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Description
The project aims to create a space, kind of a laboratory, for free thinking, faith, creativity, modern and classical culture and dialogue, on an ecclesiastical ground of the The Evangelical Lyceum in Bratislava. The project intends to create a modern physical and virtual exposition of Slovak modernization and emancipation movement led by the Lyceum''s students and teachers (Matej Bel, members of Štúr generation, Milan Rastislav Štefánik and others). Moreover, as the center of intelligence, it is aimed to support primarily young people and students to build “healthy” national and European identity by organizing education and cultural events. By reconstruction and revitalization of the Lyceum building, the precious library from 13th century will be restored as well. This will support the research activities of Slovak Academy of Science, which has a small organization residing at the premises.
Summary of project results
The aim of the project was the renovation of the building of the Old Lyceum (Staré Lýceum) - a national cultural monument, which will enable the preservation of an important historical building in the historic centre of the capital and the creation of a space for free thinking, creativity, modern and classical culture and, above all, dialogue. The aim was to restore the building, taking into account its history architecturally, with the aim of preserving the original architectural elements, for example by being able to preserve some of the oldest original Baroque floors, as well as the grand and open-minded ideas and opinions that have evolved over the years in the building of the Old Lyceum. Situating the building in the historic centre as well as the centre of community life (Konventná-Palisády-Panenská) was to enable the project to create a place for ideas, meeting and understanding, as well as a participatory and communal approach to building a healthy and responsible environment and society.
The project promoter aimed to bring back the former free spirit of the Lyceum and to raise awareness of its historical importance. The aim was also to create a modern virtual exposition of the history of the Slovak modernisation and emancipation movement and through its activities it supported the building of a "healthy" national and European identity. In addition to the building itself, the complexity of the restoration was also focused on the lyceum library with its rare library collection as well as the support of the scientific and research activities of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. With the completion of the renovation works, the project continued into the programmatic and commercial part. The aim was to create a participatory strategy for the programming of the cultural and community centre. The project aimed to fulfil a number of programmatic milestones of different focus in the field of culture, education, workshops or exchange of good practice, focusing on cultural diversity, minorities and finding common understanding through dialogue. By building both bilateral and local partnerships, the project was able to bring new ideas, know-how on cooperation with disadvantaged groups as well as know-how in the field of interreligious and intercultural dialogue. It brought a number of interesting workshops on minorities (national, cultural, social) as well as expert discussions with educational institutions.
The project activities had a broad focus and contributed to a number of objectives. The main division is the construction part, namely the renovation of the Old Lyceum building, and the content part. The main activity of the project was the implementation of reconstruction works as well as equipping the interior of the Old Lyceum and its transformation into a modern cultural and community centre. The renovation of the building concerned both the exterior and the interior of the building, with particular emphasis on preserving the original elements. The course of the reconstruction work was carried out under the methodical supervision of the Regional Monuments Office, which was responsible for making the transformation of the original architecture as similar as possible. As part of the interior furnishing, new furnishings were purchased and installed for the needs and use of the events of the cultural centre as well as for the research activities of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, which manages one of the most important book collections in the Lyceum. The building modifications also included an archival shelving system, which enabled the modernisation and easier processing or archiving of the collections; the digitisation of printed materials and globes and their interpretation in the virtual tour also contributed to the modernisation. Other equipment purchased for the premises included lighting fixtures, audio/video equipment as well as the installation of a kitchen for the community café and a service kitchen for activities in the centre. The programming part was implemented by the beneficiary in cooperation with the project partners. The implementation of the events managed to meet all the planned objectives and indicators, with a total of more than 40 events, 3 conferences and several exhibition installations. The programme part was in the spirit of the project''s ideas of promoting dialogue, opening up cultural and inter-religious issues and respectful discussions or creating a cultural programme with a focus on acceptance of minority cultures and views. The grand opening of the Old Lyceum as a cultural-community centre took place on 3.12.2023 followed by a week in the Old Lyceum, as one of the first programmes communicated to the general public to present the vision of the place. In this week many events were held - Warm Data Lab - Community Party in the Old Lyceum; Discussion on the mission of knowledge of art in the story of modern Slovakia; Opening of the exhibition "Let me be as I am" the story of Anna Frank; Opening of the exhibition Kristián Németh - "Prayer for a better future" as well as the Winter Good Market. The Old Lyceum will become a fully-fledged cultural and community centre open to all free, respectful and connecting ideas and people.
The project Lýceum - Free Society Lab was created as a response to the need to sensitise society and builds on the activities of the beneficiary to develop a tradition of dialogue, open thinking, social reconciliation and modernisation activities. The project was born out of a dialogue between communities, professionals and local government representatives to create a unique space in the historic centre and to restore an important building, a national cultural monument, that can provide such a safe and open place.
The target audiences for the project and its outputs are:
- The general public - revitalizing the history of LÝCEA and raising public awareness of Slovakia''s emancipation and modernization movement, the opportunity to participate in various cultural events, to engage in community life;
- Artists and community groups - use of the premises of the cultural and community centre for the presentation of their own work, group events;
- Young people and students - access to important printed materials as well as historical globes, information about the history of a significant building in an engaging way through a virtual tour; discussions and activities aimed at promoting critical thinking and intercultural dialogue;
- Minorities - Roma minorities, LGBTI groups, migrants, religious and cultural minorities in Slovakia. Through activities, workshops, events and exhibitions, the beneficiary and partners raised issues of minority life, tried to understand their position in society and find ways to communicate in a reconciliatory and educational approach.
Summary of bilateral results
The involvement of bilateral partner and cooperation allowed to build on the know-how of the involved organisations in the field of approach to interreligious and intercultural dialogue, as well as to work with minorities and their involvement in the life of the community, the partnership has developed within the project and, in addition to the main bilateral partner involved, this cooperation has also been extended to other entities from the Norway, which allows for further cooperation in the future. The institute of partnership has enabled the dissemination of the project outputs and increased awareness of the promoter''s activities beyond the borders of the Slovak Republic, but most importantly it has enabled the drawing of experience and innovative approaches in the social field. The project has also allowed for bilateral working visits following the grant to improve cooperation and build stronger relationships. During the project several common activities and several personal visits were organised, the primary objective was to implement common activities, strengthen cooperation and learn know-how from the bilateral partner.