Alumna Liudmila Buzina (World Heritage Studies)

Liudmila Buzina
World Heritage Studies, 2018, Master

She is now a member of ICOMOS Russia and works as a Deputy Head of the World Heritage and International Communication Department at Russian Scientific Research Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage named after D. S. Likhachev

How did it happen that you studied World Heritage Studies in Cottbus?
The Master Program "World Heritage Studies" is unique in its sense, it combines multidisciplinary approaches, gives the possibility to study different ways of treating heritage. This program is one of the first programs about World Heritage that appeared and the rating of the program is high. Germany was, is and always will be one of my favorite destinations: in 2010 being a student of the Russian University  I did an internship in Germany at the local municipality of the city of Gelsenkirchen. I really enjoyed my time there and when the time came to decide where to achieve a Master degree there were no hesitations that Germany is one of the best options. I spoke some German already and got a DAAD scholarship for my studies at BTU that was one of the motivation reasons as well.

How did the course of studies change your perspective on World Heritage?
The World Heritage Master course is a perfectly structured, well-organized program based on a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach. This master studies permitted me to expand significantly my knowledge in the cultural sphere, to get to know cultural diversity and peculiarities, and to study an international view on the problems of protection of cultural and natural heritage sites. One of the obvious advantages of the program is its multiculturalism – there are students from all over the world studying together; this fact brings outstanding possibilities to exchange ideas and views with people from different cultures and backgrounds, to get to know the diverse world around us. First and last, the years spent in Cottbus turned out to be a unique life experience.

What are you doing today professionally – what are typical tasks in your everyday work?
Currently I work as Deputy Head of World Heritage and International Communication Department in Russian Scientific Research Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage named after D.S. Likhachev (Heritage Institute). I have a challenging job because of the coordinating and management role, but I truly enjoy our pleasant working climate and multiply opportunities to undertake scientific work. The Heritage Institute and the Department I work for definitely give me possibility to use acquired knowledge and skills, realize my own ideas, pursue continuous learning and do something useful for my country and the whole world society. The World Heritage and International Communication Department I work for is dealing with the tasks of conservation, protection and promotion of World Heritage in Russia. Among my main responsibilities is elaboration of nomination dossiers and management plans for Russian heritage sites for submission to the World Heritage Center. Since the beginning of my work at the institute I have already taken part in several projects in this regard.

You offer interships. What could interns expect in the Russian Scientific Research Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage and in general living in Russia?
While studying in Cottbus I used every possibility, mostly on vacation breaks, to do internships, even short ones in different institutions involved in the heritage sector in my country. In April 2017 during the last semester of World Heritage Studies in Cottbus, I did an internship at the Heritage Institute and immediately realized that this organization, its principles of work, employees, work spirit and types of tasks is the best option for me to realize my dreams and put studied knowledge into practice. After I had completed an internship at the Institute, I continued the collaboration with the internship supervisor in a distance working on projects via the Internet. In June 2017, I got a job offer from the Institute. I think that internships are the best possibility to apply studied knowledge into practice and find the sphere you really enjoy and can benefit to. We have challenging and involving tasks for our interns: from scientific research to organizing conferences and interactive activities on the topics of cultural heritage. Moscow is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary megapolisis in the world. You will definitely fall in love with it!

What do you remember the most from your time at the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg?
Truly, the years I spent in Cottbus were one of the best 3 years of my life: intense and conscious studies, new discoveries, self development and new perspectives.