Open-air Museum Research Articles

Statistical Committees and Establishment of Museums in Russia during Late 19th to Early 20th Centuries

This article examines the activities of provincial and regional statistical committees as centers for the establishment of provincial museums in pre-revolutionary Russia. It highlights that, despite a considerable number of studies dedicated to the emergence of museum practices and the contributions of individual statistical committees to the creation and development of museums, this topic has yet to undergo systematic investigation. The formation of museum collections and the emergence of a network of museums affiliated with statistical committees are traced, beginning with the first museums established by the Vladimir and Arkhangelsk committees and concluding with the unsuccessful attempts to open museums by the Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, and Transbaikal statistical committees. Common features in the development of provincial museums and the specific organizational characteristics of those associated with statistical committees are identified. The article emphasizes the classification of statistical committees as state-type institutions and clarifies the specialized focus of museum activities. Particular attention is paid to the reasons for the reorganization and separation of museums from statistical committees in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. Based on the examined sources, it is established that many museums previously under the auspices of statistical committees transitioned to scientific societies, archival commissions, and specially created committees.

A proposed Study to Rehabilitate and Management of Archaeological Hermopolis (El-Ashmonein) as an Open-air Museum Mohammed Tharwat Mohammed Elsharief

A proposed Study to Rehabilitate and Management of Archaeological Hermopolis (El-Ashmonein) as an Open-air Museum Mohammed Tharwat Mohammed Elsharief

야외박물관으로서의 경주 남산 만들기 : 1950-90년대 지역문화공동체의 유산 실천을 중심으로

This article examines the heritagization process of how the performances and practices of local communities and people in Gyeongju contributed to the creation of Mt. Namsan in Gyeongju as a natural and cultural open-air museum through a historical geographical approach to cultural landscape. During the Park Chung-hee regime, Mt. Namsan was a space organized around selected points and the lines connecting them, i.e., ruins that were considered important in the construction of national history and the roads that connected them. In 1985, the entirety of Mt. Namsan was designated a historic site, which led to the transformation of this point- and line-centered spatial organization into an area-centered one. In addition to the institutional change, the activities of local cultural communities and local people played an important role in the spatial reconfiguration of Mt. Namsan. They were the main actors who carried out and practiced the heritage of Mt. Namsan from the 1950s to the 1990s. Their activities laid the foundation for the transformation of Mt. Namsan into an “open-air museum” that bears the imprint of Silla, a multifaceted and multilayered pilgrimage site where points, lines, and planes intersect.

Following community guidelines in publishing Native American archaeological collections online

ABSTRACT Multiple sources of pressure are impacting museum professionals who steward Native American collections as they decide what should be made available to the public. This includes sharing imagery of collections through online portals – a cornerstone of the Open Museums movement, but something many Native American communities have concerns over. A systematic program reviewing the archaeological collections from North America held at the National Museum of American Indian provided an opportunity to reach out to source communities to discuss what should be made publicly available online. Examples are provided along with a broader description of this outreach, resultant changes, and how similar projects might be needed at other museums.

From Quarry to Monument: Considering Mardin Stone (SE, Türkiye) as the Symbol of Architectural and Cultural Heritage

The cultural and architectural significance of stone becomes evident as one traces its journey from quarry to monument. Located in southeastern Türkiye, Mardin City presents an urban landscape characterized by stone-built heritage. This transforms Mardin into an open-air museum where the final stone products are exhibited. In addition to its cultural and historical significance, the present study explores the geological, physical, mechanical, mineralogical, petrographic, and chemical properties of the Mardin Stone through the samples collected from the Artuklu, Midyat and Savur districts of Mardin. The Mardin Stone is represented by two different types of limestone deposited during the Cretaceous-Eocene period, categorized as fossiliferous micritic limestone and micritic limestone. The physicomechanical and thermal characteristics suggest that the samples collected from the Artuklu district exhibit better engineering properties than those from the Midyat and Savur districts. The study mapped ancient and modern quarries, illustrating the significance of the stone extraction and crafting techniques used to produce the Mardin Stone. Additionally, it emphasized the ongoing use of stone in contemporary structures, its vital role in heritage conservation, and its export to various countries, notably for use in the Syriac diaspora churches. The evaluations demonstrate that the Mardin Stone, with its diverse architectural applications and symbolic element of the collective memory, meets the essential standards and criteria of the International Union of Geological Sciences-Heritage Stone Subcommission (IUGS-HSS) as a potential candidate for designation as Heritage Stone.

