ORGANISATION DESCRIPTION

The Transylvania Trust Foundation was established in 1996 in the service of cultural heritage in Transylvania, Romania. Its main goal, the sustainable protection of built heritage, is achieved in the long term through integrated conservation projects. The Trust is active in the field of cultural heritage, education, as well as historic building management. Almost since its inception, it has taken upon itself the task of caring for Bánffy Castle, Bonțida, Cluj County, which it has been restoring from its ruinous state, as well as managing and revitalising for more than two decades, through a series of innovative initiatives. In 2008, its approach to the restoration of the Castle received the Europa Nostra Award in the Education Training and Awareness-Raising category. Since then it has widened its scope by opening up towards the protection and promotion of traditional crafts, as well as towards fostering artistic creativity. It has been involved in international projects for 20 years, including in several cultural and cooperation projects funded via the Creative Europe Programme (in some as Coordinator), as well as in Erasmus and other projects, with activities such as artistic residencies encouraging the mobility of artists, interdisciplinary residencies combining arts, crafts, design, and technology fostering creation and innovation, as well as non-formal educational projects for schoolchildren to further their understanding regarding built and cultural heritage and other events.