IE News

Save the date! More details of this online symposium will be published soon. This is the pre-announcement for an online symposium that Interpret Europe and UNESCO are organising on 26-27 February 2026 under the title ‘The role of narratives in 21st century heritage interpretation’. In recent years, a ...Read More

Re-interpreting heritage in the light of Faro: #iecon26

Come to Portugal in April to discuss what the Faro Convention means for heritage interpretation and how we can contribute to its implementation. Faro, at the very Southwestern edge of the continent, is the right place to reflect on a theme which we consider of central importance for the future ...Read More

Hands-on with the Romans: Re-imagining Stobi through live interpretation

The archaeological site of Stobi (North Macedonia) came alive through a series of interpretive workshops that re-imagined Roman daily life. Rooted in hands-on engagement and value-based storytelling, the programme that brought this site to life during the summer months invited participants not just to learn about history ...Read More

Hello, my name is Pettrike

Protecting women from poverty after hard working lives – an audio guide bringing to life the timbers of one of Bergen’s oldest institutions. In the early 1600s, the Norwegian address of 28 Klostergaten, Bergen, was a highly-prized location for widowed and unmarried working-class women. It was, in fact ...Read More

Dress up for interpretation

A year of live interpretation – a new IE training module takes the stage across Europe 2025 has been a landmark year for Interpret Europe’s newest training offer: the Module on Live Interpretation (MLI). The MLI invites participants to quite literally step into character — to explore heritage through first-person ...Read More

Have you heard of Ulpiana, the ancient city in Kosovo?

Cultural heritage professionals gathered to share their ideas and learn how to create an interpretation plan for Ulpiana Archaeological Site. This September, the first Interpret Europe course in Kosovo was held in Gračanica, about 2km from the ancient city. Seventeen of us from all over Kosovo gathered to take part ...Read More

Inspiring journey into heritage interpretation

Through rain, sun, and teamwork, we learned to see heritage anew, crafting stories, signs, and skills for meaningful interpretation. The Interpret Europe Certified Interpretive Writer (CIW) course held at the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek, Croatia, and organised by the Center for Cultural Heritage, brought together university teachers ...Read More

An educational experience that motivates and unites

Greek mountain villages, with distinctive traditional architecture of local stone and wood, can offer much more than just a tourist attraction. I was born and raised in the mountains of South Pindos, in Evrytania. I have been working for more than two decades in education, specialising in environmental and cultural ...Read More

Empaths training programme takes shape

Empaths turns its focus on the structure and content for a pilot training programme on participatory HI for heritage professionals. The Empaths project partners from Germany, Austria/Slovenia, Italy and Greece met in Athens on 18-19 September for the second in-person transnational project meeting, hosted by HERITΛGE. Almost ...Read More

Learning Landscapes: The new call

Ready to turn your region into a Learning Landscape? Help shape a future where heritage inspires connection, care and co-creation. Together with UNESCO, Interpret Europe has developed the Learning Landscapes initiative – an innovative approach to transforming regions into vibrant spaces where heritage connects people, strengthens communities, and inspires action ...Read More

Interpret Europe conference 2026 – Save the date!

We will meet 16-19 April in Faro, Portugal with the theme: Re-interpreting heritage in the light of Faro. Interpret Europe's Conference Coordinator Bettina Lehnes and Country Coordinator Portugal, Pedro Morais, are just back from Faro where they spent some packed and exciting days. It’s now time ...Read More

7 Most Endangered

Nominations are now open for the Europa Nostra programme to recognise heritage at-risk. All over Europe, our shared cultural heritage is under growing threat: from natural and human-made disasters to the impacts of climate-change, conflict, neglect, poorly planned development, violation of the rule of law, and lack ...Read More

Representation in the Balkans

IE Croatia participated at the Balkan Museum Network conference. The ‘Meet, See, Do – Museum Trends’ conference, which was organised by the Balkan Museum Network in partnership with Zagreb City Museum and NEMO – Network of European Museum Organisations, took place in Zagreb on April 28-29. It brought together museum and ...Read More