Водные объекты в архитектурном и социокультурном пространстве города (на примере средневекового Дербента)

Derbent is the southernmost and the most ancient city of Russia. Extensive archaeological studies confirm the 5,000-year history of the city, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003. Being an ‘open-air museum’, it has many architectural objects that have not yet been fully explored. The article analyses historical and cultural sources. These sources confirm that water objects are a city-forming factor that determined the organisational development and architecture of the city. The purpose of the paper is to analyse the objects related to water resources of medieval Derbent and to identify their significance in relation to the organisation of socio-cultural space. The author pays much attention to the description of urban water bodies that have survived to the present day. The water facilities examined show that the architectural style and materials used for construction created a unified urban environment and were part of the organisational planning of the city's development.

Mapping the Landscape Potential of Jakarta’s Old Town Area Based on the Spirit of Place’s Concept

Abstract As Jakarta undergoes the rapid development with a growing population, the historic Old Town area experience multi transformation, marked by the contamination and urban development. The Old Town area of Jakarta, as an invaluable historical trace, shows the diversity of artifacts and potential that make it a special area in North Jakarta and West Jakarta (Pinangsia, Taman Sari, and Roa Malaka). This study uses an urban landscape approach with the dimensions sense of historic solemnity, sense of community, and sense of risk to detail new resources in the development of the Old Town landscape. Research findings show that the spirit of place in the Roa Malaka area, especially through green open spaces, is the most complete area in terms of sense experience. Spatially, the spirit of the place is centered around the Intan Bridge, prompting the recommendation to turn it into a backdrop for an outdoor museum or open-air museum. This research provides an overview of the potential of the Old Town landscape based on the spirit of place, proposing a practical approach for preserving historical and cultural heritage in the context of sustainable urban development.

СУЧАСНІ ПІДХОДИ ДО ПРОСТОРОВОЇ ОРГАНІЗАЦІЇ МУЗЕЇВ ТА ЕКСПОЗИЦІЙ ПРОСТО НЕБА. ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКИЙ ДОСВІД

There are numerous open-air museums worldwide, and public spaces often incorporate both permanent and temporary outdoor exhibitions. Based on studies conducted on open-air museums and exhibitions in Vienna and its surrounding areas, as part of the academic cooperation program TU Vienna – TU Lviv, this article explores the European approach to the architectural and spatial organization of such institutions. Through this research, contemporary approaches to their architectural and spatial organization were examined, and both positive and negative aspects were highlighted. This article aims to analyze the distinct features of the architectural and spatial organization of European open-air museums and exhibitions, identifying their positive aspects and approaches that could be implemented in Ukraine. In Ukrainian studies, the topic of modern open-air museums is only gaining popularity and is not well presented. Hence, involving local scholars in this globally expanding field would be relevant. European open-air museums, particularly in Austria, show several trends in spatial organization, including a comprehensive approach, accessibility, family-oriented infrastructure, wide implementation of interactive elements, and integration of multimedia technologies. These museums blend original artifacts with modern enhancements to provide visitors with a unique experience. Noteworthy aspects observed in open-air museums and exhibitions, which are scarce or absent in Ukraine, include combining several neighboring objects into one museum complex, a large number of children's playgrounds, ample recreation and food areas, inclusiveness, infrastructure for dog walking, provision of venues for holding mass events, and onsite production and sale of themed merchandise in souvenir shops. The principles of spatial and architectural organization in open-air museums and exhibitions in Vienna and its vicinity boast several positive features that we believe are pertinent for implementation in Ukraine. Notably, interactivity to engage visitors and inclusivity, which is poised to be a pressing issue during Ukraine's post-war reconstruction, stand out as crucial aspects. The findings from this study can serve as a foundation for enhancing existing or designing new open-air museums in Ukraine.

