Published: August 8, 2025
From July 6 to 10, 2025, Obuda University’s Ybl Miklós Faculty of Architecture proudly hosted the ICOMOS Summer School as part of the 55th Román András Summer University on Monument Protection. The event, held in English, attracted widespread international interest and highlighted Hungary’s diverse built heritage, from castles and vernacular architecture to industrial sites.
Participants explored the theme “The Monument and Its Environment,” aligned with ICOMOS’s current triennial scientific programme focused on social conflict. Excursions took place in Hollókő and Ózd, followed by a lecture series held at the faculty, where experts and practitioners presented case studies and ongoing research on monument preservation and adaptive reuse.
Opening speeches were given by Faculty Dean Prof Dr Anthony John Gall and Dr habil Viktória Sugár, Vice Rector for Sustainability and Strategic Development. A keynote lecture by Riin Alatalu, Vice President of ICOMOS and UNESCO heritage coordinator, posed fundamental questions on why and how societies protect their monuments. Further lectures featured contributions from leading professionals including Dr Zsolt Virág, Erika Erdélyi, Dr László Diószegi, Zoltán Erő, architect Gergely Nagy, Miklós Rácz, and Emília Zsuzsanna Kiss.
The Summer School also showcased the achievements of student groups such as UNI CO RE, I’5 Industrial Heritage Workshop, NTDK, and FEÖD, and included a workshop led by I’5 students under the mentorship of Prof Dr Györgyi Csontos and Dr Domonkos Gergely Nagy.
The final day concluded with the presentation of workshop results, a diploma ceremony, and a closing reception.
The event was jointly organised by the ICOMOS Hungarian National Committee, the ICOMOS University Forum, the Austrian and Slovenian National Committees of ICOMOS, and several Hungarian universities including Széchenyi István University, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, the University of Pécs, the University of Tokaj, and the Hungarian Renaissance Foundation.
Source: Obuda University
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