Revitalizing Durres’ heritage

A year-long journey of awareness, education, and community engagement in Albania. Durres, one of Albania’s most ancient and historically rich cities, is undergoing a remarkable cultural revival thanks to a year-long collaboration between Durresi Aktiv and MuZEH Lab, supported by the EU4Culture initiative. This comprehensive project is ...Read More

Bringing ancient inscriptions to life: The Prometheus Project

When the academic community embraces interpretation—bridging the gap between ancient science and everyday visitors. In the last decade, heritage interpretation has gained visibility as a method that not only conveys facts but invites connection, collaboration, and co-creation. But what happens when academic disciplines—traditionally focused on research—begin ...Read More

Every story has its hero

Life in a student dormitory blooms with the help of an interpretive hum. How can heritage interpretation enrich teenagers' living space? This article brings one possible answer to that question through a case study of an unusual application of IE methodology. Every story has its hero, a character we meet ...Read More

Become a Certified Interpretive Trainer

Apply now for CIT 2026 in Frankfurt and join the IE team of trainers The next Certified Interpretive Trainer (CIT) course will take place in Frankfurt, Germany, from 2-6 February 2026. The CIT course will be led by Thorsten Ludwig and Valya Stergioti, who together train all IE trainers ...Read More

Interpretive writing in Greece: it’s a girl’s job!

A diverse group of women dive into interpretive writing, exploring heritage, creativity, and storytelling in the heart of Athens. In March, an IE Certified Interpretive Writer (CIW) course was held in Athens, Greece. The weather was so sunny and warm, that we joked it was better suited for the summer ...Read More

Kostoula: Beyond the Zagori cultural landscape view

Learning to see beyond the view and unravel the potential advantages of a well-structured interpretation plan of Zagori cultural landscape. In March 2025 an Interpret Europe course took place in the city of Ioannina, in the region of Epirus, northwestern Greece. It was part of IE's Learning Landscape ...Read More

Shaping stories of nature and heritage

Three interpretation workshops in Kočevsko trained locals to share the region’s rich natural and cultural heritage in deeper, more engaging ways. Nestled in the heart of Slovenia, Kočevsko is a region defined by vast forests, rich biodiversity, and cultural depth. With over 90% of its landscape covered in forest ...Read More

Mentoring becomes part of our trainer training

As the IE training programme expands to entire regions and the relevance of co-creation increases, the role of trainers as mentors is growing. A mentor is an experienced advisor fostering personal and professional growth of a mentee. The term originates from Greek mythology: Mentor was the name of a ...Read More

European projects update – Where are we now?

HI-People and Empaths have been progressing since the start of the year – Here’s an update on what has been happening. HI-People is a 4-year project funded by the EU Creative Europe programme designed to capitalise on IE’s efforts over the last ten years to promote ...Read More

From ambition to action

What we’re learning through the Learning Landscapes Initiative. The Learning Landscapes Initiative is powered by interpretive agents working in their regions, to turn heritage into a drive for change. Reaching the middle of its pilot phase, a Q&A session gave IE members the opportunity to learn more ...Read More

Reflecting on milestones

More than half a lifetime in interpretation and ten years of producing your newsletter. Maybe it’s because I’m approaching my 50th year, or because I will soon celebrate ten years of working freelance since I left full-time guaranteed employment, but I have been feeling reflective lately. I ...Read More

Become an IE Certified Interpretive Trainer – Registration now open

July 23, 2025

We are pleased to announce that the next IE course for Certified Interpretive Trainers (IE CIT) will take place in Frankfurt, Germany, from 2 to 6 February 2026, over five consecutive days. The course will be led by IE trainers, Thorsten Ludwig and Valya Stergioti, and coordinated by IE Managing ...Read More

Global Alliance for Heritage Interpretation

GAHI Webinar: A circular economy for exhibitions

June 25, 2025

Global Alliance for Heritage Interpretation is inviting all interpreters around the world to a series of webinars in 2024. Join the next one: Tuesday 1 July 17:00 CEST A circular economy for exhibitions Can we transform the way we create and reuse interpretive materials? This webinar unveils a bold ...Read More

