Polish National Committee of ICOMOS in collaboration with The Royal Castle, The Royal Łazienki Museum and The Committee on Architecture and Urban Planning PAN organises a Scientific Conference: ‘’Place of Memory: Protection, Conservation, Interpretation”.

The Conference will be held in The Royal Castle in Warsaw, from 4th to 5th December 2017 along with The Annual General Assembly of PKN ICOMOS.

At the conference a series of events will be launched in the context of the 100th anniversary celebration of Poland's independence, the establishment of the National Conservation Service  and the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 announced by The Council of Europe. The event is under the patronage of prof. dr hab. Magdalena Gawin – The General Conservation Officer.

We would like to express our appreciation for the interest to attend our conference. However, we regret to say that due to the fact that the agreed limit of applications was exceeded, we were forced to close the attendance forms. Nevetheless, we would like to warmly invite you to participate in the next events organised by ICOMOS Poland!

konference

partners

Topic of The Conference

The term 'place of memory' ('lieu de memoire') has been used in heritage protection with increased frequency. A 'place of memory' is a property or site vested with historical significance due to the nature of the historic events that occurred there. What differentiates places of memory from other categories of heritage is the relation between the material and non-material components of the site. In 'places of memory', the non-material component is of far greater importance than the material one.

In historical studies, the term 'place of memory' conveys several meanings, including metaphorical ones. In heritage protection, however, the meaning of this phrase narrows down to such sites as battlefields, places of birth or death of important persons, killing and captivity sites, disaster areas, and other sites of similar historical significance. These sites are characterised by the humble nature of material components - or even absence of any material components at all - compared to the immaterial value/significance attributed to these sites.

As the term 'place of memory' is still new in heritage protection and conservation, it needs to be developed in both its theoretical and practical aspects. It is therefore necessary to coin fundamental terms for the sites in question, formulate principles of conservation-related actions to be taken in these places, and popularise examples of protecting and interpreting 'places of memory'.

The starting point is to determine the conservation definition of a place of memory as well as the typology of the heritage of this kind. Forms of conservation actions and the rules governing them should depend on the values of the site, its material features of an asset, its non-material values, and the relationship between these components. These aspects are a part of the conservation theory.

With regards to conservation protection in places of memory, three different areas need to be discussed for theoretical and practical purposes:

  • definition of the place of memory from the perspective of heritage protection /can places of memory fall under typological groups with common characteristics and features?
  • interpretation of places of memory/how to communicate the meaning of places of memory/relationship between the tangible and intangible components
  • forms of conservation protection in places of memory and the rules governing them/integrity and authenticity in protection of places of memory.

The issues on the protection, conservation and interpretation of places of memory are also significant from the UNESCO World Heritage Convention perspective. The Criteria VI, which currently evaluates the intangible assets of the nominated properties on the UNESCO List, requires interpretation and clarification. Thus, the study on the issues of places of memory also has an international importance.

Paper Submission

Proposals for papers should be sent in the form of a 2-page summary (developed in the form of separate subsections or bullet points to facilitate understanding of the idea of the paper).

Authors of the paper will be asked to

indicate to which of the three thematic sessions they refer (Definition/Interpreation/Conservation).

Please send the paper proposals by October 15th, 2017 to the following address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Scientific reviewers appointed by the organisational committee will select the papers to be presented at the conference and the conference materials will be published as a reviewed monograph.

Authors of papers will be notified of the reviewers' decisions by November 10th, 2017.

We invite all professionals from the heritage and/or conservation sectors (conservation officials, local government officials, experts, managers of historic buildings and places of memory) to participate in the conference. Looking at the importance and innovative nature of the subject, we are counting on your active participation.

Entry forms (URGENT: limited number of participants) will be accepted until November 20th, 2017.

Participation in the conference is free of charge. The organizers do not provide overnight accommodation.

----------------------

We would like to express our appreciation for the interest to attend our conference. However, we regret to say that due to the fact that the agreed limit of applications was exceeded, we were forced to close the attendance forms. Nevetheless, we would like to warmly invite you to participate in the next events organised by ICOMOS Poland!

 

On behalf of the Committee

Bogusław Szmygin