Safeguarding Historical Wooden Architecture in Times of War.

Documentation, Preservation, and Outreach - Scientific and Practical Workshop

Historic wooden architecture and wooden artefacts constitute a distinctive cultural heritage shared by many European countries. Russia’s war against Ukraine has brought the vulnerability of this heritage into sharp focus. This situation provided the impetus for a workshop dedicated to both scholarly and practical perspectives on the documentation, conservation, and communication of this cultural heritage. The event is the result of an international collaboration between the Department of Art History at the University of Cologne (Germany), the Museum of Folk Culture in Kolbuszowa (Poland), the Klymentiy Sheptytsky Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life in Lviv (Ukraine), the Ukraine Art Aid Center e.V. based in Berlin, and the National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad – Polonika. The workshop will take place from 17 to 24 April 2026 at the Museum of Folk Culture in Kolbuszowa.

Within four thematic workshops—Digital Technologies for the Documentation of Historic Buildings; Carpentry Techniques for the Restoration of Historic Structures; Condition Assessment and Evaluation of Historic Wooden Objects; and Museological and Digital Approaches to the Communication of Historic Wooden Architecture—experts from Ukraine, Poland, and Germany will present current scholarly and practical approaches. These will be discussed collectively and applied in practice-oriented sessions. The event is conceived as direct support in addressing the current challenges faced by museums and heritage conservation institutions in Ukraine under the conditions of war. It aims to foster international academic and professional exchange and to promote sustainable European cooperation in the fields of heritage conservation, museum practice, and public engagement with cultural heritage.

-- 18.04.2026 --
Welcome session and guided tour to the Museum in Kolbuszowa

-- 19.04.2026 --

9:00 - 11:30 Input lectures

Cezary Romanowski: Carpentry techniques in the restoration of historic buildings

Serhij Tsyphyshev: Presentation on field experience in 3D digitisation of folk architecture monuments under the EWAP programme

Igor Bajena, Karol Argasiński: Digital documentation technologies for historic buildings survey

12:00 - 18:00 Workshops

Igor Bajena: Digital documentation technologies for historic buildings’ survey

Karol Argasiński, Daria Maksymchuk: Digital documentation technologies for historic buildings (3D Scanning)

Cezary Romanowski: Carpentry techniques

-- 20.04.2026 --

9:00 - 11:00 Input lectures

Łukasz Skała: Fire protection for timber-framed buildings

Angelika Rauch: Wood as a material from a restoration perspective

11:30 - 17:00 Workshops

Igor Bajena: Digital documentation technologies for historic buildings’ survey

Karol Argasiński, Daria Maksymchuk: Digital documentation technologies for historic buildings (3D Scanning)

Cezary Romanowski: Carpentry techniques

Angelika Rauch: Condition assessment of an object

17:30 - 19:00 Presentation of projects - the protection of historic buildings during the war in Ukraine

Maryna Dovzhenko, Hanna Yakovenko: Activities of Lviv skansen in times of war - challenges and achievements

Vira Orlowska: Activities of the Ukraine Art Aid Center

Piotr Ługowski, Katarzyna Pastuszka: Activities of Instytut Polonika in Ukraine before and in times of war

Aleksandra Lipińska: Projects of the University in Cologne

-- 21.04.2026 --

9:00 - 10:00 Input lecture

Victor Mielnik: Wood Research and Restoration Programme at the Department of Architecture and Restoration, Lviv Polytechnic National University

10:00 - 17:00 Workshops
Cezary Romanowski: Carpentry techniques

Angelika Rauch: Condition assessment of an object

17:30 - 19:00 Evening lecture

Ulrich Schaaf: Architectural surveys of timber structures as a basis for conservation work

-- 22.04.2026 --

Excursion

-- 23.04.2026 --

9:00 - 10:30 Input lectures

Wojciech Dragan, Katarzyna Dypa: Museological and digital presentation of historic wooden architecture

Mykhailo Zakopets: Museum management in times of war

11:00 - 14:00 Workshop

Wojciech Dragan, Katarzyna Dypa, Mykhailo Zakopets: Presentation of each group's workshop activities

15:00 - 18:00 Wrap up

Aleksandra Lipińska, Katja Bernhardt

-- 24.04.2026 --

Departure day

The organisation of the workshop is coordinated by Katja Bernhardt and Aleksandra Lipińska.

The organisation of the event is made possible through financial support from the Ernst von Siemens Art Foundation, the Museum of Folk Culture in Kolbuszowa, the National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad – Polonika, and the Department of Art History at the University of Cologne.

https://holzkirchen.uni-koeln.de/aktuelles/