Oana-Ramona Ilovan, Csaba Horváth

Leadership, Community Resilience and Rural Regeneration in Cincu, Romania: Power to the Hands by KraftMade

Oana-Ramona Ilovan, Csaba Horváth

Article Information

Pages: 5-36

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24193/RJPS.2026.1.01

^*Oana-Ramona Ilovan, ^**Csaba Horváth

^*Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Geography, Department of Regional Geography and Territorial Planning, and Territorial Identities and Development Research Centre, 5-7 Clinicilor Street, 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, oana.ilovan@ubbcluj.ro

^**Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Geography, Department of Physical and Technical Geography, 5-7 Clinicilor Street, 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, csaba.horvath@ubbcluj.ro

Abstract. The research question addressed in this study concerns the added value of initiatives for local development based on intangible heritage. We answer this by exploring the case study of Cincu, a village located in Transylvania, Romania (county of Braşov), founded by German settlers during the 12-13^th centuries. This case study provides insights into the future of traditional crafts in Romania, as well as experiences in researching the preservation of intangible heritage, with a focus on the local context and the ways in which it may be supported. KraftMade grassroots initiative based in Cincu illustrates a sustainable and regenerative approach to the craft techniques and skills specific to this village and the wider Transylvanian region. In addition to crafts, intangible heritage is kept alive by performing old rituals (such as Fuga Lolelor / Urzelnlaufen / The Run of the Lole) and archiving heritage in a local museum that acts also as a community centre (Fuga Lolelor Cincu. Museum in Progress). Research data were collected from two social media accounts belonging to KraftMade and interpreted using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that, by engaging with and reactivating heritage in Transylvania, KraftMade both revitalises and reinterprets¹ traditions, transforming them in the process, and contributes to the revitalisation of local identity and development grounded in the cultural assets of Cincu. Through the work of KraftMade, heritage and regenerative futures are brought into meaningful connection.

Keywords: creative traditions, intangible heritage, crafts, Transylvanian Saxons’ heritage, regenerative futures, intergenerational knowledge and skills transmission, KraftMade

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