The Week of Architecture is under way at Varna Free University
Now, the Week of Architecture is under way at Varna Free University. The theme - "History of Architecture and Preservation of Cultural Heritage" has not been chosen randomly. History always gives the beginning, and the preservation of cultural heritage should be a cause, said on the air of Darik Radio - Varna, Assoc. Prof. Krasimira Vacheva, PhD, Eng. - lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture.
The most important that she wants to teach her students is to look at and feel architecture, as it is joint work of a great professional guild. Everyone should have a sensitivity to heritage preservation, says the lecturer.
According to Assoc.Prof. Vacheva student projects may be in aid of the municipality and the owners who want to apply for restoration of the buildings. "Our architecture students photograph street urban silhouettes. We can place them at the Municipality’s disposal to be used when there are projects for restoration of buildings – monuments of culture. It is a problem, however, that the owners do not allow students to take photos of the buildings.", she added
The owners of buildings – monuments of culture breach three pieces of legislation, if they do not maintain the buildings - the Constitution, the Cultural Heritage Act and the Law on Spatial Planning. The owners are exempt from tax and garbage fee in order to invest in maintenance, recalled Assoc.Prof. Vacheva. According to her, the idea to transfer the preservation of architectural heritage from the state to the municipalities and they to restore against a mortgage cultural monuments, which are private, is a good option, but there are not enough qualified specialists to work on the issue. There is also a shortage in Bulgaria of specialists-restorers of post-liberation architecture.
"Some houses have plastic decoration which there is no one to remove and restore. It is being ruined and there is no one who can restore it. This also should be a state policy, "said architect Vacheva.
Precisely the training of experts in the field of cultural heritage preservation is one of the ambitions of the eponymous Master's degree program at Varna Free University.Currently, the Faculty of Architecture trains a little more than 20 students in the first year, who by law will graduate with Master's degree. Two classes of Masters in preservation of cultural heritage have already graduated.
The Week of Architecture at Varna Free University continues until November 29. The program ahead provides for field observations and discussions on the topics of The Beginning of Modernism in Varna and Bulgaria with Vasil Makarinov and Construction with Natural Materials with Georgi Georgiev, Arch. A special culinary show of Chef Stefan Stefanov is scheduled for Friday for the participants in the forum. The program of the week ends with bestowing the awards to the winners of the photo contest "Varna through the Centuries."
