Category: Past Events

From 29th of March to 2nd of April the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum at BAS was presented at the spring edition of Stroiko 2000 Trade Fair* in the National Palace of Culture, Sofia. Association “Meshtra - Traditional Knowledge and Crafts”, as partners of the initiative for creating an educational center at the National Ethnographic Museum in Sofia, presented its activities, the exhibition "Encounters in Strandzha" and from 1st to 2nd of April we conducted workshops for children on the topic of "Bulgarian traditional architecture". We are grateful to the organizers for their invitation, for the interest and support of the visitors and the happy smiles of all the children! The purpose of the campaign of IEFSEM - BAS is raising money for a permanent modern educational center of the National Ethnographic Museum consisting of trainings in various crafts and traditional practices. To support the creation of a children's center in the museum you can donate 1 lev via...

От 29 март до 2 април кампанията „Опознай традициите, за да обикнеш народа си!“ на Института за етнология и фолклористика с Етнографски музей при БАН бе представена на пролетното изложение за архитектура, строителство и обзавеждане Изложение Стройко 2000 в НДК. Сдружение "Мещра - традиционни знания и занаяти", като партньори на инициативата за създаване на Образователен център към Национален етнографски музей, гр. София представи своите дейности, изложбата "Срещи в Странджа" и на 01 - 02.04 бяха проведени ателиета за деца "Българска традиционна архитектура". Благодарим на организаторите за поканата, за интереса и подкрепата на посетителите и на щастливите усмивки от децата! Целта на кампанията на ИЕФЕМ - БАН е събиране на средства за създаване на постоянен модерен образователен център на Националния етнографски музей с обучение по различни занаяти и традиционни практики. За подпомагане създаването на детския център в музея можете да дарите 1 лев чрез смс на номер 17 777, с текст "DMS MUZEY". Ако искате да вземете участие в нашите обучения, посетете...

Between 20th and 25th of March 2017 representatives of MESHTRA participated in the international workshop SUPPORTING YOUTH ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP THROUGH RURAL HERITAGE on the island of Brač, Croatia. The event was carried out under the leadership of YCARHe and with the support of ERASMUS+. The objectives of the training were exploring the cultural heritage of the island, discovering connections between it, the natural resources and the economy of the region. As a final product we created plans for sustainable development incorporating cultural heritage protection, optimizing the use of resources and improving living conditions. ...

We are glad to announce that the webpage of the project "Greetings, Master! How did you build it?" strandzha.meshtrango.com , is now a fact! There you can find all the information about the project, events, fotos, drawings, audio and video records, as well as an interactive map of all the visited places. This webpage is thought of as an open database for master-builders from Strandzha, who still practice the old trades, and of traditional crafts. So, if you think you have relevant information to add, don't hesitate to write us at meshtra.ngo@gmail.com. The English version is coming soon! This product is a part from Stage 2 of the project, with the support of National Fund "Culture". ...

The Department of “History and theory of architecture” at UACEG and association “Meshtra - traditional knowledge and crafts” invite you to a summer workshop in Preservation of cultural heritage. The event is aimed at people interested in cultural heritage and traditional building techniques and materials and proposes both lectures and practical sessions. You will be able to take part in: - Architectural documenting of cultural heritage sites; - Woodcarving – training with Vesselin Mitev of Rezbari.net; - Making and applying clay plaster; - Building wattle fences Registration for the workshop: For architecture students from UACEG II year: emiliakaleva @ abv.bg For everyone else: contact@meshtrango.com We look forward to meet you! ...

On 09.03.2016 at 19.00 at Studio Projectirane (at the UACEG) we will present our upcoming workshops for 2016. We propose three workshops in three different locations in Bulgaria. Each workshop will offer a unique opportunity to explore local cultural heritage, discover local people and their tradition and take part in practical activities on site. Our workshops are aimed at people wishing to learn more about building with natural materials, traditional Bulgarian architecture and the preservation of our cultural heritage. More information about us is available on our Facebook page!...

Workshop on work with natural materials and preservation of the cultural heritage, Dolen village, September 2015. We aim to develop and encourage public interest in heritage and strive to reach people working in various fields, showing them how they can interact with natural resources to improve their daily lives. By the end of September we held a second workshop, with a more special emphasis on the practical side: Woodwork - material properties, extraction and processing. As before, heritage was our main focus, and in parallel to the practical work sessions, we continued our study of Dolen’s architecture. We were delighted to see participants from the first workshop return for the second edition, which comforted us we were doing (at least some) things right, but also enjoined us to keep on developing and improving our workshops. ...

In August, the village of Dolen was home to the first edition of Transfiguration Festival, which hosted many high-profile music acts such as Isihia, Kayno Yesno Slonce, Smallman, Balkanski and Theodosii Spassov, Baba Zula and so on. After finishing our first architectural workshop in Dolen, we started work on several events for the Transfiguration Festival. We created a guide map for the Festival guest, outlining the Festival’s main locations, as well as sites of interest throughout the village and its surroundings. Meshtra made its HQ in a house in the very heart of the village, and from there we were able to help visitors to get their bearings in Dolen and advertise them to the various activities we proposed. We set up a series of lectures and discussions open to the guests of the festival. Many locals also took interest and supplied the sessions with their own stories and experience. The results from the architectural workshop were the subject of an exhibition, including our...

Architectural workshop on Preserving the cultural heritage in the village of Dolen, July 2015 The contacts we made during our initial surveys made this workshop possible. Professors from the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy in Sofia (UACEG), practicing architects, local historians and members of the Association for construction with natural materials all came as lecturers during our fieldwork. The course we proposed aimed to provide a clear picture of the historical development of the region, to outline major issues related to the preservation of heritage, not only in Dolen but throughout Bulgaria, and finally to introduce the participants to working techniques with natural materials. Surveying fieldwork featured the study of objects of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Houses were studied and described, but at the same time we spoke with their inhabitants, who shared information about their typical way of life, both today and in the past. We discovered typical elements of the lifestyle in the village and the...