V4 Industrial Heritage Project Meeting...

...was held in Bratislava between 14-15 November 2024 (posted 22 November 2024)

On 14-15 November 2024, the meeting of the project "Promoting V4 industrial heritage for conservation and tourism” took place in Bratislava. The Project is supported by the Visegrad Fund. The two-day programme was organised by the Slovak partner Design Factory.

The first day (14.11.2024) was open to the public and was held in the frame of the "Industrial Talk" programme at the "Dve Sypky" (Two Granaries) event space. After the opening lecture presented by Peter Žalman and the panel discussion moderated by Vladimír Hain the 7 selected industrial heritages of each country were introduced.

By selecting the 7 Hungarian sites, the Hungarian partner wanted to showcase the diversity of industrial heritage. Károly Teleki (Hungary) emphasised that industrial heritage does not only mean factories, but also bridges, railways, utilities (e.g. gas works, water towers, radio masts), granaries, market halls, or even workers' housing, which is an integral part of the industrial landscape.

The Slovak partner presented the sustainability of industrial heritage through the conversion of industrial buildings in Bratislava that serve a public function and can be visited by tourists.

Vladimír Hain (Slovakia) underlined that the aim is to encourage visitors to save and actively protect the historic value of Slovakia's industrial heritage and to show how this can be successfully achieved. Lukáš Beran (Czech Republic) focused on the promotion of technical museums outside large cities and on industrial heritage that has been given a new function or is looking for one, through adaptive reuse. The Czech heritage sites were selected accordingly.

At the end of the presentations, on behalf of the Design Factory, Zuzana Zacharova thanked the audience for their participation and opened the exhibition of V4 Industrial Heritage posters and the exhibition of the Student Design Competition posters. The exhibition and sandwich dinner provided an opportunity for direct dialogue and networking between the V4 Industrial Heritage Project and the audience.

The second day (15.11.2024) programme “Industrial Walk” was organised for the Consortia Members. Project team members visited Bratislava Waterworks Museum, Slovak Gas Museum, Spilka Restaurant, PPC Bratislava power plant and Mlynica. More text about the programmes you find under the gallery pictures.

For additional information and pictures, please, visit our Facebook page.

V4 Industrial Heritage project on-site meeting…

…will be in Bratislava 14-15 November 2024 (posted 11 November 2024)

To strengthen our industrial heritage professional networks of V4 institutions personal meetings and contacts are invaluable. Throughout the project, there will be numerous communications between the Consortium Partners by email, phone or online which will be strengthened by a personal meeting in Slovakia.

The meeting will be organised by the Slovak partner and scheduled for the Industrial Days, which helps the Consortia Partners and participants of the event to build good relationship and professional network within the V4 region.

The program will be two days, the first day will be public. Design Factory the Slovak Partner organises an event „Industrial Talk” where V4 Industrial Heritage will be introduced followed by a poster exhibition.

The second day „Industrial Walk” will be organised for the Consortia. During the day the Consortia members will discuss the progress of the project and industrial heritage issues in the three countries. During the day the Slovak Partner will organise visits to selected Slovak industrial heritage sites, and facilitate networking with industrial heritage professionals who are also attending the guided tours. You can download the full program from here...

Results of the student design and logo competition …

… which showed a high level of creativity (posted 31 May 2024)

Design factory in cooperation with the Faculty of Architecture and Design of the STU in Bratislava, announced a public international non-anonymous student design competition. The aim of the competition was to create a new modern logo and visual style which will become part of building the identity of the project. Special emphasis was on raising young people's awareness of Visegrad cooperation and V4 common industrial history as a regional cultural heritage.

The international public competition was intended for students and young professionals from secondary art schools, art schools and universities, architecture, design and students of related ¬elds from the 3 participating countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary). The maximum age limit for competitors was 26 years.

