A school of renewal for a new generation and a 21st century heritage
The main objective of the project is to create an inter-institutional environment and learning practices for a more intentional education of young people at primary school level on cultural heritage and its renovation.
Secondary School of Construction, Geodesy and Environmental Studies Ljubljana, University of Primorska; Faculty of Humanities; Public Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Slovenia; Ivan Grohar Primary School; Škofja Loka Municipality and the Norwegian partner Magma Geopark AS, Egersund, Norway; have joined together in the project under the coordination of the lead partner, the Association of Historic Towns of Slovenia. A school of renewal for a new generation and a 21st century heritage.
Aim
The project was successful in the Norwegian Financial Mechanism's call for proposals under the Education - Strengthening Human Resources programme. just under €500,000 of European funding. The main objective of the project is to create an inter-institutional environment and learning practices for more Planned education for young people at primary school level on cultural heritage and its restoration.
Project A school of renewal for a new generation and a 21st century heritage. builds on and expands the content of the Renewal School programme. The partners have developed the project with the aim of systematically bringing cultural heritage closer to young people in the context of mainstream education, and will therefore develop contemporary practices for teaching different subjects in primary school through the use of examples from cultural heritage and demonstrate the skills of its renewal. Modern ways of teaching in a new environment and with the innovative tools developed in the project will first be tested in a partner school. In the future, the new practices of teaching about cultural heritage will be disseminated among teachers, practitioners, head teachers of different primary schools, as well as among stakeholders at national level responsible for cultural, educational and spatial policy planning.
Time of implementation
The project officially starts on 1 June 2022 and ends on 30 April 2024. During the project duration, the partners will produce: a teacher's manual with 18 lesson plans and methodologies for selected subjects and contents, didactic materials for classroom and field teaching for each triad, a set of interactive materials, a demonstration learning environment as a didactic corner for pupils at the Ivan Grohar Primary School in Škofja Loka, and a learning laboratory for teacher training in Škofja Loka. In addition, a platform for cooperation between stakeholders at national level responsible for cultural, educational and spatial policy planning will be established through consultations.
"The old building behaviour, craft knowlegde and skills, required for implementation quality renewals, outgoing together s old masters and to valuable knowledge with is losing out."
Opening of the learning laboratory on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Association of Historic Towns of Slovenia
New spaces for learning
On Tuesday, 28 November, the Association of Historic Towns of Slovenia officially opened the renovated premises of the new teaching laboratory in Škofja Loka, which was created within the framework of the partnership project School of Renovation for New Generations, supported by the Norwegian Mechanism and the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development.
The renovated premises of the former town hall, the Old Rotovž, which is the most striking building of Škofja Loka's town square dating back to the 16th century, will be used primarily for the education of primary school teachers in the field of immovable cultural heritage. The premises, which were abandoned more than 15 years ago when the last occupants moved out, were falling into disrepair. They were in need of a complete renovation, which we undertook as part of the project Renovation School for a New Generation, a call for proposals from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. The coordinated cooperation of the project partners, especially the Municipality of Škofja Loka, which led the challenging renovation project, and the experts from the Slovenian Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, who carried out the restoration work, resulted in the creation of an outstanding new cultural heritage teaching laboratory, where workshops will be held to train teachers to integrate cultural heritage content into the teaching process, in line with the new curricula being developed within the project.
During the restoration of the rooms, the restorers uncovered various phases from at least 500 years of the building's life. These finds have remained visible and preserved and tell the story of the construction technology and the skills of the craftsmen and artisans, the materials and treatments used, the stonework and other details, the colours used and the paintings that have transformed the house and transformed the rooms over the centuries. The new learning laboratory will thus be an exceptional learning environment in itself, with 13 probes, which will also be presented in a professional manner, a real learning ground for learning about cultural heritage, the laws of construction and manual skills.
In January, the new Learning Lab will host the Education and Training for More Cultural Heritage in Primary Schools, as part of the Renovation School for a New Generation project.
In addition to the members of the association and project partners, the renovated premises were visited by State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture Matevž Čelik and Director of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage Špela Spanžel, as well as by representatives of the Building Research Institute of Slovenia (ZAG), a leading scientific and research institution in the field of building construction in Slovenia, which is also actively involved in the preservation of cultural heritage.
After a tour of the premises, the participants opened a lively debate on the conservation and renovation of the built heritage in old town centres in particular. State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, Matevž Čelik Vidmar, and Director General of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, Špela Spanžel, discussed how to harmonise approaches to renovation at national level and how to increase activities in this field. All present agreed that they shared common goals - to successfully renovate and revitalise the built heritage and to achieve as many successful and professionally realised renovations as possible.
The highlight of the event was a festive event in the cultural hall of the Sokol House, which was dedicated to a double programme: the opening of the new learning laboratory and the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Community of Ancient Towns in the RS, the predecessor of the Association of Historic Towns of Slovenia.