Application of the New Importance–Performance Analysis Method to Explore the Strategies of Rural Outdoor Dining Experiences in Taiwan

Taiwan is an island where the city and nature combine to become the most beautiful open-air museum in the world, known as Formosa. With climate change and industrial development as the main changes in consumption behavior, the integration of ecology, the environment, and agriculture into food culture is gradually becoming valued in Taiwan. This study explores the quality of the rural outdoor dining experience in Taiwan; therefore, questionnaires were distributed to outdoor dining attendees from the north, central, south, and east, and we obtained 396 valid questionnaires. The rural outdoor dining satisfaction experience can be improved using the innovative New Importance–Performance Analysis (NIPA) model, which is based on the original IPA methodology but modified by the performance of the risk management judge. Additionally, we applied the zone of tolerance (ZOT) to evaluate the quality of priority and the importance–performance analysis (IPA) to make innovation decisions. The model also encourages decision-makers to consider environmental factors and customer feedback. It has not only been used to measure customer satisfaction, assess customer behavior, identify customer needs, and determine areas where quality needs to be improved, but it can also be used to measure the success of business decisions and identify potential areas for improvement. The results show that rural outdoor dining experiences in Taiwan have led to the development of a low carbon economy and a new business model for operators in order to follow the result of NIPA and develop service marketing strategies.

Migration of Water and Salt in Confined Archaeological Complexes: Comprehensive Investigation Below the Third Courtyard of the Prague Castle

ABSTRACT Archaeological complexes and open-air museums must navigate the delicate balance between their societal role and preserving the displayed heritage. Sheltering from atmospheric hazards is a common preservation strategy, yet it introduces new degradation challenges. This study focuses on the persistent material deterioration, heightened moisture content, and salt efflorescence observed in protected excavations beneath Prague Castle’s third courtyard. The objective is to identify and analyse primary sources and pathways of water infiltration, comprehend complex interactions with masonry, and propose conservation strategies to mitigate the degradation. Through detailed field observations, using various moisture sensors, hydrochemical and salt analyses, rainwater emerges as the primary source of damp masonry and the transporting agent of salt-forming ions. Two penetration mechanisms were observed: ingress through perimeter walls and capillary rise where groundwater is present. Evaluation of moisture measurement methods underscores the superiority of the microwave method for historic masonry and the uranine-probe method’s efficacy for capillary water detection. Addressing water infiltration and salt accumulation challenges, we recommend preventive measures: (i) prevent water infiltration, seepage, and ingress; (ii) reduce salt concentrations; and (iii) stabilise site climate to mitigate salt crystallisation transitions. These recommendations extend beyond the study site, offering valuable insights for similar confined archaeological complexes.

The impact of digital transformation on cultural and leisure activities of Ukrainian open-air museums in the first quarter of the XXI century

The impact of digital transformation on cultural and leisure activities of Ukrainian open-air museums in the first quarter of the XXI century

Graffiti in Irkutsk and the region

Regional projects “Open Air Museum” and “Area of Achievements” are youth projects in the Irkutsk region focused on painting facades of residential buildings with large-scale images.

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN METAL ARTIFACTS: LASTING FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGAINST CORROSION

Metals were used to make artifacts and medical tools in ancient times. This review article focuses on the gold and silver metal artifacts of the ancient Egyptian and their protection against corrosion. There is no doubt that Egypt is an open museum because the ancient Egyptians planted the monuments everywhere in the deserts. There are many types of artifacts, such as statues, jewelries, furniture, weapons, paints, etc. They have used different types of materials to make all these monuments, such as marbles, wood, stones, metals. They have used different types of metals, such as gold, silver, iron, and copper. The museums in Egypt accommodate huge number of metals artifacts. Ancient Egyptian produced fine and gorgeous artifacts, especially rings, bracelets, and necklaces. The artifacts were created to be resistant to degradation and corrosion over a long period of time. They have used different ways of protection, such as paints, alloying, chemicals etc.

