The announcement of the Fortified Churches Foundation to organise an event from the series KirchenburgenGespräch on Tour (fortified churches panel discussion abroad) for the first time aroused great public interest. On 8 March 2019, the almost 150 visitors experienced an exciting panel discussion entitled “Travel – Save – Restore” in the Romanian Embassy in Berlin.
- Ambassador Emil Hurezeanu
- Bishop Reinhart Guib
- Dr. Harald Roth
- Philipp Harfmann
Afterwards on the podium, Prof. Dr. Paul Zalewski (Europe-University Viadrina), Ștefan Vaida (restorer from Alțîna) and tourism expert Ruth István (Fortified Churches Foundation) discussed with moderator Stefan Bichler (EKR) about the importance of specialist trips in terms of the preservation of cultural heritage.
After the event, the guests – many of whom had been invited by the German Cultural Forum Eastern Europe – were able to exchange personal impressions and experiences with the discussants and guests from Transylvania until late in the evening and discuss specific questions on tourism and cultural heritage.
Text: Stefan Bichler
Photos: Ines Huber und Stefan Bichler