The international Association of Railway History [AIHC – IRHA – AIHF] with its headquarters in Paris, in combination with the Argentinian Committee of TICCIH and the Faculty of Environment, Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Congress, is convening the VI International Congress of Railways History Railways, History and Industrial Heritage to be celebrated in the city of Mendoza, Argentina, during 8th to 10th of November 2017. The meeting is held under the auspices of CONICET, TICCIH Argentina and University of Tucumán. The event also comprises the IIIrd meeting of TICCIH – ARG…
Railway history has a special relevance in the formation of the identity of the countries involved exploring as it does the social, politic, economic and territorial impact – in some sites without precedent – that the railways produced. Thus, the study of railway history and technology not only aids our understanding of the impact of railways, but also constitutes a fundamental tool in establishing knowledge, valuation and preservation of railway heritage, both tangible and intangible.
The railroad left a legacy that initiated a transformation of the landscape and a new way of spatial planning: it dramatically increased the urban expansion in the cities, generated technical advancement of the existent industries and the facilitated the installation of new industrial enterprises. It also encouraged the birth of new villages and the prosperity of the pre-existing town after its arrival but equally also permitted the dereliction of other rural areas as populations moved to cities. Railway patrimony is undeniable and extensive comprising the movable goods – rolling stock, documents– as well as immovable goods (installations, different types of buildings, railway station’s area, railroad, etc.) and the immaterial legacy.
Today, a great part of this significant heritage is at risk or threatened because of the lack of information and knowledge about the valuations of both components within the system and the broader systems themselves. There are some cases of railways heritage that have been recovered but many valuable assets are being wasted and destroyed or have disappeared due to the absence of strategies for preservation. The same fact happens with the heritage sites related to the railroad: ports, sugar mills, wine cellars and so many other agro-industrial productive spaces, where we can see the abandonment or lack of criteria for its recovery. Added to this, there are factories, railroads, villages or quarters’ workers, in the same situation that gave life to each railway station.
The VI International Congress of Railway History has the following objectives: 1) To generate a space for discussion between investigators, teachers and specialists about railway history and its contribution to the knowledge and preservation of the heritage railway; 2) To foster historical investigation and at the same time to encourage the social recognition of the said heritage; 3) To identify projects and strategies that promote the valuation, protection and reuse of the railway system considered in an integrated fashion; 4) To motivate the interchange of information and experiences between investigators and teachers encouraging the creation of research networks; 5) To promote human resources training through the participations of students
Weitere Informationen (Beitragseinreichung, Kosten) auf dem Infoblatt der Tagung (download):