New MOMAr meeting on best practices in heritage management

Would you like to work with educational materials related to the Mudejar identity of the villages in the classroom? Do you understand the heritage space as an innovative learning space?

In the coming weeks the first action of the project “Rural school in motion” (Circular desde la escuela rural) will begin, an introductory course to the project in which Territorio Mudéjar offers to those interested in linking education, heritage and innovation to know the starting point and the methodology with which it will work until mid 2022 together with seven of the local development groups in the province of Zaragoza coordinated by the ADRI Calatayud Aranda group.

“Rural school in motion” is a cooperation project between rural development groups coordinated by the ADRI Calatayud-Aranda group, together with Cedemar, Adefo Cinco Villas, Asomo Moncayo, Adrae Comarca Alta del Ebro, Fedivalca y Adri Jiloca Gallocanta, and financed by the Government of Aragon through the Leader programme and the Provincial Council of Zaragoza through the Territorio Mudéjar association, as a private collaborating entity that manages the implementation and execution of the initiative.

The aim is to develop educational materials related to the Mudejar identity of the villages, placing rural schools and the educational community of the villages at the centre of the project, with a triple purpose:

◾️To work on the introduction of the Mudejar heritage identity in the work programmes of schools beyond the artistic or complementary areas. ◾️To involve the educational community in the valuation of Mudejar heritage as part of their personal history, which favours the knowledge, conservation and dissemination of the identity of the towns. ◾️To use the work carried out in schools as material for dissemination and tourist use on the Mudejar heritage of the villages for family and children audiences.

🔺In the COURSE we will explain the working methodology and the results of the pilot project that was carried out in the CRA Vicort Isuela during the 2018-2019 academic year and which is the starting point for the implementation of the project in the schools of the villages of Territorio Mudéjar.

It will be taught by Laura Castejón and Víctor Gumiel, teachers who carried out the design and testing of the pilot project, and Victoria E. Trasobares, director of Territorio Mudéjar who has extensive experience in the management and implementation of Mudejar heritage management projects in rural areas.

The Department of Education has included it as an approved course in its catalogue of ongoing teacher training activities and recognises the training hours.

The course will be carried out on-line through the entity’s digital work platform that we will set up for the specific training.

Information about the course:  https://mcusercontent.com/395a3a370852ce9982369da41/files/c70fb223-f20d-4813-be10-3e7c3b7c3597/CURSO_CIRCULAR.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2ih0BoCjstPS3ueZ4pTuAGNtXDsPSmKjdEUOQ2s-Zd8UkRFONZ-xijwE4

Application form: Option 1: If you have a digital certificate or signature https://doceo.catedu.es/epgfp/portada Option 2: If you do not have a digital certificate or signature, write a message to: info@territoriomudejar.es

Information about the project:  https://mcusercontent.com/395a3a370852ce9982369da41/files/9591a2e9-2ee5-4ea0-bc3b-72947d2bbd3e/PROYECTO_CIRCULAR.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1iiN-Cw1NR7dgSk0_7lKDKLsd2_7lgBLF3JG6XL1CBHiyJ0G15-02DMKg

If you have any doubts or you want to consult us about any particular issue you can call us on 876 634 125 or write an email to info@territoriomudejar.es

Students of the European UNITA programme in Territorio Mudéjar

    Today we introduce you to Andrea, an International Cooperation student from the University of Turin who is doing her internship at Territorio Mudéjar thanks to the European programme UNITA- Rural Mobility.

    “I decided to do my internship with Territorio Mudéjar because I would like to specialise in local development in relation to cultural heritage management and sustainable tourism”, Andrea explains. And then adds: “I hope that through this experience I will be able to bring useful strategies for Italian heritage management and establish future relationships”.

    At the moment she lives and works in Tobed, together with the students of the Challenge project of the University of Zaragoza.

