Description
The project supports infrastructure and content development related to cave homes and their environment in Egerszalók. Cave homes are protected locally by the village’s Local Construction Regulations: Section 7 titled Special Areas, item (9) titled Cave Area. Municipality Decree 4/2014 (V.15.) by the body of representatives which has designated cave homes a protected natural area of local importance. The development covers properties with 8 different land register numbers of which 5 are not owned by the applicant. The municipality wants to purchase the above properties from its own funds for which it signed a sales contract with the properties’ owner prior to submitting its application. In summary, the infrastructure of cave homes and their environment to be developed under the project is in poor condition. The cave homes are dangerous to enter because of the bad condition of the cellars underneath them. They cannot be used in their current condition and their lack of use is clearly due to their poor structural condition. The cave homes to be renovated and conserved and their environment at the moment cannot fully fulfill their cultural function due to the poor condition of their critical condition; they cannot be visited in their current state. Part of the project's development plan is to promote infrastructure development which is an essential prerequisite to creating rooms and environment appropriate for community and cultural functions to be established as a result of content development. The implementation of project components aiming to embrace themes important for the community and improve individual and community competences were key priorities considered when community and cultural functions were developed. Another priority was to provide facilities suitable to accommodate community entertainment events and other cultural events/activities. Designing the infrastructure, special care was given to heritage protection aspects and typical landscape features.
Summary of project results
The project supported infrastructure and content development related to the cave homes and their environment in Egerszalók. Content development related to the infrastructure development part of the project involved the establishment of several community and cultural functions with the following social impacts: stronger local identity, social responsibility and community cohesion, deeper integration of heritage values, higher awareness of the importance of local built heritage among visitors. The project had the comprehensive aim to preserve, maintain and restore the environment of built heritage and present its original function and operation in an engaging way. Through this, the project promoter restored and made accessible to the public 218.50 sqms of area with cultural functions, preserved and presented the values of built heritage and its natural environment related to traditional rural lifestyle, environmentally conscious area use and landscape management in a sustainable way and with the involvement of local stakeholders. They started to demonstrate traditional rural crafts and make development results available and accessible to the general public and present them in an engaging way. The purchase of the tools for community playgrounds (yurta tent, furnace), of folk playground facilities, of the facilities at the reception park, of the fairground caves were performed for this reason. A 10-minute 3D movie showing the everyday lives of caves and the history of cave dwellings was also created.
Summary of bilateral results