r e v i e w 41 is likely to expand to incorporate international training in the future. Two of the most significant NGOs operating in the region are the Transylvania Trust (www. transylvaniatrust.ro) in Romania and Cultural Heritage without Borders, which is based in Sweden but operates in Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Albania (www.chwb. org). Both are active in training. The International Built Heritage Conservation Training Centre, Bánffy Castle, Romania The centre is run by the Transylvania Trust (TT) and was established through a co-operation between the trust and the IHBC. The ethos of the centre is simple: ‘to teach while restoring and to restore while teaching’. The centre teaches through hands-on tuition while restoring the Renaissance/Baroque ensemble of Bánffy Castle at Bonţida, Romania (www.heritagetrainingbanffycastle.org). This has been the key to the success of the centre. It has proved very rewarding for students to learn under the guidance of master craftspeople while contributing to the restoration of a Grade A listed building. The castle is privately owned but is leased to the TT. Sadly it is very difficult to imagine similar projects being set up in the UK. the historic environment. In many ways this is just as important as training skilled craftspeople. Some of these undergraduate students will eventually become the professionals who specify works to historic buildings. It is important that they understand the complexity of the relevant skills, the process and the philosophy of conservation. The next available courses will be held in June, July and August 2011. During the past two years the centre has sought to use the built heritage as a vehicle for overcoming cultural differences in the region. Through a project sponsored by the European Union it became the focus of courses for students from Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary and Romania, all of whom were present at the castle at the same time. To add to the melting pot, it also included students from France, Belgium and the UK. As a precursor to designing these courses English Heritage was instrumental in helping to develop a Heritage at Risk Survey for the region to help identify the extent of the problems to be addressed. More assistance of this kind is desperately needed in the region. The BHCT Centre has received significant funding from the European Union (TT has implemented nine EU projects). Funding has also been received from the World Monument Fund, the Getty Foundation, government ministries in Romania and Hungary, and from the Headley Trust (UK) as well as many other sources. The consistent input from the Headley Trust has significantly helped the development of the centre and its commitment to the region has now resulted in further support for other NGOs in South East Europe. The model which has been created at Bánffy Castle is a very simple concept which is being adapted for implementation in other parts of South East Europe. Two projects, described below, are of note. The Heritage Training Centre at Prizren, Kosovo This is a project which is currently being established with the support of the EU as part of its mission to protect The co-operation between the IHBC and the TT began in 1998. Courses at Bánffy Castle started in 2001, and the International Built Heritage Conservation Training (BHCT) Centre was officially opened in 2005. In 2008 the centre won the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards main prize in the Education, Training and Awareness Raising category. The courses are aimed at undergraduate students of architecture, structural engineering, building history, and related heritage fields; postgraduate students of conservation; craftspeople seeking to improve their skills at various levels; and managers of the historic environment. Consequently courses are offered in masonry consolidation and rendering, carpentry, stonemasonry, and heritage management. The courses are recognised by the Romanian Ministry of Culture and count as vocational training credits for the undergraduate students as part of their degree programme. So far the centre has attracted over 1,200 students from 18 different countries, including the UK. The courses are two weeks long and are not designed to create master craftspeople. Rather, they are designed to inspire an interest in and an understanding of the restoration, care and maintenance of Bánffy Castle, Bonţida, Romania
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