“Monument – don’t forget! / Denkmal – denk mal dran!” is a unique Polish-German initiative that has been bringing together history and architecture enthusiasts since 2014 to promote the protection and restoration of monuments. Organised every two years, the competition aims to support the long-term and sustainable preservation of small objects of historical and artistic significance. The organisers are the Association for the Nurturing of Silesian Art and Culture (VSK) and the OP ENHEIM Foundation in cooperation with the German-Polish Foundation for the Protection of Cultural Monuments.
The competition focuses on supporting the preservation of buildings and objects of historic value in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, the southern part of the Lubuskie Voivodeship and the Lower Silesian part of Upper Lusatia. The aim is to preserve historic buildings, parts of buildings and other properties such as parks or technical monuments. The competition draws attention to the importance of preserving cultural heritage in the context of contemporary environmental challenges while promoting sustainable development. The project is carried out in cooperation with the Lower Silesian Voivodship Conservator of Monuments, Daniel Gibski, and has the patronage of the Consul General of Germany in Wrocław, Martin Kremer. The competition aims to promote professional restoration and showcase Lower Silesia as a European meeting place, highlighting Polish-German cooperation in the context of heritage conservation.
Winners of the competition will receive prizes worth a total of PLN 18,500, as well as badges commemorating the renovation, which will be placed on the restored buildings. The awards are intended to encourage private investors, not-for-profit organisations and other entities to invest in objects of historical significance, thereby contributing to their preservation and promotion. The competition is open to individuals, non-profit organisations and other legal entities that have renovated historic buildings or immovable objects in the Lower Silesian area, the southern part of the Lubuskie Voivodeship and the Lower Silesian part of Upper Lusatia. The objects must have been built before 1960. Completion of the renovation must take place between 1 January 2017 and 15 August 2024.
Entries for the competition “Monument – don’t forget! / Denkmal – denk mal dran!” can be submitted until 15 August 2024. The submitted projects will be assessed by a jury, which will pay attention to the historical and artistic value of the object, the quality of the restoration carried out and the use of sustainable methods and materials.
This is an extraordinary opportunity to stand out from the crowd and contribute to the preservation of the region’s unique cultural heritage. For all lovers of history, architecture and historic preservation, ‘Monument – don’t forget! / Denkmal – denk mal dran!” is a unique opportunity to realise their ambitions and pay tribute to the past.
For more information about the competition, terms and conditions of participation and the application process, visit the competition website: zabytekniezapomnij.eu
In the previous edition of the competition, held in 2022, the jury awarded three equal prizes to:
⦁ Villa at 5 Karlowicza Street in Wrocław
⦁ Half-timbered house at Proboszczów 89 (Zlotoryjski poviat, Pielgrzymka municipality)
⦁ Forge on the river Bobr in Przeździeda (Lviv County, Wleń Municipality)
In addition, the Jury awarded a Special Prize to the Anna Foundation for the project “To save from oblivion – the Evangelical cemetery in Gostków” (Wałbrzych poviat, Stare Bogaczowice commune).
Villa at ul. Karłowicza 5 in Wrocław
The villa located at Karłowicza Street (formerly Beethovenstrasse) in Wrocław, in the district of Zalesie, was built in 1911 as the seat of the Goerlich family. During the restoration, the current owners, Anna and Piotr Kozak, undertook the reconstruction of the superstructure destroyed during the Second World War, following the original designs from 1911, stored in the Wrocław Building Archive. The villa has surviving woodwork, including box windows and folding doors, which have been painstakingly restored, as have the wrought iron elements. The porch windows are decorated with paintings.
Half-timbered house in Proboszczów 89
The half-timbered house in Proboszczów, also known as Kingfisher’s Hut, was originally a weavers’ house and its dating varies between 1790 and 1818. Through years of neglect, the building has been reduced to complete ruin. After a visit in 2014, the current owners Anna Staszewska-Bookes and Paul Brooks, decided to save the building and restore it to its original appearance. The renovation work took five years and the owners were guided by the idea of using traditional building techniques and using as many natural materials as possible. They generally worked on their own, without access to electricity, step by step restoring the dilapidated half-timbered structure, the clay and lime walls, and the most impressive element, which is the original roof covered with 19th century tiles.
The smithy on the river Bobr in the village of Przeździedza
The smithy on the Beaver is located in the village of Przeździedza at the foot of Folwarczna Mountain and Grodzina Mountain. The more than 300-year-old smithy is located between the remains of the monastery farm, the palace and the melaphyr mine in an atmospheric half-timbered house. The owners wanted to preserve the character and soul of the old house, so they minimally interfered with the interior structure of the smithy on the ground floor and the blacksmith’s room upstairs. The preserved equipment with the original cooker and tools is a unique example of a blacksmith’s workshop. Thanks to the initiative of Mrs Lidia Kowalska, the original purpose of the building is being continued with demonstrations and blacksmithing workshops to show this fascinating profession to as many interested visitors as possible.
Evangelical cemetery in Gostkowo
In 2015, the Evangelical cemetery in Gostków was to share the fate of many pre-war post-German cemeteries in Lower Silesia, that is, to be sold and liquidated. However, Halina Bryk and Angelika Babula, mother and daughter, driven by a need in their hearts and a sense of decency, decided to buy the site and take care of it. In 2016, they founded the Anna Foundation in Gostkowo and began to gather more people around them to fight to save the cemetery. After years of hard work, the devastated 19th-century necropolis has become a beautiful garden of remembrance. The greatest successes include the restoration of the chapel at the entrance to the cemetery, but the Foundation’s activities are not limited to the revitalisation of tombs and alleyways. Stonemasonry workshops are also organised to learn practical skills and to involve the local community in working together for neglected burial sites. In this way, the Foundation contributes to building awareness, responsibility and respect for the common cultural heritage and the people who create it.
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Organisers: OP ENHEIM Foundation, Association for the Nurturing of Silesian Art and Culture (VSK)
Collaboration: German-Polish Foundation for the Preservation of Cultural Monuments
Honorary Patronage: Lower Silesian Regional Monuments Conservator, German Consulate General in Wrocław
Partners: Free State of Saxony, Jelenia Plast, Senta-Weygandt-Stiftung, Sparkasse Oberlausitz-Niederschlesien, Uroczysko Siedmiu Stawów, Karkonosze Museum in Jelenia Góra, OPEN Advertising | Oksana Solnik-Krzyżanowska, FLOWLAND
Media patrons: Spotkania z Zabytkami, Architektura-Murator, Schlesien Heute
Read also: Architecture | Metamorphosis | Renovation | Monument | Events
Subject: Monument – don’t forget! / Denkmal – denk mal dran! Another edition of the competition is being launched
