In an old ruined manor house in a small post industrial town of Jelšava, NGO Čierne diery created an adventure accommodation. In the derelict part of the Coburg mansion, together with the 2021 architects, they installed glass cabins and metal gangplanks. Visitors can book overnight stays in the building and become both witnesses and sponsors of the mansion’s conversion. The cabins are positioned within authentic spaces so as not to impede restoration of the building – if it ever happens.
Local
Slovakia
{Empty}
Mainly rural
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2022-09-01
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Čierne diery Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Martin Last name of representative: Lipták Gender: Male Nationality: Slovakia Function: director Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Rumančeková 42 Town: Bratislava Postal code: 82101 Country: Slovakia Direct Tel:+421910129514 E-mail:ciernediery@gmail.com Website:https://ciernediery.sk/
In an old ruined manor house in a small post industrial town of Jelšava, NGO Čierne diery created an adventure accommodation. In the derelict part of the Coburg mansion, together with the 2021 architects, they installed glass cabins and metal gangplanks. The cabins are positioned within authentic spaces so as not to impede restoration of the building – if it ever happens. Instead of demolition of the unused building, the Jelšava Cabins project represents a clear statement that slow repurposing of built heritage is possible even in the catching up regions with restricted budgets for reconstruction. All the constructions create a separate level with its own design principles and are designed so that the original construction and gradual repair work are fully visible. Visitors can book overnight stays in the building and become both witnesses and sponsors of the mansion’s conversion. The project was planned with locals and realized together with long-term employed local Roma who have been reconstructing the manor house through a state programme for several years.
heritage restoration
authenticity
socially responsible tourism
undeveloped regions
architectural intervention
As it is visible on its post industrial landscape, the town of Jelšava was once a center of iron ore mining. As mining declined over time, the region started to lag behind other more developed parts of Slovakia and unemployment soared. A large number of historical buildings survived here not thanks to their being actively preserved but mainly to the fact that there was no money available for either their conversion. This was also the case of Coburg Manor House. Instead of demolition of the unused building, the Jelšava Cabins project represents a clear statement that slow repurposing of built heritage is possible even in the catching up regions with restricted budgets for reconstruction. It shows that regardless of its bad technical state, architecture can attract visitors by its authentic features - maybe more than successfully reconstructed (but cold-hearted) heritage sites. Cabins and bridges in Jelšava are located in the part of the building in which no repair work was yet planned and which normal visitors had not had opportunity to see before. All the constructions create a separate level with its own design principles and are designed so that the original construction and gradual repair work are fully visible. These enable visitors to enjoy the mansion at different times of the day and year and, on return visits, to see any progress made on its restoration. The small intervention secured sustainability for the whole building as visitors contribute to its restoration by paying for their stay in the authentic environment of the ruined manor house.
Dozens of mansions around Slovakia have fallen into disrepair and raising the millions of euro needed for their renovation is almost impossible. Jelšava Cabins represent an example of the alternative approach to heritage restoration based on the contrast between the original and modern architectural layers. In the derelict part of the Coburg mansion, NGO Čierne diery together with the 2021 architects, installed glass cabins and metal gangplanks. Visitors can now book overnight stays in the building and experience all its authentic features: from the ornate details of the 18th century to the harsh influences of socialism. Entering via a chipped stone stairway, visitors continue along a corridor with no windowpanes and beneath a sunken vaulted ceiling and then go up to the tower with its views in all directions. The cabins provide the basic comforts of tourist accommodation together with hot showers and kitchenette. Inside there is space for up to six people. The cabins and gangways can be removed with no damage to the building and are arranged so that the original construction and gradual repair work are fully visible and create a separate level with its own design principles. These enable visitors to enjoy the mansion at different times of the day and year and, on return visits, to see any progress made on its restoration.
