Apold Heritage Lab II has come to an end after two intense weeks filled with learning, teamwork, and discovering the cultural heritage in the heart of Transylvania.
This year, the project brought together students, volunteers, and professionals from Romania and abroad (Moldavia and Germany) – all sharing a common goal: understanding, protecting, and promoting the built heritage of Apold, specifically the former Evangelical parish house. The program combined hands-on workshops – traditional masonry, woodworking, with an architecture and interior design workshop, as well as lectures given by special guests: arh.dr. Liliana Cazacu, stonemason Pia Prade, and historic painting restorer Lorand Kiss. The historic windows in two rooms of the parish house were restored, the historic plaster in the same rooms was repaired, and the entrance gate to the parish house courtyard was restored. This entire experience will also take shape in the Apold Heritage Lab II Catalogue, created by the participants and soon to be available online.
On the Saturday between the two work-weeks, the site has been opened so everyone could join and witness the work of our enthusiastic participants, who also put in place an interactive exhibition for the guests.
Our host, CasApold, provided the perfect setting for the activities. Working side by side, participants shared their knowledge and practiced traditional methods for maintaining heritage buildings, all at a steady and committed pace.
The atmosphere was one of full engagement, idea exchange, and inspiration. Beyond the concrete results of the interventions carried out, what remains is a stronger community – made up of people who believe in the value of heritage and the importance of preserving it for future generations.
“They were all very engaged and dedicated, eager to work, and very interested in the explanations they received. That especially impressed us,” says Sebastian Bethge, coordinator of Apold Heritage Lab II, at the conclusion of the summer school.
Perhaps this is the most beautiful result: a community of people with open hearts and creative minds, ready to carry forward the care for Transylvania’s fortified churches.
We thank everyone – participants, coordinators, guests, and partners – for once again proving that passion and collaboration can breathe new life into heritage. And the Apold Heritage Lab remains living proof that when you put your heart into a project, history is not only preserved, but also truly experienced.
The project “Apold Heritage Lab II” is carried out by the Fortified Churches Foundation and the Democratic Forum of Germans in Transylvania, in partnership with the CasApold Association and the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism – Sibiu Extension, and is co-financed by the Order of Architects of Romania through the Architecture Stamp, The King’s Foundation, and the Department for Interethnic Relations.
