The ICOMOS Summer School attracted wide international interest when it was held in Hungary from 6 to 10 July 2025, within the framework of the 55th Román András Summer University on Monument Protection at Obuda University’s Ybl Miklós Faculty of Architecture. Students and faculty from the Ybl Faculty participated actively in the organisation of the event. On the third day of this five‑day English‑language programme, study excursions took place in Hollókő and Ózd, followed on the fourth day by a series of lectures organised locally.
The Summer School’s central theme was the monument and its environment. In line with ICOMOS’s current triennial scientific programme on social conflicts, the topic was examined through the status and adaptive reuse of three characteristic groups of built heritage in Hungary: manor houses (castles), vernacular architecture, and industrial heritage.
Participants were welcomed by the Faculty Dean, Prof. Dr Anthony John Gall, PhD. Opening remarks were given by Dr habil. Viktória Sugár, Vice Rector for Sustainability and Strategic Development at Obuda University. The first lecture in the session led by Prof. Dr Sonja Ifko was delivered by Riin Alatalu, Vice‑President of ICOMOS, lecturer in Cultural Heritage and Conservation at the Estonian Academy of Arts, and coordinator of UNESCO heritage studies – addressing the questions of from whom, why, and how we protect monuments.
Following this, Dr Zsolt Virág, Managing Director of the Hungarian Castle Programme Nonprofit Ltd, spoke about the restoration of castles and manor houses in Hungary between 2005 and 2025. Insights were shared by Erika Erdélyi (architect) and Dr László Diószegi, Kossuth Prize‑winning historian‑choreographer and director of the Teleki László Foundation, about their experience with the Vernacular Architecture Programme. Zoltán Erő, Chief Architect of Budapest, discussed 20th‑century heritage protection in the Hungarian capital. After a break, architect Gergely Nagy, President of the Hungarian National Committee of ICOMOS, presented the work of the Built Heritage College of the National Cultural Fund. The session continued with architect Miklós Rácz, who spoke about mapping the “non‑governmental heritage protection sector” in Central and Eastern Europe between November 2023 and March 2025. The morning programme concluded with a professional lecture by architect engineer Emília Zsuzsanna Kiss on the interior reconstruction of Buda Castle. The success of the event was enhanced by contributions from Ybl Faculty staff and students, including an exhibition showcasing the faculty’s student heritage‑protection groups: UNI.CO.RE., I’5 (Industrial Heritage Workshop), NTDK (Vernacular Architecture Scientific Student Circle), and FEÖD (Foerk Ernő Heritage Student Circle).
During the afternoon workshop, the Industrial Heritage Workshop (I’5) students — Rácz Zsombor, Nagy Tímea, Tóth Réka, Görgényi Veronika, Juhász Emese Katinka (doctoral student), and Péterffy Gergely — contributed in large numbers with professional results, mentored by Prof. Dr Györgyi Csontos and Dr Domonkos Gergely Nagy, PhD.
On the fifth and final day, the camp concluded with presentation of workshop results, a diploma ceremony, and a closing reception.
The Summer School was organised by the ICOMOS Hungarian National Committee, in collaboration with the ICOMOS University Forum, the Austrian and Slovenian National Committees of ICOMOS, Széchenyi István University, Obuda University Ybl Miklós Faculty of Architecture, the Budapest University of Technology and Economics Faculty of Architecture, the University of Tokaj, the University of Pécs Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, and the Hungarian Renaissance Foundation.