The current appearance of the Coburg mansion is the result of many acts of conversion and destruction done between the 17th century and the Communist era. After nationalization, it served as an agricultural school and various alterations were made to the building, both good and bad. Rooms with vaulted ceilings were divided with partition walls into smaller spaces, glass fibre reinforced concrete was added, corrugated iron roofing was placed on the rusty steel girders and the arch was reinforced with a ferro-concrete grill and cement finish. When the building fell into disuse, its copper roofing was stolen and water seeping through led to the collapse of some of the vaulted ceilings. This process of neglect ended in 2015 when the town joined a state programme of renewal involving the long-term employed, especially local Roma. They replaced the old roofing, cleaned out the interiors and did necessary brickwork. Led by renewal coordinator, Viera Kozárová, they knew from the start that the mansion was to serve the public and become the venue for various events. Čierne diery’s idea of experiential stays should help develop these activities – visitors can become witnesses of and even participants in the mansion’s conversion with the cabins open to anyone willing to make a voluntary contribution towards its upkeep and repair. Cabins are opened to the general public via a reservation system administered by locals. Visitors contribute with voluntary donations upon their own possibilities, which makes the project accessible to different social groups.
One of the main premises of the project was to help the region and the old Coburg manor house which was being reconstructed together with long-term employed local Roma. Municipality as the owner of the manor house failed to find funds for overall reconstruction. The idea of cabins was to experience the construction site in the in-between state and by providing this adventure to other people, to raise money for further reconstruction. During the design process, local citizens interacted with designers and architects and together they constructed the concept of cabins. Another effect of the project was the promotion of the town in the media which increased its popularity for tourists. Thanks to the Cabins Jelšava project, a new work position was established, providing work opportunity to the keeper.
The project was designed using the expertise of different stakeholders, specialists but also lay-people. First of all, the concept of cabins meet the needs of local inhabitants to attract human and economic capital into the undeveloped region and draw attention to unused heritage. Together with the local municipality and the long-term unemployed workers, especially local Roma who slowly renovate the manor house, Čierne diery selected a suitable part of the manor house in which no repair work was yet planned and which normal visitors had not had opportunity to see before. The project also included donors from all over the country. The project investor, Čierne diery, has, since 2014, been focused on the popularization and preservation of buildings ranging from old factories to modernist architecture of the socialist era. Thanks to financial help from thousands of donors, they decided to support activities at the Coburg mansion, which belongs to the town.
Based on the knowledge of experts on heritage preservation, light design, fire safety, carpenters, and plumbers, the team of architects developed a form of cabins made of wood and glass and metal gangplanks bridging the collapsed vaults.
The region of central Slovakia, which once was a center of mining, started to lag behind as the mining declined. Poor economic condition of these regions is caused by structural problems such as emigration of the working force, growing poverty, lack of job and business opportunities and consequential low economic demand of local citizens and brain drain The decline of the economic development in these districts has also palpable consequences on local infrastructure such as in the poor quality of roads and railways, scarce health and social services or the creation of food deserts. One of the effects of the economic regress is also a growing number of brownfields and empty buildings in the region. Lack of development paradoxically caused an unintentional effect that can be described as “conservation by poverty”: the underdevelopment causes an exceptional level of preservation of architectural, industrial or cultural heritage. Municipalities fail to find funds for reconstruction of the cultural heritage they own. The idea of Cabins Jelšava was to bring visitors to abandoned sites and provide them the experience of the authentic state of the heritage in reconstruction. As a result of the initiative, the town and the region started to be promoted, the number of tourists increased and even new tourist facilities emerged in the town. The project won the Slovak prize for architecture CEZAAR which resulted in a huge media attention.
Instead of demolition of the unused building or waiting for its total reconstruction, the Jelšava Cabins represent a clear statement that slow repurposing of built heritage is possible even in the catching up regions with restricted budgets for reconstruction.
All the constructions create a separate level with its own design principles and are designed so that the original construction and gradual repair work are fully visible. This creates a contract between original and new layers of the site and allows its usage even before being completely finished. This approach is usually used in castle ruins but we tried to apply it on a manor house type of architecture.
There are many ways how heritage protected buildings can show the process of their reconstruction which is usually very slow - but very interesting indeed. Normally this process is opened solely to historians or architects. By opening the site even during the long years of reconstruction, cultural heritage can create its audience before it is fully finished. Presenting the in between state of the building can be, in some ways, more attractive for tourists, than a visit of a finished and polished manor house. Our projects shows that authenticity can be beautiful too.
Our projects shows utilizes temporary architectural structures when dealing with empty buildings and brownfields which is one of the main challenges urban settlements face. It shows how to recycle existing structures and rethink their purpose even with small budgets.
