Date: 6-7 October 2022

Address: Vytautas The Great War Museum - K. Donelaičio 64, Kaunas, Lithuania

Contact us: info@efforts-europe.eu

"Communities working towards sustainable fortified heritage"

Inclusive, creative, innovative and green solutions - increasing cultural access and participation

Over the years European fortified sites have been transforming into places for participation in arts, culture and memory. They also reveal their potential in regional sustainable development and climate change adaptation. The 2022 EFFORTS Europe congress is organised on fortified heritage revitalisation subjects: horizontal integration of the role of fortified heritage, re-use and adaptation strategies, and social integration and creative innovation in local communities. Join us in the European Fortified Heritage community co-creation: the 2022 EFFORTS CONGRESS, partner of KAUNAS EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE 2022 welcomes you in Kaunas, Lithuania!

PROGRAM

October 6

08:30 Registration and coffee

09:00 Congress welcome:

Frank Petter, President of EFFORTS 

Saulius Rimas, Head of Heritage Department, Kaunas City Municipality, 

Valdas Rakutis, MP of Republic of Lithuania, founder of Kaunas Fortress Park 

Rita Malinauskienė, director of Vytautas Magnus War Museum

09:20 Kaunas - European Capiltal of Culture 2022

PART 1 - HERITAGE COMMUNITIES

Heritage Communities value specific aspects of cultural heritage which they wish, within the framework of public action, to preserve and pass on to future generations. Focus on European fortified heritage diversity and on common values: reclaim, redefine and adapt through local participation, volunteerism and community-based cooperation.

09:30 - 10:45 Session “Heritage Communities”

- Communities of shared dissonant heritage and sustainable communities, adapting fortified heritage to current needs by Alessia Zampini, University of Bologna

- Sustainable communities of Kaunas Fortress - by Egidijus Bagdonas, director of Kaunas Fortress Park and Evelina Šimkutė, director of NGO “Kultūros dirbtuvė”.

- Heritage and volunteerism - by European heritage volunteers organisation;

- Lithuanian hillforts: a glimpse at the development of defensive systems in the past and their importance in today‘s heritage - by Vytenis Puodėnas, Lithuaninan History Institute, Archeology department.

10:45 Coffee break

11:00 - 13:00 Session "Memory, Creativity, Collaboration - regional testimonies"

- Nerija fortress (Klaipėda, Lithuania) - by Romas Adomavičius, Deputy Director of Lithunania Sea Museum; 

- Daugavpils Fortress (Daugavpils, Latvia) - by Artjoms Mahlins, Daugavplis Local Goverment led by Viltalijs Petkuns, Janis Ostrovskis, Daugavpils Tourism and Information Centre;

- Daugavgrivas Fortress (Riga, Latvia) - by Jacob Lalander and Sandra Jakušonoka, Bolderajas Grupa;

- Adaptation of World War II fortifications for public use (Case of coastal artilL battery Memel-Nord) - by Titas Tamkvaitis, Klaipėda University;

- Collaborative practices and cultural activation of fortified sites - by Pål Isdahl Solberg, Founder at The Participation Agency (Norway).

- Panel discussion “Creative Forts - European Fortress Summer”

PART 2 WORKSHOPS

14:00 - 18:00 Site visits and simultaneous workshops at the different Kaunas fortress sites, per 20 - 40 participants.

Workshop themes: Regenerative placemaking, Increasing participation and Co-creating cities with temporary urbanism. 

All registered participants will receive workshop descriptions prior to the event via email. 

Participants will be able to register for workshops and site visits during the morning registration.

October 7

PART 3: GREEN CULTURAL ROUTES AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

How to make fortified heritage sites inclusive, resilient and sustainable? Focus on different examples of how fortified sites contribute to the development of sustainable tourism. Learn about a variety of cross-border and regional cooperation projects co-creating green cultural routes and contributing to local development. 

9:00 Arrival

9:15 - 10:30 Presentation of different workshops held previous day.

10:30 Coffee break

10:45 Inspirational presentation by Anne-Wil Maris, director of Zuiderwaterlinie and Gerdy Verschuure-Stuip, coordinator of the Center for Global Heritage and Development - Leiden University

11:05 - 13:00 Session "Green Route solutions for fortified heritage"

- Concept of Cultural Routes, Case St Olav Waterway - by James Simpson, project manager (Finland);

- The Baltic Route of Fortresses - by Dirk Röder, EFFORTS - Forte Cultura (Germany);

- New St. John fortress project - by Đurđa Vrljević Šarić, Fortress of Culture Sibenik (Croatia);

- Fortification Heritage Impacts Study an blue economy tourism projects - by Daniele Sferra, Ca’Foscari, University of Venice, Italy;

- Plenary discussion.

14:00  - 16:00 Session "Call to action"

- Joint Scientific Committee Forte Marghera 2022 launch - by Fiorenzo Menghelli, ISAM and Natasa Urosevic (University of Pula);

- EFFORTS Ukraine Twinning Programme - by Olha Tikonova (U. (Pol), Ukraine) / live connection;

- European Fortress Summer and EFFORTS AWARD presentation;

- Conference resumé - ‘From 2022 Brussels to 2022 Kaunas – the call to action’, and presentation of the 2023 congress venue - by Rafaël Deroo, EFFORTS Europe secretary general.

16:00 Visit Kaunas European Capital of Culture 2022 (optional).

- - - Please note there will be filming and photography during the event.