Initiation of the 2nd Drystone School
The 2nd Drystone-wall School of Andros is planned to be launched on Saturday, March 12, 2022, on Andros Island. More specifically, the School will be implemented in the southern part of the island during the dates 12-19, March 2022.
The 2nd School is implemented within the framework of the LIFE TERRACESCAPE project after the successful 1st Drystone-wall School that took place at the Environmental Education Center of Korthi, November 6-13, 2021.
The purpose of this School is to promote the art of drystone through the transfer of theoretical and practical knowledge to young stone craftsmen. The ultimate goal is the preservation of the art of drystone that has shaped the landscape of the Aegean islands over time, hoping that the same art will continue shaping it.
The School program includes a hands-on session where pilot interventions on the access path to the Archaeological Site of Ancient Zagora are conducted along with the restoration of damaged sections of the drystone enclosures of the path, and a theoretical session with presentations and discussions taking place at the Environmental Education Center of Korthi.
This time, the basic technical training, is assigned to Grigoris Koutropoulos (Boulouki team), who has extensive experience in related projects implemented in Greece and other Mediterranean countries. The local craftsmen Iraklis Gavras and Giannis Papadopoulos, bearing sound knowledge of the slate stone of the island, as well as experience from the 1st Drystone-wall School of Andros, will participate in the training.
It should be noted that the art of drystone, i.e., the knowledge of building stone structures without the use of mortar or any binding material, was inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2018.