Attributes that the design of the new "Industrial Heritage V4" logo should meet:

- Attractive, original and eye-catching
- Modern, current and timeless design
- Designed with a high expressive value
- Easy identification and memorability
- Respect for industrial heritage
- Highlighting the potential for the sustainable development and various conversions
- Versatility of using the logo in the international context of all V4 countries

A total of 20 proposals were submitted to the competition, which the jury assessed and selected the 3 best proposals.

Winning proposal: Tímea Zhengxin An – Hungary (23 years)

The Commission emphasized the simplicity and clarity of the proposal - "the author has dealt well with the difficult task and interpreted completely minimalist level, containing all relevant information and colours."

"Graphic clarity allows a high degree of applicability in various forms and scales of presentation in an international context. The logo is clear, legible, and identifiable. Congratulations to the winner."

2nd Place: Dániel István Bibó - Hungary (23 years)
3rd Place: Ádám Bagaméri – Hungary (23 years)

Recognition of the jury:

Recognition of the jury for the high quality of graphic processing: Zsófia Ecsedi – Hungary (23 years)
Recognition of the jury for the growth creativity: Petra Šimonová – Slovakia (18 years)

The competition will contribute to the development of awareness among students and the public about the importance of industrial heritage in the V4 region. Promotion of the results of the competition will be ensured in the form of a curated traveling exhibition under the auspices of designfactory, o.z., which will be held at FAD STU on June 20, 2024 and also during Industrial days in November 2024.

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all participants. You can download the press release from here.

Call for student design and logo competition…

… for project” Promoting V4 industrial heritage for conservation and tourism” (posted 15 February 2024)

Design factory (DF), civic association, announces a public international non-anonymous student design competition for the logo and visual style of the Visegrad Fund project.

Background

In January 2024, the Visegrad Fund sponsored project „Promoting V4 industrial heritage for conservation and tourism” has started. The main objective of the project is to raise awareness and promote the industrial heritage of the V4 countries, to preserve it and to promote industrial heritage tourism as an important and growing element of cultural tourism. In the first phase of the project, 7-7 industrial heritage sites and monuments (21 in total) in Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic will be presented. In the following projects we would like to extend the project to the V4+ countries and other industrial heritage sites.

Competition

Aim of the competition: The aim of the competition is to create a new modern logo and visual style which will become part of building the identity of the project. Special emphasis is on raising young people's awareness of Visegrad cooperation and V4 common industrial history as a regional cultural heritage.

Announcer of the competition: on behalf of the project, Design factory (DF), civic association
The competition is announced on:15.02.2024
Application deadline: 15.05.2024
Competition evaluation: no later than 31.05.2024
Applicants: secondary school, university students not younger than 16 and not older than 26 from from the 3 participating countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary)
Evaluation and jury: All submitted proposals will be evaluated and the best 3 of them will be selected by a 5-member expert jury
Language of the application: English
Awards: winner EUR 250, second EUR 150, third EUR 100
Website of the competition: Call for student design and logo competition official website
Detailed information: download „Call for student design and logo competition” link

Promoting V4 industrial heritage for conservation and tourism…

… project kick-off was held online (posted 22 January 2024)

On 22 January 2024, the kick-off meeting of the Visegrad Fund project „Promoting V4 industrial heritage for conservation and tourism (22330253)” was held online. The project aims to promote the common history and cultural heritage of the V4 region by showcasing its industrial heritage, an area that is less in focus but has a significant socio-economic impact.

At the kick-off meeting, three partner organisations: Industrial Heritage Hungary (Aviscon Ltd.), Budapest (HU), Research Centre for Industrial Heritage FA CTU Prague (CZ) and Design factory (DF) (SK), discussed the scope, deliverables and timing as well as administrative matters of the project and agreed to meet on-line regularly.

The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.  

To read more about the project objective, scope, deliverables, timing and the consortia partners, please, visit the project’s website.  

Project Kick-off 22 January 2024, 4pm CET

The initial meeting will be held on-line. The purpose of the meeting will be to establish more detailed communication and collaboration procedures among partners. Timing and deliverables of the project will be discussed and agreed on. Partners will more accurately present a particular vision of their role in the project activities. Research methodology as well as technical and administration aspects of the project will be discussed (e.g. documentary evidences, templates, workplace and cloud storage). Syllabuses of the events will be confirmed.

