Published: 15.01.2021
The experts from the Faculty of Restoration of the University of Pardubice will take part in the preservation of historical monuments in Algeria. They will start in the second largest Algerian city of Oran to restore the sculptural decoration of the theatre and they will also take care of part of the National Museum’s collections. Furthermore, the cooperation will include the exchange of professional experience between the two countries in this field.
“It was last October when we did a basic site survey. We focused on the condition of the statues and analysed the samples taken to be able to come up with a plan for the best way of restoring the sights,” said the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Restoration for Research, Ing. Karol Bayer, the leader of one of the excellent scientific teams within the University of Pardubice. The former opera house was transformed into a regional theatre almost fifty years ago. Its facade is adorned by a balcony with two small domes and a group of sculptures which are symbolic representations of Music, Declamation, Drama and Comedy.
Further work will be made possible by a partnership agreement between the National School of Conservation and Restoration (l'Ecole Nationale de Conservation et de Restauration des Biens Culturels – ENCRBC) and the University of Pardubice. The partnership between the Algerian Ministry of Culture and Art and the Czech Ministry of Culture will also bring an exchange of experience in the restoration of monuments. The Algerian ministry plans to develop the training of their students through the exchange of expertise as well as the possibility of residential schooling, in which the experts from the University of Pardubice would participate. Moreover, it will offer some short-term and long-term scholarships and training for educators.
The new cooperation even made the Czech ambassador in Algeria, Lenka Pokorná, visit the Faculty of Restoration in Litomyšl two weeks ago. “We showed the ambassador round the faculty and acquainted her to our activities, the structure and focus in general. We discussed specific aspects of the cooperation,” says Mgr. art. Jan Vojtěchovský, Ph.D., the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Restoration for International Cooperation.
The experts and students of the Faculty of Restoration, the University of Pardubice, have participated in the rescue of many important sights, such as the relief of the tower of an already non-existing Judith’s Bridge in Prague or the structures in the historic and archaeological city of Petra, Jordan. They are also in charge of the oldest wooden architectural structure in the world, a prehistoric well discovered by the archaeologists during the construction of a new road in the Pardubice Region two years ago.
Founded in 2005, the Faculty of Restoration is one of the seven faculties within the University of Pardubice. Its students get acquainted with various art techniques, modern procedures in restoration as well as related fundamentals in natural sciences and humanities. Concerning their future students, the faculty plans an open day on 22nd January. For more info, visit Faculty of Restoration | Study at UPCE.