    Guided routes to discover the Mudejar heritage of the province of Zaragoza begin

      This autumn, Territorio Mudéjar resumes its guided tours to discover the Mudejar heritage of the province of Zaragoza in its broadest sense – monuments, urbanism, landscape, trades… – always with scientific rigour and hand in hand with professionals. The initiative “Mudejar Territory: a journey to beauty”, promoted together with the Council of Zaragoza, includes 12 routes divided into five themes: cultural fusion, the origins of the artistic style, the towers and the fortress churches. It is a journey back in time through an artistic style that was present from the 13th to the 16th century and which left a legacy that has earned some of its monuments the UNESCO World Heritage designation.

      The first routes begin in September:

      • The Mudejars: Mestizo Land and borderland: one through Magallón, Torrellas and Fréscano and another through Saviñán, Mesones de Isuela and La Almunia de Doña Godina. They will show how the period of fusion between the Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures is still clearly reflected today in the country houses, urbanism and monuments of these towns.
      • Keys to a style: towers. You will visit Romanos, Villarreal de Hueva, Mainar and Villar de los Navarros. These routes immerse visitors in the origins of the style and explain how the Islamic tradition gradually gained ground, with its particular technical solutions, quality and attractive and captivating aesthetics. Specifically, these routes will visit the Mudejar towers, which characterise the ‘skyline’ of the territory and are one of the most exceptional representations of this style.
      • The Mudejar space: Tobed, Maluenda and Morata de Jiloca. This is a route through some of the most beautiful fortress-churches, temples of a clearly defensive style, with privileged locations, framed in beautiful country houses and integrated into the landscape.

      The tours will continue in November and December.

      The activities are free of charge and those interested should make a reservation in advance on the website www.territoriomudejar.es by calling 876 634 125 or by emailing rutas@territoriomudejar.es.

      This initiative is part of the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the declaration of the Mudejar of the province of Zaragoza as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

      All the information at www.territoriomudejar.es/category/proyectos/rutas/

      Third MOMAr meeting: exchange of international good practices

        The pedagogical nature and the use of new technologies in the field of heritage management were the focus of the third interregional meeting of the European project MOMAr (IEEE3 From theory to practice.Experimental Models of Management Tested) in which we have participated this week as an attending “stakeholder”.

        This event has allowed us to learn and be inspired by the initiatives that are being carried out in the field of Management of Singular Rural Heritage in all the countries participating in the project. This meeting has also allowed the use of cultural and natural spaces for the direct benefit and enjoyment of the population.

        Thus, the Daroca Town Hall announced the International Early Music Festival, which, with almost half a century of history, has become a world reference. Both training courses and concerts are attended every year by hundreds of professionals and lovers of early music from all over the world. It is a meeting that brings together the immense local architectural and historical heritage with international art and culture. The festival’s director, Javier Artigas, took the opportunity to confirm that this year’s edition will take place from 3 to 10 August. The broadcast of this experience was made from the church of San Miguel.

        Second MOMAr meeting: Territorio Mudéjar as a hub for rural innovation

        Territorio Mudéjar has participated this Thursday in the second meeting of the European project MOMAr, a pioneering meeting with entities of the province linked to cultural heritage.

        The event, with the aim of being a meeting point and a space to create new synergies within the sector, was held in an on-line format open to the public, with the participation of more than 50 professionals linked to heritage management and a streaming audience of more than 200 interested people.

        In the session, we explained how we work to be a hub of rural innovation and follow strategies of:

        • Research: with stays and professional internships in rural areas.
        • Communication, dissemination and knowledge: with the inhabitants as protagonists, working to attract national and international entities to the territory, taking advantage of the World Heritage brand; and working carefully with the media.
        • Investment and future projects: Working with specialised teams in calls for funding and building virtual workspaces to strengthen collaboration strategies.

        In addition, we have explained our role based on:

        • Use the heritage space from a disruptive point of view and directly linked to the local development of the communities.
        • The strengthening of historical-artistic heritage management thinking as a strategy, which affects multiple actions, and cultural management as a tool.
        • Attraction of professionals to the rural environment on a permanent basis, facilitating its implementation.
        • The evidence that the only way to have more significant results is through the strengthening of networking and the acquisition of roles within the network.
        • The need to exchange good practices without losing sight of the fact that it is not enough to replicate but to think about how it works in your territory and the assets on which your management is based.

        And we talked about our commitment to professionalization understood as quality, projects and results.

