MWA Museums
There is no question in architecture that cannot be answered with a wooden solution, and most of the time it was already experimented in the Middle Ages.
Thomas Allocca
Historical and Archaeological Research for Full-Scale Reconstruction of Medieval Wooden Architecture, integrated with Urban Regeneration Plans and Forestry Resources Development
MWA Museums is a project by White Oak Arkitecture aimed at creating territorial museums, focused on medieval wooden architecture, for full-scale reconstructions, connecting the museums to projects of urban and territorial regeneration, and forestry resources development and protection.
Launched on December 4 2023 under the name Winnili project, with a memorandum of understandings between White Oak Arkitecture and signatory towns interested in becoming museum sites, since December 4 2024 the project has been renamed MWA Museums (Medieval Wooden Architecture Museums), and MWA Compact the memorandum of understandings.
The project was born in the heart of the National Park of Cilento, Vallo di Diano, and Monti Alburni which is an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998, with the ambition of creating also a model at support for historical villages under depopulation.
The project also aims to be of social utility, connecting isolated communities, preserving their own unique identities as intangible heritage.
The project is committed to be aligned with the principles and the aims of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), and the European Council Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage (Faro Convention).
MWA Compact
31 signatory towns 1424 kmq 53250 inhabitants
Altavilla Silentina Salerno mayor Francesco Cembalo
53 kmq 7050 inh 133 inh/kmq DGC 113 | 10 September 2024
Aquara Salerno mayor Antonio Marino
33 kmq 1300 inh 39 inh/kmq town resolution in progress
Campora Salerno mayor Giovanni Feola
30 kmq 300 inh 1o inh/kmq DGC 40 | 30 December 2024
Castelcivita Salerno mayor Antonio Forziati
58 kmq 1400 inh 24 inh/kmq town resolution in progress
Castel San Lorenzo Salerno mayor Giuseppe Scorza
14 kmq 2200 inh 157 inh/kmq DGC 38 | 17 May 2024
Controne Salerno mayor Ettore Poti
8 kmq 750 inh 94 inh/kmq town resolution in progress
Conza della Campania Avellino mayor Raffaele Cantarella
52 kmq 1300 inh 25 inh/kmq DGC 75 | 14 November 2024
seat of a Longobard County
Corleto Monforte Salerno mayor Filippo Ferraro
59 kmq 500 inh 8 inh/kmq DGC 125 | 11 December 2023
seat of a Longobard County
project: Krunatun Medieval Museum
Felitto Salerno mayor Carmine Casella
41 kmq 1150 inh 28 inh/kmq DGC 82 | 20 December 2024
Laurino Salerno mayor Gregorio Romano
70 kmq 1250 inh 18 inh/kmq DGC 86 | 13 December 2024
Magliano Vetere Salerno mayor Adriano Piano
24 kmq 550 inh 23 inh/kmq DGC 59 | 12 September 2024
Monteforte Cilento Salerno mayor Bernardo Mottola
22 kmq 550 inh 25 inh/kmq town resolution in progress
Montesano sulla Marcellana Salerno mayor Giuseppe Rinaldi
110 kmq 6200 inh 56 inh/kmq town resolution in progress
Ottati Salerno mayor Elio Guadagno
54 kmq 600 inh 11 inh/kmq DGC 95 | 26 August 2024
Petina Salerno mayor Domenico D'Amato
36 kmq 1000 inh 28 inh/kmq town resolution in progress
Piaggine Salerno mayor Renato Pizzolante
63 kmq 1100 inh 17 inh/kmq DGC 74 | 16 September 2024
Postiglione Salerno mayor Carmine Cennamo
48 kmq 2000 inh 42 inh/kmq town resolution in progress
Roccagloriosa Salerno mayor Roberto Cavalieri
41 kmq 1550 inh 38 inh/kmq DGC 16 | 14 February 2025
Rofrano Salerno mayor Nicola Cammarano
64 kmq 1250 inh 20 inh/kmq town resolution in progress
Roscigno Salerno mayor Pino Palmieri
15 kmq 600 inh 40 inh/kmq DGC 144 | 7 December 2023
project: Yggdrasill Medieval Garden
Sacco Salerno mayor Franco Latempa
24 kmq 450 inh 19 inh/kmq DGC 7 | 11 January 2024
San Rufo Salerno mayor Michele Marmo
32 kmq 1600 inh 50 inh/kmq DGC 83 | 29 November 2024
Sant'Angelo a Fasanella Salerno mayor Gaspare Salamone
33 kmq 500 inh 15 inh/kmq DGC 4 | 11 January 2024
Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi Avellino mayor Rosa Anna Maria Repole
55 kmq 3800 inh 69 inh/kmq town resolution in progress
Sant'Arsenio Salerno mayor Donato Pica
20 kmq 2650 inh 133 inh/kmq town resolution in progress
Sanza Salerno mayor Vittorio Esposito
129 kmq 2350 inh 18 inh/kmq town resolution in progress
Serre Salerno mayor Antonio Opramolla
67 kmq 3700 inh 55 inh/kmq DGC 124 | 15 November 2024
project: Lakkar Medieval Museum
Sicignano degli Alburni Salerno mayor Giacomo Orco
81 kmq 3050 inh 38 inh/kmq DGC 119 | 14 November 2024
Stio Salerno mayor Giancarlo Trotta
24 kmq 800 inh 33 inh/kmq town resolution in progress
Valle dell'Angelo Salerno mayor Salvatore Angelo Iannuzzi
37 kmq 250 inh 7 inh/kmq DGC 34 | 28 August 2024
Valva Salerno mayor Giuseppe Vuocolo
27 kmq 1500 inh 55 inh/kmq town resolution in progress
Depopulation of historical villages is not the problem, but the consequence of considering cultural heritage as a synonym of product, while it is just a resource.
Thomas Allocca
largest town 129 kmq Sanza, SA
smallest town 8 kmq Controne, SA
most populated town 7050 inh Altavilla Silentina, SA
least populated town 250 inh Valle dell'Angelo, SA
highest territorial density 157 inh/kmq Castel San Lorenzo, SA
least territorial density 7 inh/kmq Valle dell'Angelo, SA
Medieval wooden architecture is an incredible source of technical and aesthetic solutions, and a remarkable lesson in terms of relationship between Man, Nature, and Divine.
Thomas Allocca
Articles
Sonia Maritan (December 2024), Editoriale. A lezione dal Medioevo, Struttura Legno, n. 47, December 2024, published by Web and Magazine, Milano, Italy
Thomas Allocca (December 2024), MWA Museums. I Custodi del Medioevo, Struttura Legno, n. 47, December 2024, published by Web and Magazine, Milano, Italy
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top page photo by Wiglaf