“Traditional rural housing. New Life for Old Houses.” Conference invitation

The Podlaskie Museum of Folk Culture is holding a scientific conference on traditional rural housing. The event will take place online on 1 December from 10.00-14.00. The XYLOPOLIS Wood Art and Science has become a partner of the conference, which aims to provide an opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience related to the preservation of traditional folk architecture.

The Podlaskie Museum of Folk Culture is a thriving institution in the, providing education about local folklore and preserving the region’s historic wooden architecture. Folk architecture has transformed significantly. In the Podlaskie Voivodeship, objects of wooden architecture preserved in their original location often have high historic value and present interesting architectural solutions. Until quite recently, these buildings formed the unique character of the rural landscape.

The aim of the conference is to create an opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience related to the protection of traditional folk buildings and to reflect on how open-air museums develop their exhibition sites.

We would like to draw attention to the state of preservation and new functions of wooden residential buildings existing in the region. We encourage people who are familiar with the subject to share their experience in the field of revitalization and conservation works undertaken in wooden buildings (both in museums and in rural areas), which retain their residential character and are intended for cultural purposes (local museums, chambers of tradition), agrotourism, summer and year-round houses – explains Urszula Szymak-Waśkiewicz, curator in the Ethnography Department of the Podlaskie Museum of Folk Culture.

Those who wish to speak during the conference will be able to address the following topics:

• problems related to the preservation of wooden residential buildings throughout the region,
• obtaining funds for translocation, maintenance, revitalization of wooden structures,
• changes in how residential buildings were furnished.

If you wish to participate in the conference, please send your paper/communications proposals and abstracts to the following email address: redakcja@pmkl.pl. Expected speaking time – approx. 20 min (paper)/10 min (communication). The prepared papers will be published for remuneration in the peer-reviewed publication of the Podlaskie Museum of Folk Culture in 2024. The organizer reserves the right to publish selected articles.

If you have any questions, you can contact the persons responsible for the organization (Urszula Szymak-Waśkiewicz, Monika Siemieniuk) by phone at 730 538 400.

The conference will be open to anyone interested in the protection of traditional folk architecture. Information on how to join the online conference and listen to the speeches will be posted on the Museum’s website and Facebook page shortly before the conference.