought, there must have been at least alarm security in order to protect our culture, or at least the woman should have worn special gloves while touching the great piece of art. 

To conclude, after this incident I have realized that soviet management in the museum sector is a problematic issue. The employees, clearly do not understand the importance of the institutions they work at, they do not value and appraise art and culture. This small event showed me that the museum management does not regulate such incidents, do not provide proper security and education/training to their employees. I suggest, the museum should have its role in the society. It should be educative social space integrated with economic activities. the general success depends on the great management that is unfortunately absent in the Georgian scene as it still carries soviet legacy.