        Project MOMAr: Heritage beyond tourism

        At Territorio Mudéjar we strive to develop Mudejar heritage management practices that foster responsible, sustainable tourism designed by those in the places where the heritage is located, always in conjunction with their inhabitants. We are convinced that preservation, research and dissemination of the Mudejar identity are key factors in the creation of tourism activities.

        To consolidate this aim and share best practices, from today until November 13, we will be attending the second Interregional Event for Exchange of Experiences 2 (IEE 2), held in the province of Groningen, in the north of the Netherlands, entitled “Heritage, further than tourism: a sustainable future”.

        Researcher Irene Ruiz Bazán (professor at the Polytechnic of Turin and Territorio Mudéjar fieldwork researcher) was in charge of moderating the good practice seminars in which several towns belonging to our network stood out in the presentation of unique projects.

        The mayor of Torrellas, María Pilar Pérez, presented the Miau urban art project, which has been in place in the town since 2016.

        From Alagón, as part of the Heritage and Education seminar, Julián Millán and Pablo Sebastián discussed the interesting work they are doing at the Ribera Alta del Ebro Workshop School.

        And from Daroca, Irene Ruiz mentioned the work being done in Territorio Mudéjar, with contributions from researchers Ricardo Monreal and Marta López – 2020 Fieldwork grants – in the Mudejar civil architecture management project, which they are carrying out in accordance with the objectives of the new Fundación Campo de Daroca management body, reaching an important milestone by converting the Palacio de los Luna into a benchmark and a management model for private civil architecture.

        On Friday, streaming from the Museo de Momias in Quinto, it will be time to look to the future in the conclusion sessions and also in the workshop on rural heritage management in the era of COVID-19, an issue that Territorio Mudéjar has thoroughly addressed so as to remain active while complying with all the safety measures and ensuring the safety of our visitors, but also, above all, that of the inhabitants of our towns.

        Moreover, we have launched a multiplatform digital work solution in order to continue progressing with our projects online, aiming to work in an effective, innovative manner with historical and artistic resources, to the benefit of Mudejar heritage and our region.

        Territorio Mudéjar has a strong presence in this forum, in which up to 12 people from our network are participating: students in the Challenge Program, members of city councils like those of Villarreal de Huerva and Maluenda, 2019 and 2020 fieldwork researchers, and more.

        * Territorio Mudéjar is a member of MOMAr Interreg Europe (Models of Management for Singular Rural Heritage / Modelos de Gestión para el Patrimonio Rural Singular), which, under the leadership of the Provincial Government of Zaragoza and funded by the European Union, involves entities from six different countries.

        Territorio Mudéjar as a role model of adapting one’s work in the era of the pandemic

        Territorio Mudéjar outlined today, at the MOMAr Interregional Event, its strategy and the measures taken to continue its projects during the pandemic, in the hopes that our experience aids others in finding windows of opportunity at a time in which we must remain committed to sustainable heritage management and safe culture.

        The director of Territorio Mudéjar, Victoria Trasobares, connected from the Museo de las Momias in Quinto to talk about the ways in which Territorio Mudéjar acted responsibly to protect both its network and the inhabitants of the member towns when COVID-19 broke out and the lockdowns began in March. First, the entity analyzed its action plan for 2020 and then arranged new ways of working with the towns, partners and professionals that are part of Territorio Mudéjar.

        • Daily tours of the region were replaced with virtual efforts thanks to the development of a platform that was already in progress and has proven to be highly efficient, overcoming the distances between the member towns. This has also prompted a move to develop a similar model for smart working in each of the towns.
        • Meetings also went online and we took part in national and international conversations to prepare transnational calls for proposals. Thus, the entity has constructed a network of professionals able to work remotely at the same pace and with the same goals.
        • In addition, Territorio Mudéjar has expanded its communication environments, linking our towns with international entities.
        • This has enabled them to continue using their heritage spaces, even while working remotely. And to continue focusing on creating new models of use for heritage spaces.
        • In the process, they have had to overcome difficulties, such as having to constantly reorganize their teamwork efforts and their project timelines.
        • Another complex issue was ensuring that the work done was always certain to be respectful of the inhabitants living in the historical and artistic heritage settings.
        • They also had to reorganize catering and projects.

