Ukrainian-Romanian camp in Rozdil: collective efforts to preserve the Lanckoronski-Rzewuski Palace

Over 50 Ukrainian and Romanian volunteers involved in conservation work at Lanckoronski-Rzewuski Palace, in Rozdil, Lviv region, Ukraine
The intervention and educational programme took place during the International Volunteer Heritage Camp / International Summer School organized within European project UREHERIT by two of the 11 partners in the consortium – Ro3kvit: Urban Coalition for Ukraine and the Romanian Order of Architects (ROA) – with the involvement Heritage UA, Building Ukraine Together BUR, ProPatrimonio, Monumentum / Ambulance for Monuments, and Studio Govora.
An Ukrainian-Romanian Volunteer Heritage Camp / Summer School took place between July 28 and August 11, 2024, in the Western Ukrainian village of Rozdil, Lviv region. More than 50 volunteers - Ukrainian architecture and cultural studies students, members of renowned heritage-specialized NGOs, and professional experts from both countries contributed to the educational program and on-site interventions. The main focus was that of testing various methods and participatory actions for heritage protection and recovery. The educational activities were hosted at the recently restored and repurposed Old School while the conservation, emergency interventions and clean-up were carried on at the former Archives and Stables buildings, belonging to the complex of Lanckoronski-Rzewuski Palace and Park in Rozdil, administered by Rozdil Palace and Heritage UA - an organization involved in the restoration and repurposing of a series of heritage building in Ukraine. In addition, restoration efforts were undertaken on a section of the roof and the terrace of the old boarding school building as part of the same project.
The heritage camp initiative attracted a lot of attention from the Ukrainian volunteers, with the number of applications 5 times exceeding the number of available places. This showed a great interest among youth to participate in heritage rebuilding, being the first of this kind for BUR – Build Ukraine Together, an NGO organising volunteer rebuilding camps in Ukraine since 2014, which was administering the camp and coordinating Ukranian volunteers. The participants helped resurface and uncover historical elements like historical brick and stones or architectural components from Soviet era or more recent inadequate interventions and secured the historic textures with compatible mortars and materials. Afterwards the volunteers cleaned and prepared the structures for their future function as venues for public exhibitions, cultural or community events and opened it for the first time for the Rozdil Summer School closing event. Furthermore, under the guidance of the Ambulance for Monuments, volunteers actively participated in the restoration of roofs, terraces, and other wooden elements of the damaged buildings. During this work, they acquired hands-on experience from the Ambulance restorers, mastering traditional woodcarving techniques, making replacements, and creating rafters into distinctive shapes including horses’ heads ends. One of the main aims of the volunteer heritage camp was the development of public participation tools and promoting the good practices in saving historical monuments amongst members of local community. Rozdil community members were therefore significantly involved: from answering surveys and attending the presentations and activities of the volunteers and experts to supporting with organizing the camp, contributing locally sourced food and recipes, helping manage the camp venues and even participating in the works on site. A separate event, conducted by Ro3kvit, was dedicated to mapping local cultural landscape with the local people and exploring attitudes and perceptions of the Palace as the heritage magnet for Rozdil and its neighbouring communities.
Along with coordinating the on-site interventions , the Romanian Order of Architects contributed with an intensive course on basic pre -restoration and restoration practices (particularly regarding historic masonry) and a series of presentations on the role of heritage and local character in small communities, the impact of Local Building Guidelines created by the ROA Rural Grup or best practices in working with heritage, promoting it and connecting with the local communities. The Ambulance for Monuments effectively oversaw the restoration and rehabilitation efforts at the former Archives and Stables buildings within the Palace complex, as well as at the old boarding school in Rozdil, ensuring that all interventions adhered to conservation standards. Additionally, the Ambulance supplied crucial equipment, transportation, and the right tools, thereby enhancing the efficiency and quality of the work performed. This partnership was vital for safeguarding the historical and cultural significance of these structures, concepts that the Ambulance for Monuments communicated also to the volunteers on-site throughout the project. 
As a result of the two weeks of the volunteers’ intensive work, the several venues of the Palace Archive and Stables will be now available for immediate use as exhibition, workshop and gathering spaces while the Palace itself will be undergoing a longer process of restoration. This allows the re-discovery of the formerly neglected Palace complex as a meeting place and integral part of the local social fabric. The opening of the venues was celebrated with a closing party for volunteers and the Rozdil community and was later-on followed by a local outdoor festival which gathered an audience of 600 people.

About UREHERIT project:
«UREHERIT. Architects for heritage in Ukraine: recreating identity and memory» - is a three-year-long European cultural project which aims to build competence in the fields of heritage protection, regeneration of culturally meaningful sites and projects in Ukraine. The project addresses heritage as a resource for sustainable cultural, social, environmental, and economic recovery, while solving challenges of preservation, re-definition and highlighting the national and local cultural identity in Ukraine. The broader goal of the project is to encourage the local communities of Ukraine to build a new, democratic, and sustainable Ukraine with a unique yet European cultural DNA. Within UREHERIT a total of four Urban Forums will take place in Ukraine in the period between 2024-2025, with the first two Forums serving as pilots.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author (s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.