Guidelines for the competition “Zabytek – nie zapomnij! Monument – mention it!”
German – Polish Monument Protection Competition “Zabytek – nie zapomnij! / Monument – mention it!” is a competition organised by the “Association for the Care of Silesian Art and Culture (VSK)” and the OP ENHEIM Foundation in cooperation with the German-Polish Foundation for Cultural Preservation and Monument Protection to support sustainable monument preservation at the “small” object in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, the southern Lubuskie region and Lower Silesian Upper Lusatia.
Aim and purpose
The VSK and the OP ENHEIM Foundation announce a competition to support the sustainable care and preservation of art-historical and historical buildings, parts of buildings or other fixed objects. Particular emphasis is placed on the sustainable, environmentally friendly or environmentally supportive implementation of restoration. Furthermore, the award is intended to contribute to raising the awareness of the population on both sides of the German-Polish and Saxon-Silesian border of the importance of the interaction between the environment, sustainability and cultural heritage.
In this way, the professional and sustainable restoration of buildings or objects of historical or art-historical value in Lower Silesia on both sides of the border is to be supported. The focus is on promoting the “smaller” object, art-historical and historical buildings, parts of buildings or other fixed objects, such as parks or technical monuments.
Our competition is to cover the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, the southern Lubuskie region and the former Lower Silesian Upper Lusatia.
Award
The winners of the competition will receive prize money of total amount 18,500 PLN and a plaque to be placed on the restored project or in its surroundings. The plaque will bear the following inscription next to the logo of the competition: “Zabytek – nie zapomnij! – 1. nagroda/1. prize (year) – Monument – mention it! – VSK+OPENHEIM”.
Conditions of participation
Eligible to participate are private individuals, non-profit associations or comparable legal entities who have restored or renovated buildings or fixed objects in their possession that are worthy of protection, do not necessarily have to be under state protection and were built or furnished in the named geographical area up to the year 1960, using their own financial resources.
The restoration of the corresponding object must be completed at the time of receipt of the application. For the competition of the year 2024 restoration projects can be nominated, the completion of which must have taken place between 1 January 2017 to the closing date for applying for the competition.
The submitted objects must be located within the boundaries marked on the map:
Building projects by the public sector and commercial enterprises are excluded from the competition. Objects in Germany that fall under the tender conditions for the Upper Lusatian House Prize of the Upper Lusatian House Foundation are excluded from the competition. In case of doubt, the VSK board and the OP ENHEIM board of trustees decide on eligibility for the competition.
Aspects of sustainability (reuse of historic building fabric, use of sustainable and reinforced as well as proven materials, environmentally friendly water and heat management) are to be shown and documented separately.
The basis of the application is the application form to be completed online. The attached photos should document a “before and after” effect on the renovated building fabric as well as a professional restoration.
Expert jury
The VSK and OP ENHEIM will each send 2 and the DPS one qualified person, who together will form an expert jury. At least three of the jury members should be external experts, and at least two members should come from each of the participating countries (Poland and Germany). The jury will be chaired alternately each year by a representative of the VSK and OP ENHEIM. This expert jury will make a preliminary selection from the applications received and propose 4 projects for nomination for the award ceremony. 2 representatives of the jury, who can be members of the jury at the same time, will examine the four projects selected for nomination on site.
Selection of the winners and award ceremony
In a meeting (which can also take place online), the representatives of the expert jury report on the evaluation of the objects.
This will be followed by a vote on the prices. den 1. Preis. Afterwards, the winner of the special prize will be determined by voting from the remaining 3 objects. The special prize should, if possible, go to the country (Germany or Poland) that was not considered for the first prize. If no clear winner can be determined from the objects submitted, the jury is entitled to divide the available prize money in order to ensure appropriate recognition of all objects worthy of a prize.
At a ceremony appropriate to the circumstances (online or present meeting), the award winners will be announced and honored.
Version 01.07.2024
