Europa Nostra’s representatives from Germany, Czechia and Poland visit the Sisters’ House Ensemble in Kleinwelka
On 27 April, upon the invitation of the President of Europa Nostra Germany, Dr. Uwe Koch, the Vice-Presidents of Europa Nostra Petr Svoboda from Czechia and Prof. Dr. Jacek Purchla from Poland visited the Sisters’ House Ensemble in Kleinwelka, listed among the 7 Most Endangered Heritage Sites in Europe for 2023, and met with civil society and the Mayor of Bautzen, Karsten Vogt. The visit was held in the frame of the Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding on cross-border cooperation in the field of cultural heritage signed by the three representatives on the occasion of the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2022 in Prague.
Our VPs Petr Svoboda & Jacek Purchla & the President of Europa Nostra 🇩🇪 Uwe Koch visited last wk the Sisters’ House Ensemble, a #7MostEndangered #heritage site 2023. The visit was held as part of the 🇩🇪🇵🇱🇨🇿 cooperation established at our Summit in Prague.https://t.co/6opcHYjLpg pic.twitter.com/7IBgC1bV2N
— Europa Nostra (@europanostra) May 4, 2023
Europa Nostra’s representatives from Germany, Czechia and Poland met with representatives from the Sisters’ House Association and the municipality of Bautzen, led by its Mayor, to explore ways to jointly save the former Moravian settlement in Kleinwelka. Built in the mid-18th century, Sisters’ House Ensemble was included on the 2023 List of 7 Most Endangered Heritage Sites in Europe, published on 13 April by Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank Institute.
“The inclusion of the Sisters’ House Ensemble on this year’s list of 7 Most Endangered Heritage Sites in Europe shows the recognition of the work done by the Brüder-Unity and the Sisters’ House Association. I am very pleased that our joint efforts to safeguard Kleinwelka’s gem are finally bearing fruit. I would like to thank all those involved in the preservation of the site, in particular Europa Nostra Germany,” stated the Mayor of Bautzen, Karsten Vogt.
“We believe that with a joint effort we will be able to secure funding for the restoration and new use of this unique site,” jointly emphasized the President of Europa Nostra Germany, Dr. Uwe Koch, and the Vice-Presidents of Europa Nostra Petr Svoboda and Prof. Dr. Jacek Purchla.
As the Advisory Panel of the 7 Most Endangered Programme highlighted: “The Sisters’ House Ensemble has an extraordinary heritage value, though largely unrecognised until recently, but it is also acutely endangered. This ensemble of mid-18th century historic buildings clearly has an architectural value (“modest Baroque style”); furthermore, it embodies immaterial heritage value of past female-based activities within the Moravian but also the wider community, including the local Sorbian minority, as well as cross-border linkages in this German-Czech-Polish border region. Once restored, the ensemble could present local history and serve a variety of social activities of local, regional and cross-border importance.”
