"Our House Viscri" restoration project to transform Saxon house into community space

In February 2023, the Mihai Eminescu Trust Foundation obtained non-repayable funding for the restoration of the traditional household at number 140 in Viscri, a small Saxon village of Transylvania, Romania. The house is set to be transformed into a community space after its restoration.

The funding, granted by the National Institute of Heritage through the Historical Monuments Stamp Program, ensures the design services for the phases of Preliminary Design (DALI), Technical Design (DTAC), Execution Project (PT), and Execution Details (DE) for the historical monument located in the rural site of Viscri, listed in the Historical Monuments Registry and part of the UNESCO World Heritage.

The household is a typical Saxon one, with an elongated plot of land, a residential house positioned on the street front, an annex contiguous to the house, a barn transversely arranged on the plot, and a generous garden.

After the 1990s, the house remained uninhabited, and now it is gradually deteriorating, with part of the construction collapsing. The original agricultural and animal husbandry use of the household has disappeared, requiring a suitable conversion of the spaces to meet the current needs of the Viscri community.

The project "Our House Viscri - Restoration and Functional Conversion of the Saxon Household into a Multifunctional Public Community Space" proposes the reintegration of the household into community life through the multifunctional arrangement of the interior and exterior spaces. Flexible spaces will be created, intended for community socialization, non-formal education, and cultural events, as well as the provision of medical spaces and accommodation for volunteers.

The newly-created spaces and activities will benefit the village residents of all ages, as well as tourists, visitors, and volunteers involved in various activities at the Viscri site. Together with the local partner, the Alba Eglesia Foundation, promotional and media activities for the project have been planned through their own communication channels, involving the wider public and community members in a "volunteering for heritage" action and organizing an "Open Doors Day."

So far, specialized design firms have been selected, and topographic, geological, parametric, historical, biological, and technical studies have been conducted. The Preliminary Design phase (DALI) was completed at the end of June, and in July, the gates of household No. 140 were opened, and the project was presented to those who attended the event.

The value of the contract is RON 207,510 (EUR 42,000), and the Mihai Eminescu Trust Foundation has a contribution of RON 29,401 (EUR 5,900).

(Photo source: Fundația Mihai Eminescu Trust)