Measuring Italian art cities tourism: a proposal of indicators

In Italy, art cities have traditionally served as “magnets” for cultural tourism, significantly contributing to the country’s economic vitality. Many historic city centers are not simply “boxes” of artworks but are veritable open-air museums. In recent years, the profile of cultural and experiential visitors has increasingly oriented towards experiences that can be enjoyed individually or with family. While the traditional tourism system continues to offer conventional tourist products, it is also evolving to meet the growing demand for unique and unforgettable experiences. This represents new challenges for destination areas that seek to improve services and create attractions that can meet this emerging new audience. The objective of this work is to propose a composite indicator that measures the tourism potential of these art cities, drawing upon existing tourism indexes in the literature and equitable and sustainable well-being (BES) indicators, such as the domains of “landscape and cultural heritage” and “environment”. The decision to employ these indicators stems from their considerable relevance in a country like Italy, as well as the specific focus of our study. Additionally, we developed a ranking of Italian art cities, enabling us to determine their relative levels of attractiveness. To achieve this, a panel of Italian provincial capitals was selected, each with at least one museum and a UNESCO site. The composite indicator developed, which also considers social and environmental perspectives, represents an alternative quantitative approach to assessing the attractiveness of art cities. The underlying principle is that, in the ever-evolving scene of cultural tourism, beyond the indispensable role played by artistic and cultural heritage, the impact of scenic landscapes on people's quality of life and its connection to individual well-being plays a crucial role. This indicator could provide territorial planning professionals with statistical tools capable of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the tourism offer of those cities that set themselves the goal of being a privileged place of artistic tourist attraction. The proposed composite indicator should make it possible to comprehend whether and how to develop paths to enhance the entire artistic heritage, while also considering the well-being of visitors.

Contextualisation of Anglican liturgical worship in Sri Lanka with the use of cultural symbols

ABSTRACT This study was conducted as research on the intertwining of faith and culture. The main question for the study was to find how cultural symbolism depicted in liturgies was understood and approached within the context of worship and culture. The Sri Lankan Anglican Church has promoted the contextualisation of liturgies and worship from its political independence and has also become progressive in developing indigenous liturgies. Through liturgies, much of the religious-cultural context is reflected and contextual theologies are introduced. In that regard, this will be beneficial to practical theology. This research had a documentary study and an empirical element. The sample population for the study was the Diocese of Kurunagala, which is one-half of the Anglican Church in Sri Lanka. For the empirical study data collection tools of Google Forms, interviews and focus group discussions took place across cross-cultural congregations with a focus on participatory action research. The results received indicated a close relationship between worship and culture, the need for further education on theological connections, community awareness, and action as well as visible ventures such as an open museum. There is a need for further research and dissemination of contextualised liturgies and also studying factors that are leading towards local expressions of worship.

IN-SITU ԵՎ EX-SITU ՍԿԶԲՈՒՆՔՆԵՐԻ ՎՐԱ ՀԻՄՆՎԱԾ ԺԱՌԱՆԳՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՊԱՀՊԱՆՄԱՆ ՄԻՋԱԶԳԱՅԻՆ ՓՈՐՁԸ ԲԱՑՕԹՅԱ ԹԱՆԳԱՐԱՆՆԵՐՈՒՄ / INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF HERITAGE CONSERVATION IN OPEN-AIR MUSEUMS BASED ON THE IN-SITU AND EX-SITU PRINCIPLES

The article presents the activity features of different open-air museums, which have been formed within the 130 years of existence of these types of museums to ensure the protection, reproduction, and modeling of unique historical and cultural landscapes. The historical and cultural landscape is a result of the joint creation of man and nature, which is characterized by a clear territorial organization in which the natural and man-made elements form an inseparable whole, forming a unique natural and cultural complex. Such complexes, as a rule, show the evolution of certain ethnic groups and their settlements, which took place under the influence of various external and internal, favorable and unfavorable, climatic and social factors. Today, historical and cultural landscapes are the most important heritage objects of different regions of the world, whose preservation and modernization are carried out through open-air museology. The open-air museum itself presents a special format of a museum institution, which gives visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in the historical atmosphere of past eras while appreciating the result of the harmonious and creative coexistence of nature and man. The study of this type of museum is especially important in the context of cultural component management, for which the international legal principles of in-situ and ex-situ preservation of cultural heritage are applied. These principles have received normative support through the ratification of a number of intergovernmental acts and convention

An operational windmill in an open-air museum as a conservation challenge: Lessons from projects recently implemented in Poland