Project objective

The project aims to promote the common history and cultural heritage of the V4 region by showcasing its industrial heritage, an area that is less in focus but has a significant socio-economic impact. Industry has always played an important role in the history of the region, from the explosive industrial development of the Habsburg Empire through the forced industrialisation of socialism to the present day. Industrial and economic links permeate the region and have contributed to the development of a collective identity in Central Europe.
However, the importance and care of industrial heritage (despite many positive examples) is not sufficiently recognised. Therefore, the main objective of the project is to raise awareness and promote the industrial heritage of the V4 countries, to preserve it and to promote industrial heritage tourism as an important and growing element of cultural tourism.

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Need to change

Industrial heritages are often undervalued or carry negative associations (pollution, poor working conditions, exploitation). Many historic industrial buildings are in a very dilapidated state. Their architectural and historical significance are not known to the general public. The majority of people does not see their disappearance as a problem. As a result, industrial buildings often fall victim to profit-driven real estate developments erasing an important chapter of the history and reducing the diversity of the built heritage. By demolishing industrial buildings rather than reusing them, the environmental footprint of real estate investments is also significantly increased.

The potential of industrial heritage in tourism is unexploited. Industrial heritage is also part of the attractions of cities, but this is often not realised by the citizens or tourists. E.g., bridges, market halls, water towers, or even the classic London telephone boxes are part of the industrial heritage. In many cases, they add a unique character to a city's image, such as a notable palace or church (consider the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Great Market Hall in Budapest or the shaft tower of Zollverein), thus increasing the tourist appeal of the city and increasing the number of overnight stays. Additionally, industrial heritages can drive tourists away from the city centre to the outskirts, as factories are often located in the outer districts. This can relieve the pressure of tourism on the inner districts and help businesses (e.g. restaurants, services) in the outer districts.

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Our approach

Our project aims to raise awareness among professionals and the general public including the younger generations about the importance of industrial heritage buildings and cityscapes, presenting their history, architectural, industrial and technological values.

It also aims to position the industrial heritage sites and buildings as touristic attractions of cultural tourism. To achieve these goals, our project will create an informative website showcasing 7-7 significant industrial heritages of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, initially focusing mainly on some of the iconic heritages of the 3 countries, and then, as a possible continuation of the project, other sites and heritages of the V4 countries.

For this purpose, we will use our industrial heritage research, contemporary and historical images, videos. The design and logo of the website will be selected through a design competition for college and university students and young professionals. On the website, an interactive map and virtual tour will support the presentation of industrial heritages. We will share knowledge, ideas and best practices on industrial heritage conservation and industrial heritage tourism with a professional audience through an online seminar. During the project, online discussions and an on-site meeting will strengthen the professional network of the V4 institutions involved in the project.

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Added value

Though there are industrial heritage websites in all V4 countries, their focus, content, methodology and presentation are different and mostly only available in the national language (maybe in English).

The uniqueness and added value of the project compared to existing practices is ensured by the following:

-research and documentation of the industrial heritage of each country is carried out according to the same methodology developed in the framework of the project

-the description of the industrial heritages of the 3 countries will be presented (for the first time in the V4 region) on the same website, in 4 languages. The website can be extended and scalable to present the heritage of other V4 and V4+ countries in the future

-the descriptions, interactive map and virtual tour on the website will be accompanied by different media content (text, photo, video) and in some cases innovative digital content (360-degree photo, digital twin)

-promotion, knowledge sharing, and tourism promotion of the industrial heritage is supported by a chain of events: online and on-site meetings, online seminar

-operators of industrial heritage sites, representatives of local authorities, institutions, the general public and youth are involved in all stages of the project.

