2022 European Heritage Days shines light on sustainable heritage
This edition encourages Europeans to protect their rich and diverse heritage in the context of environmental changes and related risks. The event series also focuses on the role of heritage in building more sustainable and resilient communities.
A wide range of exhibitions, workshops, performances, guided tours, and many other activities are taking place from mid-August to early November in participating countries of the 2022 edition of European Heritage Days.
The events will be looking at how heritage contributes to a more sustainable future for people and for where they live, work and play
This year’s theme encourages people to look at their heritage from a different perspective, be inspired and demonstrate the sustainability promoted by the European Green Deal. It is a great opportunity for us all to acknowledge how heritage from the past shapes our present and influences our future. In parallel, sustainable heritage is an opportunity to build responsible participation in the legacy of our shared European heritage.
said Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.
Heritage Days highlight the role of heritage sites in local identities
At events happening across Europe, visitors can understand the impact that historic buildings have in preserving local identities.
The events are also an opportunity to learn how at-risk heritage sites can be restored or re-purposed using traditional renovation techniques, skills, and materials as part of socially and environmentally sustainable urban development.
Background
European Heritage Days is a joint initiative of the European Commission and the Council of Europe, running since 1999. They are the most widely celebrated participatory cultural events shared by people living in Europe.
They help bring people together and highlight the European dimension of cultural heritage in the countries that signed the European Cultural Convention. Up to 70,000 events are organised each year to help raise awareness of the value of this common heritage and the need to preserve it for present and future generations.
The Days are also a chance for organisers and visitors to reflect on how to protect our tangible, intangible and natural heritage. They promote sustainable tourism, better resource management, and they make us consider our relationship with nature through art and cultural practices, and the ways in which we take care of wildlife and biodiversity.