The article discusses the methods of protecting historic windmills and recognising them as valuable objects of industrial heritage. Therefore, examples of attempts to restore windmills as working mills after 2010 are discussed. Translocation combined with comprehensive renovation can be an effective and desirable method of conservation for historic windmills with a wooden structure, as it enables the restitution of these facilities as operating mills. However, one should be aware of the risks associated with this type of activity: primarily the risk of losing the historic, original substance of the mill and changing its landscape context. An important problem is the safety of the dynamic exhibition and the lack of professionals – millers specialised in the field of drive mills, who would be able to not only set up the technological process but also maintain the machines included in it on an ongoing basis. The following part of the article discusses 12 examples of attempts to restart historic windmills. These examples are divided into two categories of objects: windmills with an alternative, modern electric drive; windmills with the ability to work using only wind power. The analysed examples of windmill conservation and reactivation provide the basis for formulating lessons for future projects in Poland and abroad.

Management of the historical and cultural value of territories through the formation of historical areas of cities

Lands on which cultural heritage monuments, their complexes (ensembles), historical and cultural protected territories, protected archaeological territories, open-air museums, memorial museums-manors are located, in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine, belong to lands of historical and cultural purpose. The organization and establishment of the boundaries of the territories of historical and cultural purpose, restrictions on their use and their regime-forming objects is carried out in accordance with the projects and technical documentation of land management. For the territories of the nature reserve fund and other nature conservation purposes, health, recreational, historical and cultural, forestry purposes, water fund lands and water protection zones, the land legislation establishes the same procedure for developing the composition and geodetic and cartographic substantiation of land management projects, as well as for their approval and approval . This provision has existed for a long time, despite the fact that the given list combines six categories of land with different legal regimes. The boundaries of historical areas and the modes of their use are indicated in the documentation on land management, urban planning and scientific project documentation on the protection of cultural heritage, which determines the need for their mutual consistency. The article examines the legal and organizational provisions of the formation of the historical and cultural potential of the historical areas of cities. In connection with the discrepancies in the legal acts, proposals for the codification of legal norms regarding the composition and distribution of land by category, setting restrictions, regulation of construction, landscape protection zones and archaeological layer are substantiated. The proposed approaches to the definition and calculation of the economic efficiency of historical areas include a variety of methods that allow for the assessment of both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the preservation of cultural heritage.

Losing Genius Loci in Cultural Heritage Sites – Landscape of Defensive Castle Open-Air Museums of the Jurassic Belt, Poland

Cultural heritage gives places meaning and an atmosphere called genius loci based on tangible and intangible values. Nowadays, we can observe a commercial and consumerist approach to the spirit of place: it is used as a promotional tool and a tourism product, reduced to a cliché satisfying popular consumers tastes. The aim of this study is to identify the values which determine the identity of a place and the dangers they face, trying to answer the question: how can genius loci be protected? We analyse the problem based on the example of selected open-air museums at defensive castles in Poland’s Jurassic Belt. These museums have become a field of commercial entertainment and fallen victim to irreversible transformations.

Ivo Stolařík's contribution to the research into the musical culture of northeast Moravia and Czech Silesia

Ivo Stolařík was certainly the most important researcher in the field of music-historical and ethnographic research in northeast Moravia and "Czech" Silesia. The authors of the study evaluate the lifelong contribution of this scholar to music history and folklore studies. Stolařík was the first (before the arrival of other musicologists in Ostrava in the second half of the 20th century, graduates of musicology from the universities in Brno or Olomouc, such as Vladimír Gregor, Miroslav Malura, Karel Boženek and others) to begin to systematically research the musical culture of the wider Ostrava region. This was firstly in the Department of Musicology of the Silesian Study Institute in Opava (from 1958 the Silesian Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences) where he virtually laid the foundations for systematic research into the musical culture of the region. Stolařík was very active both in scientific publishing and in his other jobs, as Director of the Ostrava State Philharmonic (renamed the Janáček Philharmonic in 1971), A&R Specialist of the Supraphon record label in Prague, and before his retirement at the Wallachian Open Air Museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm. The paper also presents analytical probes into Stolařík's two most important monographs, Umělecká hudba v Ostravě 1918–1938 (Art Music in Ostrava 1918–1938) and Hrčava. Monografie goralské obce ve Slezsku (Hrčava. A Monograph of a Goral Village in Silesia).