Sebastian is a geographer and economist. In combining the two disciplines, he has been shaping regional development in Switzerland for 20 years. Convinced that individuals are the driving force for developing their environment, he has put knowledge- and networking-management at the centre of his interest and daily business.
Unsurprisingly, these competences are also the core of Sebastian’s own consulting company, named PLANVAL. With his colleagues, Sebastian has initiated and executed numerous projects in the field of regional development and sustainable tourism. Thereby he came across the power of interpreting natural and cultural heritage to visitors and realised the still untapped potential for interpretation in Switzerland. The country has rich landscapes, cultural and historical sites, and a high diversity of folklore. However, interpreting this richness is still in its infancy.
Convinced by the power of interpretation, and driven by his spirit of innovation, Sebastian engaged with heritage interpretation in 2003. Persuaded by the creative force of networks at different scales, he became a co-founder of Interpret Europe and volunteered to become the Country Coordinator for Switzerland: to be able to contribute to this international network but also to let Switzerland benefit from the experience and knowledge of IE. As Interpret Europe Country Coordinator for Switzerland, Sebastian will contribute to IE and to heritage interpretation as a profession with the following actions:
- Bring heritage interpretation to the attention of professional individuals, organisations and institutions related to heritage interpretation in Switzerland to increase the quality of interpretation-products in Switzerland;
- Create and strengthen networks of professional individuals, organisations and institutions related to heritage interpretation in Switzerland and supporting international networking activities;
- Strengthen the presence of Interpret Europe as an international network for the interpretation field in Switzerland; and
- Attract new members by pointing out the operational opportunities of Interpret Europe and the meaning of heritage interpretation.
Sebastian can be contacted at: sebastian.bellwald@planval.ch
To cite this article:
IE Management (2016) ‘Sebastian Bellwald is the new Country Coordinator for Switzerland’. In Interpret Europe Newsletter 4-2016, 34
Available online:
https://www.interpret-europe.net/fileadmin/Documents/publications/Newsletters/ie-newsletter_2016-4_winter.pdf
