Kiseleff Park transformed into an example of best practice

28.08.2024

Kiseleff Park is hosting a series of interdisciplinary events from August 21 to August 31, 2024, where specialists from various fields, young professionals and members of civil society join forces to create a model of best practice in the management of historic parks and gardens. They will collaborate in theoretical and practical workshops, focusing on both the identification and analysis of cultural value and the careful assessment of vegetation, with a particular focus on trees and shrubs.

Efforts to inventory and conserve Romania's historic monuments have intensified in recent years, and at the intersection of built heritage and nature are places such as Kiseleff Park, the first public garden in Bucharest and one of the oldest in Romania, a historic monument. To emphasize the importance of this park in the history of Bucharest and the landscape heritage of Romania, but also to encourage the development of a professional and civic network at national level - a network that would give the necessary attention to other similar spaces in the country, we are launching "Agora Kiseleff - Heritage, Green Register, Community". The cultural project combines research with cutting-edge technology, cultural management with practical and educational activities, proposing a series of events dedicated both to professionals in fields related to immovable cultural heritage and to the general public.

Thus, over ten days, an interdisciplinary workshop will take place where participants - public administration employees, specialists in various fields, young professionals, members of civic initiative groups, etc. - will work together to analyze the existing situation, to generate and test working hypotheses, and to find solutions to solve some of the problems found or to enhance the positive aspects that have been identified. The project is a partnership between ARCHÉ and AsoP Bucharest (Association of Landscape Architects of Romania - AsoP, Bucharest - Ilfov territorial branch), supported by prestigious organizations such as the National Heritage Institute or the University of Architecture and Urbanism "Ion Mincu" - Bucharest, and benefits from the presence of renowned international experts with extensive experience in inventorying, managing and monitoring green spaces. #AgoraKiseleff is based on the results of the project "Green Register for Kiseleff Park | Green Register for Romania" (RVPK) and includes theoretical and practical workshops that will bring an important impetus to the restoration of historic gardens and the management of two essential vegetation levels: trees and shrubs.

The "Green Register" tool developed and tested in this pilot project will enable the proper management of green spaces, including the highly complex ones represented by historic parks and gardens of regional, national or even international importance.

The data and information obtained will then become part of a touring exhibition which will pay particular attention to presenting the results and impact of the interdisciplinary workshop #AgoraKiseleff, with a view to raising awareness and mobilizing a wider public in support of landscape heritage conservation.

A free webinar open to the general public will take place on August 28, providing participants with an interactive experience in an educational and engaging environment, with simultaneous English-Romanian and Romanian-English translation to engage guests and participants from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This online event will include a constructive dialogue between specialists and citizens, presenting the process of green spaces management, starting from the inventory of vegetation (Green Register) to the elaboration of a sustainable strategy for the regeneration, rehabilitation, revitalization and extension/development of the green spaces network. The full spectrum of necessary maintenance activities will be presented. More details about the webinar can be found here: https://asop.org.ro/webinar-instrumente-de-tip-registru-verde/.

Last but not least, August 31 is a day open to the general public, with a press conference in the first part of the day, followed by a special event exploring Parc Kiseleff: an opportunity to discover, understand and appreciate the cultural richness of this iconic space. In the second half of the day, an extraordinary piano concert by Ștefan Vârtejaru, graduate of the École Normale de Musique de Paris with the Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste, head of the class of the National Academy of Music "Gheorghe Dima" in Cluj-Napoca and currently a master student at KMH-Stockholm, as part of the elite program "Edsberg" of the institution. The concert program will include works by Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Emil Sjögren, Béla Bartók and Sigismund Toduță.

The project marks a first, bringing together in a joint effort representatives of public administrations, local communities, professionals and leading organizations in the field of cultural and landscape heritage. The aim is to provide a model of best practice in the use of the Green Register, an essential tool for preventing the degradation of green spaces, managing historic parks and reducing the risk of accidents among those who frequent these areas.

"Agora Kiseleff - Patrimony, Green Register, Community" is a cultural project implemented by ARCHÉ Association and the Association of Landscape Architects of Romania (AsoP Bucharest), through the project "Green Register for Kiseleff Park | Green Register for Romania" (RVPK) selected within #RaiffeisenComunități, the NGO accelerator in sustainability, a Raiffeisen Bank Romania initiative, with the support of the Association for Community Relations, developed in partnership with the National Heritage Institute and the Kiseleff Civic Initiative Group, with the support of the Cișmigiu Civic Initiative Group, the EPLUG (European Platform for Urban Greening) Network, the WorldSkills Romania Foundation, the "Cezar Nicolau" Technological High School from Brănești, the "Ion Mincu" University of Architecture and Urbanism, the Romanian Order of Architects and the Romanian Union of Architects.

Media partners: Curatorial.ro, Happ.ro, Igloo, IQads, Propagarta, Radio București FM, Radio Romania Cultural, Arhitectura Magazine, BIZ Magazine, Golan Magazine, The Institute, Zeppelin, Metropolis Newspaper, Zile și Nopți.

Sponsors: Garage Cafe, PlanIT Geo Inc, TreePlotter, TOPRO Consulting, Tree Care Solutions.

"Agora Kiseleff - Patrimony, Green Register, Community" is a project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN).

The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the results of the program can be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the grantee.