View source for Slovene Association of Historic Towns

{{Article
| status       = NIFERTIK!
| maintainer   = Janez Premk
}}
{{Infobox
| name                = Slovene Association of Historic Towns
| localname           = Združenje zgodovinskih mest Slovenije
| street              = Mestni trg 15
| town                = SI-4220 Škofja Loka
| telephone           = 386 (0) 4 511 2346
| fax                 = 386 (0) 4 511 2318
| email               = info@zgodovinska-mesta.si
| website             = 
| contacts = {{Contact
| name                = Mateja Hafner Dolenc
| role                = Co-ordinator
| email = mateja.hafner@skofjaloka.si
}}
}}

{{Teaser|
The [[Slovene Association of Historic Towns]] was established in Ptuj in [[established::2001]], organised as an economic interest association. The Slovene Association of Historic Towns is a member of the European Union of Historical Towns, Norwich, UK. It hosted the "English Historic Towns Forum" in 2004 and cooperated in organising the 16th European Heritage Days in castles and  fortresses and at city walls in 2006.

Currently the members of the association are Idrija, Koper, Kranj, Novo mesto, Piran, Ptuj, Radovljica, Slovenske Konjice, Škofja Loka, and Tržič municipalities, together with the nine companies and individuals that operate in the renovation of monuments. 
}}

== Background ==
The Slovene Association of Historic Towns has been grounded by the municipalities where the urban monuments of the highest rank are located, and the companies and the individuals involved in the renovation work of the monuments: SGO Tehnik, Razvojna agencija Sora, Tmd Invest, Medard Hafner, Miran Žlahtič, Projektiva inženiring Piran, the [[Municipality of Idrija]], the [[Koper-Capodistria Urban Municipality]], Umarh podjetje, the [[Tržič Municipality]], the [[Ptuj Urban Municipality]], the [[Municipality of Škofja Loka]], the [[Piran-Pirano Municipality]], and Gea Consult. The association represents those local communities whose urban heritage is considered to be of the utmost importance in Slovenia.

The culture of settlement in Slovenia, which can be followed from the early prehistoric era through the Middle Ages to the Baroque and down to the post-war period, is extremely rich. A third of Slovenia's towns have been declared monuments according to the Act on Preservation of Cultural Heritage. After 1991 there was a change in the ownership structure of housing, which raised several issues relating to the renovation and conservation of old buildings in old town centres.

In 1993 the Community of Old Towns of the Republic of Slovenia was established by the [[Ptuj Urban Municipality]], the [[Piran-Pirano Municipality]], and the [[Municipality of Škofja Loka]] to have an organised cooperation for carrying out the renovation of the old town centres. After the community died away, the Slovene Association of Historic Towns was formed on its foundation.

== Mission ==
The association was founded as a common platform for action, and especially as a forum for dialogue with the state agencies and government institutions, with a view to acquiring financial means either at home or abroad. Its aim is for these institutions to preserve and revitalise the old town centres, to develop marketing campaigns, and to promote the urban heritage together.

== Projects ==
In order to educate the workers, conservators, and others for specific tasks of renovation and restoration of authentic historic buildings the association carries out the long standing project the School of Renovation in cooperation with the [[Restoration Centre, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia (ZVKDS)|Restoration Centre]], the Secondary School of Civil Engineering, Land Surveying and Economics Ljubljana and other institutes. It organises lectures and workshops onsite, such as the "Days of Stone &ndash; the Stone Roofing on Karst" in 2003, the "Days of Stone in Štanjel" in 2002.

In the regional project ''The Fair was Living'' [Sejem bil je živ] the association gained support from the Norwegian Financial Fund (EEA) in cooperation with the municipalities and the [[Business Support Centre (BSC) Ltd, Kranj]] to renovate an historic building in each of five Gorenjska towns (Kranj, Jesenice, Tržič, Škofja Loka, Radovljica) in 2006&ndash;2009.

Within the project ''Clothing Culture in the 16th Century'' a workshop and an exhibition took place in cooperation with the Department of Textiles at the [[Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana]], the [[Ptuj Urban Municipality]], and the [[Municipality of Škofja Loka]].

===REFRESH project===

The REFRESH cooperation project is led by Slovene Association of Historic Towns got the Creative Europe support related to the [[European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018]]. The aim of the project is to involve young art(ist)s to "refresh" the selected 8 cultural heritage sites (Iasi (RO), Cellino Attanasio (IT), Murcia (ES), in Ptuj and Novo mesto in Slovenia). In June 2018 young artists created new dance and video works in Novo mesto, in July the [[Art Stays, International Festival of Contemporary Art]] in Ptuj hosted a group of visual artists and organised the exhibition of their site-specific new works, in September musical workshops took place in italy and Romania.

{{image|Slovene Association of Historic Towns (logo) Refresh project.jpg}}

== See also ==
* [[Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia]]
* [[Association of Conservators of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia]]
* [[Union of Historical Societies of Slovenia]]
* [[Škofja Loka Passion Play]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.zgodovinska-mesta.si/eng/index.php Slovene Association of Historic Towns website]
* [http://www.historic-towns.org/ European Association of Historic Towns and Regions website]
* [http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/heritage/ehd/publications/ID9378Brochure25%20ansJEP_en.pdf ''European Heritage Days: 25 Years'' booklet]


[[Category:EU funding of Slovene organisations (Culture and MEDIA Programmes)]]
[[Category:EU Creative Europe, Culture funding recipient]]

[[Category:Support services]]
[[Category:Professional heritage associations]]
[[Category:Museum_funding,_professional_and_support_services]]
[[Category:Funding,_professional_and_support_services]]