Thematic articles

Kilkis Folklore Museum, an example of ecomuseum

Tatiana Andreadou, Eleni Gavra, Louisa Douka-Papadimitriou, Konstantina-Vasiliki Iakovou

Folklore Museum of Kilkis: an ecomuseum example

Negotiation is a crucial element of architectural design. The architect's vision must be linked to the will of the user or users. The more users there are, the more effective a design model should be applied.Until the 20th century, the museum was an impersonal, passive building. However, the contemporary approach to museum design promotes the interaction between the museum, the administrators (museum employers) and the visitors.One consequence of globalization is the return to the cultural roots, history, customs, traditions and linguistic particularities, both national and local, in each country. The growing trend of alternative tourism, referring primarily to domestic tourism, is leading to the growth of a new type of museum, the ecomuseum.1. An ecomuseum is a dynamic and extroverted organization operating in a given region. In essence, it promotes the identity of a place. It also involves local community participation and helps local economic growth. In other words, it is dependent on the local community, but at the same time subordinate to it.Riviere defines ecomuseum as:"A resource jointly found, created and operated by a public - the local authority and the local population. The role of the public authority is to assign specialists, sites and resources. Local participation is associated with specific expectations, knowledge and approach.

The museum mirrors local society because:

- Leads to the discovery of the society's image, the perception of the society's place of action and the connection with ancestors;

- is extroverted in order to be fully perceptible. The visitor has to admire the identity of his ancestors, their customs;

- places human activity in its original environment, society"^1.

Moreover, Hugues De Varine specifies the relationship of the ecomuseum with different public groups:

"The museum employer is a social being, a servant of society. The visitor is not a pathetic observer, but a co-creator of the museum's field of research"².

Read the full text in issue 6 / 2011 of Arhitectura magazine.

¹ Georges-Henri Riviere, The ecomuseum - an evolution definition Museum, UNESCO, 148, 1985, p.4.

² Hugues De Varine, Nouvelles Mouseologies, Macon and Savigny - le Temple, Editions W, and MNES, 1986.

Negotiation is a crucial element of architectural design. The architect's vision has to be intertwined with the user's/users' wills. Until the 20th century, the museum was an impersonal, passive building. The contemporary approach of museum design, though, promotes the interaction between the museum, its administrators (employers of the museum) and the visitors.A consequence of the globalization is the turn to the cultural roots, history, mores, traditions and linguistic particularities, in both national and local level, in every country. The increasing tendency of alternative tourism, primarily referring to domestic tourism leads to the increase of a new type of musum, the ecomuseum.1. The term ecomuseumGeorges-Henri Riviere and Hugues De Varine introduced the concept of "ecomuseum" in France. It basically promotes a place's identity. It also presupposes the local community's participation and helps the local economic growth. In other words, it depends on local community but it is also dependent from it.Riviere defines ecomuseum as:"A resource found, created and operated jointly by a public - local authority and the local population. The role of public authority is to assign specialists, sites and resources. The participation of local people is associated with the expectations, knowledge and the particular approach.

The museum mirrors the local society as it:

- leads to the discovery of the society's image, to the perception of the society's action place and to bondage with ancestors;

- is extrovert in order to be fully perceivable. The visitor must admire his/her ancestors' identity, mores;

- places the human activity to its original environment, the society"^1.

Moreover, Hugues De Varine specifies the ecomuseum's relationship with various public groups: "The employer of the museum is a social being, a servant of society. The visitor is not a pathetic observer but a co-creator of the research field of the museum"^2.

Read the full text in the print magazine.

^{1Georges-Henri}Riviere, The ecomuseum - an evolution definition Museum, UNESCO, 148, 1985, p.4.

² Hugues De Varine, Nouvelles Mouseologies, Macon and Savigny - le Temple, Editions W, and MNES, 1986.