Ambulanța pentru Monumente Bistrita-Năsăud (The Ambulance for Monuments Bistrita -Năsăud )

By project FEEL

Published on 30 August 2024

Romania

About this good practice

Ambulance for Monuments Bistrita-Năsăud (AMBN) is the county version of the national project Ambulance for Monuments, initiated by Monumentul Association from Sibiu. In B-N county, AMBN is hosted by Petrus Italus Trust Association-Alliance for Bistrita Heritage. This national practice was started in 2016 as an urgent response to the bad situation of heritage buildings in Romania, over 600 listed heritage buildings suffer from neglect and abandonment, having a high risk of collapse and irrecuperable loss of valuable cultural heritage elements. In BN county the practice started in 2022 to help protect the fortified church in Vermes.
-The project aims the salvation from collapse and degradation of endangered listed buildings in B-N county, by raising awareness to their importance, by activating the local communities to restore and reuse them further. It carries out emergency interventions done by volunteer experts, students, passionate or amateurs and trained craftsmen with the support of local communities and authorities. The educational function is also at the core of this practice as it offers students to accumulate practical knowledge in traditional building techniques. Sustainability and frugality is also an objective as it reuses construction materials, uses traditional building techniques and improves the cultural life of local communities
-The main stakeholders are the members of communities where the restoration sites take place, the local administration and volunteers

Expert opinion

Many regions in Europe have heritage buildings in bad condition which need to be repaired and renovated, maintaining cultural value and traditional construction. This is an interesting practice for preserving heritage buildings by mobilising volunteers from different backgrounds to perform emergency interventions. In so doing, it not only helps to preserve these buildings, but also to provide people with new skills and build community bonds. It could provide lessons for many other regions facing similar challenges.

Simon Hunkin

Works at Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

Resources needed

- The annual funding needed for the project is around 40000 euro, for two heritage sites, which involves around 30 volunteers/week, 5 craftsmen, for an average 3 months of works/ year.
- A team of volunteers, trained by craftsmen and architectural professionals, together with the local community.

Evidence of success

So far 90 heritage buildings were conserved trough the nationwide project and over 1000 volunteers were trained in traditional building techniques.
The practice is a good example of frugality and sustainable intervention in heritage buildings and in local communities by integrating the local resources in the process, reusing building materials, using traditional building techniques, doing minimal intervention works and activating the local communities to restore and reuse the building further.

Potential for learning or transfer

The project can be scaled up or transferred to another country which has the same problems with damaged heritage buildings – helping to protect the valuable historical architecture through frugal measures and offering learning opportunities. At it’s core is the involvement of local communities, local administration and young professionals in the field of architecture, so it is a good community activator model. E.g. of involvement and support-the local administration of Vermes village(BN county) where the AMBN restoration sites takes now place, made available the old school building for storing materials and shelter etc
AMBN practice is driven in BN county by Petrus Italus Trust Association, which is also part of the local stakeholder group of the FEEL project. So together with them and other local stakeholders, Bistrita Municipality is working for the revision of the local public policy Regeneration of Bistrita City Historic Center, which the municipality aims to revise through FEEL.