The academic panel for the session comprised representatives of institutions involved in the work of the Expert Panel, including Dr Katar\u00edna Kosov\u00e1, Director-General of the Monuments Board of the Slovak Republic, and \u013dubica Pin\u010dikov\u00e1 from the Monuments Board of the Slovak Republic (Pamiatkov\u00fd \u00farad Slovenskej republiky), Dr Tam\u00e1s Fej\u00e9rdy and Dr G\u00e1bor So\u00f3s from the Office for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Budapest (Kultur\u00e1lis \u00d6r\u00f6ks\u00e9gv\u00e9delmi Hivatal), as well as Prof. Jacek Purchla and Dr Micha\u0142 Wi\u015bniewski from the International Cultural Centre. The course programme began in Krak\u00f3w with participation in the proceedings of the 1st Central European Heritage Forum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The three-day conference, which presented contemporary examples and methods of cultural heritage conservation, served as an introduction to a series of lectures and seminars prepared exclusively for the course participants. These focused on selected sites and properties from the Polish and Slovak UNESCO Lists, as well as contemporary trends in the philosophy of cultural heritage conservation. Dr Tam\u00e1s Fej\u00e9rdy, who is involved in the work of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, commented on current changes taking place in the management of the UNESCO List. Dr G\u00e1bor So\u00f3s presented new regulations concerning cultural landscapes and intangible heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whilst still in Poland, the course participants explored the historic sites of Krak\u00f3w and visited the Church of St Michael the Archangel in D\u0119bno Podhala\u0144skie. In Slovakia, they visited the historic centre of Ke\u017emarok and Levo\u010da, along with Spi\u0161 Castle and the Romanesque church in \u017dehra. A separate part of the programme was devoted to the historic sites of Bardejov and the wooden churches on the UNESCO World Heritage List: the church in Hervartov and the Orthodox churches in Ladomirov\u00e1 and Bodru\u017eal. An additional highlight of the programme was the Red Monastery, a Baroque Carthusian hermitage situated right on the border with Poland and managed by the Council for the Protection of Monuments of the Slovak Republic, a co-organiser of the course. The former monastery, which now serves as a museum and conference centre, provided accommodation and conference facilities during the Slovak part of the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The course helped those involved in heritage conservation to examine issues common to all countries in the region. It served to broaden knowledge of the UNESCO List and helped to bring together conservation communities in Central Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n