THE SITE
The Palauet Nolla, located in Meliana near Valencia, is a historic estate whose origins date to the seventeenth century and which acquired its present architectural identity during the nineteenth century. Its transformation is closely linked to the industrialist Miguel Nolla, founder of the celebrated Nolla mosaic factory. In this period the building was expanded and reconfigured, with annexes added to enhance its representational character. The interiors and façades were richly decorated with the factory’s ceramic products, including intricate mosaic pavements, skirting elements, and ornamental features, turning the estate into a demonstrative setting for the technical and artistic achievements of Nolla manufacture and a place for receiving visitors associated with the enterprise.
In the twentieth century the property changed ownership several times, gradually losing its residential role and eventually being absorbed into the surrounding industrial complex, where it was used for storage and logistical purposes. This shift led to deterioration and partial abandonment. The Municipality of Meliana acquired the estate in 1986, but it was only until 2010 that a comprehensive historical and structural study establish a phased programme of conservation. Since then, restoration campaigns have addressed ceilings, painted decorations, and ceramic surfaces, progressively recovering the building’s historic character.
Among the most distinctive spaces is the chapel created within the ground floor during the nineteenth-century transformation. Conceived as a place of worship for the family, workers, and nearby residents, it reflects the social dimension of the industrial community associated with the Nolla factory. The preservation of this space forms part of the broader effort to safeguard the Palauet Nolla as an example of the intersection between industrial production, artistic design, and domestic architecture.
Research, documentation, and dissemination related to this heritage are supported by the Centro de Investigación y Difusión de la Cerámica Nolla, a non-profit association dedicated to the study and protection of Nolla architectural ceramics. Through research initiatives, exhibitions, and educational activities, the centre contributes to maintaining knowledge of this specialised craft tradition and to advancing the long-term conservation of the Palauet Nolla and its decorative programme.
THE TRAINING COURSE
The European Heritage Training Course in 2026 will continue the conservation programme initiated in previous years, concentrating specifically on the chapel of the Palauet Nolla. This phase focuses on the recovery of the original pictorial and decorative surfaces, which have been altered through successive uses of the building, and forms part of the wider restoration process that has been underway since 2011.
The participants will engage directly in conservation and restoration work on wall paintings and associated architectural decoration. Activities will include documentation and mapping of deterioration, assessment of conservation conditions, careful surface cleaning, removal of non-original overpaint, consolidation of fragile areas, treatment of losses in the support, and reintegration of decorative elements using appropriate conservation approaches. The work will be carried out in small rotating groups so that all participants gain familiarity with the sequence of operations involved in the treatment of historic painted surfaces.
Particular attention will be given to the study and application of nineteenth-century decorative techniques encountered in the chapel, notably marble imitation finishes and the use of stencil-based methods to create ornamental schemes. Through guided practical work, participants will develop an understanding of how these finishes were originally executed and how they can be conserved using compatible materials and methodologies.
The training course is led by highly experienced conservator-restorers with extensive professional practice in the conservation of wall paintings and historic interiors. Their supervision ensures that all interventions follow recognised conservation principles while providing participants with close insight into professional decision-making, documentation procedures, and material handling.
The educational dimension of the programme will connect practical intervention with broader reflections on heritage restoration as a process of knowledge transmission. Introductory sessions will address the historical development of the building, the significance of Nolla ceramics, and the role of the Palauet Nolla as an ongoing field of experimentation in conservation practice. Discussions will also explore how restoration sites function as environments for professional exchange and the sharing of methodologies across cultural contexts.
An integral element of the educational programme will be the participants’ presentations. Each participant is required to prepare and deliver a presentation related to the thematic focus of the activities on site, introducing a case study from their country of origin. This component connects the practical work undertaken during the programme with comparable heritage practices in different cultural and institutional contexts. Through this structured exchange, participants reflect on conservation approaches, management frameworks, and current challenges, contributing to a broader comparative understanding of heritage preservation. The presentations are intended to encourage critical dialogue, intercultural exchange, and the articulation of informed professional perspectives within an international group of emerging heritage practitioners.
The training course will take place from September 27th to October 10th, 2026, and is jointly organised by European Heritage Volunteers and Centro de Investigación y Difusión de la Cerámica Nolla in collaboration with the Municipality of Meliana.