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Regional relevance

Industry has played an important role in the historical development of Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The establishment of the capitalist economy in the 19th century was essentially determined by the fact that it took place within the framework of the Habsburg monarchy. The Habsburgs' economic policy served three objectives: to achieve self-sufficiency in the empire, to catch up with more industrially advanced countries, and to promote the division of labour between the parts of the Habsburg Empire.

The division of labour and the huge internal market led to the rapid development of the food industry in Hungary, the machine and manufacturing industries in the Czech and Austrian territories, and mining and metallurgy in the Slovak territories. The region is thus permeated by common economic roots, but at the same time the citizens of these countries have little information in their own language about the industrial heritage of the other V4 countries. And, in general, there is limited information available on the history and significance of industrial heritage in a coherent way and with a variety of media content, so the project represents a substantial added value for the inhabitants of the V4 region and for tourism in terms of knowledge and preservation of industrial heritage.

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Activities and timeline

The project includes a number of activities: research, photographing, filming and documenting 21 industrial heritages in the 3 countries, developing multimedia website, organising student design competition, conducting on-line and on-site workshops and seminars. The main activities and their timeline is demonstrated below.

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Consortia

The project will be implemented by a Hungarian-Slovak-Czech consortia. Consortia members have worked together on Visegrad Fund donored Rail4V4+V projects and I.CON.A Industrial Conversion Award.

The Lead Partner of the project is Aviscon Kft. Aviscon Kft. is a consultant and service company specialised in industry, institutional development and tourism. The experts of the company managed feasibility studies, brownfield revitalisation projects and several industry specific assignments. Experts of the company regularly give lectures on universities in industry technology improvements.
Aviscon Kft. is also organising industrial heritage tours. The company is operating www.industrialheritagehungary.com an informative website which provides news about industrial and technical heritages in Hungary.

Design factory (DF) has long been involved in the promotion of historical and industrial architecture in Slovakia in the form of informal education and creative workshops for children and young people. An integral part of our activities is the support of visual arts and discussion through contact between the top representatives of the contemporary architectural scene, the academic community and the general public; and serve as a mediator of communication with the business sector. Design factory’s main project in regard to the industrial awareness is called Industrial Days. First Industrial Day project, in 2009 was devoted to a presentation of photographs of revitalized industrial monuments in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the world. For its great success, the exhibition and accompanying activities (excursion around the industrial zone) were repeated in the years 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022. In regard to the events dedicated to children, design factory has organized 20 series of Musical events and workshops colleges for more than 500 children. In 2022, it organized the I.CON.A - Industrial Conversion Award for the first time in Slovakia.

The Research Centre for Industrial Heritage (VCPD) systematically documents the industrial heritage and technical and industrial monuments located on the territory of the Czech Republic and it studies them in reference to the history and theory of architecture, urban studies, and heritage conservation. The VCPD takes an interdisciplinary approach to its work and promotes cooperation across a broad range of institutions and enthusiastic volunteers. It also initiated the national platform for the conservation and adaptive re-use of industrial heritage – Vestiges of Industry and the online industrial heritage map Industrial Topography of the Czech Republic. Project Industrial Architecture: Understanding Monuments of Industrial Heritage as Technical-Architectural Works and as a Source of Identity of a Place will be of special importance for the proposed topic.

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About Visegrad Fund

The International Visegrad Fund is an international donor organization established by the governments of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia). Its aim is to support closer understanding and cooperation among people in the V4 region, as well as between the V4 region and other countries and regions, particularly in the non-EU neighborhood of the Eastern Partnership countries and in the Western Balkans. The fund does fosters the development of civil society by financing joint grant projects and by awarding university scholarships and artist residencies. The fund’s annual budget of €8 million consists of equal contributions by the V4 governments.

For more information visit the Visegrad Fund page.

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Contact project coordinator

Project coordinator: Dr. Károly Teleki (Aviscon Kft.)

IndustrialHeritageHungary.com/16-V4IndustrialHeritage2024.html
Email: mail@industrialheritagehungary.com
+36-20-327-7686
Budapest, Rózsa u 9/b., H-1214 Hungary

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