        As the director of Territorio Mudéjar, Victoria Trasobares, explained, “Our biggest success over these past months was our ability to naturally adapt to the unexpected situations, finding and taking advantage of the opportunities that arose along the way. For example, we have had a considerable presence in high impact projects like Google Arts and we were able to participate in high level events that, under normal circumstances, would have been hard for us to attend”.

        In general, Territorio Mudéjar has not only continued its projects, but it even expects to see significant growth in 2021.

        Territorio Mudéjar presents its model at the MOMAr Interreg Europe meeting in Corsica

        At this event, we exchanged good practices in managing sustainable rural heritage with a focus on people

        Territorio Mudéjar traveled to the French island of Corsica to take part in a meeting of the MOMAr Interreg Europe project*, an initiative led by the Provincial Government of Zaragoza for the purpose of designing new rural heritage management models that foster sustainable development and adapt to the specific features of each region.

        There, we exchanged good practices on a highly interesting topic: “Without people, there are no resources: local management exchanges observing efficiency, sustainability and demographic fragility”. This idea is in Territorio Mudéjar’s genes, since we work as a network around heritage resources in the Mudejar field, always closely linked to the towns and their inhabitants. We are convinced that heritage is alive and evolving because it is part of a context that is lived in, urban, and in the midst of people.

        Some of the inspirational examples of heritage management that we learned about include the Route of the Romanesque in Germany, the monumental churches and farms in Groningen (the Netherlands), the efforts to preserve traditional Romanian embroidery on blouses in Mehedinti county and, of course, two projects from Aragon: the sustainable networked management of Territorio Mudéjar and promotion of the ancient village of Belchite (Provincial Government of Zaragoza).

        Territorio Mudéjar discussed the management of cultural heritage as a possible strategy for the future. We believe that places in which historical, cultural and natural heritage resources are managed in a conscientious and intelligent manner are resilient, distinctive and identity-based. Places for investment, development and future.

        Our efforts are based on these foundations, and this is how we have explained it at the meeting, in addition to discussing how our unified, collaborative network for heritage management works, and talking about all aspects of the Mudejar (architecture, urban design, landscape, popular culture and more) and about the projects we are implementing.

        Together, we strive to design new strategies for rural heritage management that foster sustainable development and adapt to the unique identity of each region.

        Our hosts gave us a first-hand view of how they work at the Corsican Movable Heritage Conservation and Restoration Center (CCRPMC) located at Fort Charlet in the town of #Calvi, which is in charge of safeguarding the knowledge, preservation and promotion of this heritage. There, we discovered their resources and magnificent artistic and religious heritage.

        We also traveled to the city of Corte to learn about the project for the transformation of its citadel, built in the 15th century, and its watchtower, which presides over the entire city. In addition, we also visited the temporary exhibitions at the Museum of Corsica.

        *MOMAr is the acronym for the project name: Models of Management for Singular Rural Heritage.

        More information: https://www.interregeurope.eu/momar/

        Territorio Mudéjar participates in the first meeting of the European MOMAr project

        The aim of this project, which involves regions from five other countries and which will continue until January 2023, is to design new models for managing unique rural heritage.

        In conjunction with other entities devoted to heritage management and rural development, Territorio Mudéjar took part in the first meeting with local agents from the province of Zaragoza in the European Interreg MOMAr project –Models of Management for Singular Rural Heritage-, an initiative led by the Provincial Government of Zaragoza for the purpose of designing new rural heritage management models that foster sustainable development and adapt to the specific features of each region.

        The MOMAr project has a budget of EUR 1.2 million, and involves five other regional governments from five different European countries. It was approved last year, began in September with an initial meeting in Zaragoza of the six participating administrations, and will continue until January 2023.

        The ultimate goal is to create a working document that outlines an action plan for the province of Zaragoza entailing all the stakeholders involved in heritage management and dissemination.

        More information: https://www.interregeurope.eu/momar/

        Video: https://www.facebook.com/315247192523931/videos/577438746140624/