40 Y e a r b o o k 2 0 1 1 Practical Conservation Training in South East Europe Lost cause or new beginning? David Baxter Due to social and political change many historic buildings throughout South East Europe are in a state of severe neglect. Their former importance in helping to define the values of the society in which they were set is in danger of being lost. This represents a major threat to the cultural history and diversity of the region. For the countries of the region, understandably, social priorities have been uppermost in the recent past. But now there is a clear recognition that cultural priorities, especially those related to the built environment, need to be addressed. It is within this context that we must assess the relevance and performance of heritage skills training in South East Europe. This article focuses on Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, BosniaHerzegovina, Hungary and Romania. Training and civil society In each of the countries referred to above, the ministries for culture (or their equivalent) have developed heritage policies based on western European precedent. Progress on implementation and enforcement has been slow, and training initiatives have been few. The result has been that civil society, through the work of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), has taken the initiative to raise the profile of heritage issues. Skills training and the role of NGOs Heritage skills training embraces practical training (for craftspeople and specifiers); awareness raising (for the public, local authorities and institutions); management and maintenance issues (for those responsible for implementation and care); and education (for schools and universities). The South East European Heritage Network of NGOs (www. seeheritage.org) has 24 members in the region. Not all are fully active in training but there are a few initiatives which are worthy of consideration and comparison with the situation in the UK. Many operate at a local level but have aspirations to work at an international level. For example, the Butrint Foundation (a Britishbased foundation which operates in Albania) has a clear objective to protect the Roman remains at Butrint in Albania but it also has an extensive educational and awareness raising programme. Expeditio in Montenegro has significant local influence and Direct tuition on achieving simple profiles on the stonemasonry course (All photos: David Baxter, Transylvania Trust)
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