Call for tenders: Development and delivery of a mentoring programme and peer support programme

June 18, 2025

One of the key areas of action in Interpret Europe's HI-People project is to support the training and professional growth of heritage interpreters. As such, we are looking for a provider to develop and implement a mentoring and peer support programme for heritage interpretation trainers and new/early ...Read More

IE Newsmail for Empaths newsletter #1

May 23, 2025

We are delighted to share with you the first newsletter of EMPATHS, which is funded by the Erasmus+ programme. As we know, heritage is no longer the exclusive domain of the expert, primarily for conservation purposes. Instead, people are playing an active role in creating, protecting and transforming heritage by ...Read More

Creative Europe Programme

Individual Mobility Funding: A firsthand experience. IE’s Office Manager recently participated as a grantee in the Culture Moves Europe programme — an excellent opportunity for creative practitioners, museologists, artists, and professionals working in the cultural sector. Through this funding, a study visit was organised to the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden ...Read More

Take part in Heritage in Motion 2025

Do you create digital experiences that engage and inspire audiences? Heritage in Motion Awards invites you to showcase your work. Heritage in Motion (HIM) is an international award celebrating innovative multimedia projects that interpret, preserve, and promote cultural heritage. Since 2014, it has recognised the most creative uses of technology ...Read More

A haunted house or just a national hero home-museum?

The highs and lows of introducing HI to a traditional museum setting. From building trust and moments for discussion to losing the magic. There you are, in the mausoleum of the most important politician of 20th century Greek history. His home. One of his houses. As an interpretive guide. You ...Read More

Seeing opportunities and strengthening collaboration in Scandinavia

Heritage interpretation has had a relatively slow start in Scandinavia. But recent events might heat up this exciting field in the cold north. The international field of heritage interpretation (HI) has had a fairly short history in Scandinavia compared to other countries in Europe. In the 1980-90s, the field ...Read More

Košava wind time machine

This ancient wind has witnessed many periods in history, brought to life through a new interpretive walk. Ram Fortress, located in Eastern Serbia, attracts many visitors with its rich history and stunning view of the Danube River. Constructed in the late 15th century by Ottoman sultan Bayezid II as one ...Read More

Under foot

Using a 3D mobile artwork to tell the story of a Geopark in Ireland This innovative interpretive creation became a key feature of our events throughout 2024. A mobile piece of 3D pavement art was literally rolled out at every event held within the Mourne Gullion Strangford Geopark https://mournegullionstrangfordgeopark ...Read More

Layers of meaning: A journey through Kotor’s living heritage

Imagine interpreting phenomena you’ve passed by your entire life without ever acknowledging their value or significance. The main task throughout the IE Certified Interpretive Planner (CIP) course held in Kotor during the last week of March tested participants to do just that. The course was run as part of ...Read More

Learning the interpretive planning method at a pond

On a chilly morning in Den Helder the Netherlands, ten people stand next to a pond with dogs running between them. A good learning environment? That’s how the IE Certified Interpretive Planner (CIP) course I joined started. The pond we were standing next to was our heritage for that ...Read More

IE training – Solving Medway problems

Rochester, in England, has a problem. Medway Council currently has no tourism department. IE training finds ways to increase visits. Rochester, a picturesque jewel in south-east England, has a problem. In April 2024 Medway Council tourism department closed as a cost cutting measure. Businesses must now be responsible for ...Read More

We’re better together!

IE coordinators are a cornerstone for HI-People. HI-People is a key project for Interpret Europe over the next four years. It will build the capacity of our network organisation and members but also reach out to other heritage professionals, institutions and networks to promote the role of heritage ...Read More

Learning Landscapes on the move

Bringing theory to life across places, cultures, and local realities The Learning Landscapes Initiative is making steady and inspiring progress.The last time you heard about it was probably from the international workshop in Kotor, Montenegro, back in October. That gathering marked a crucial turning point, as interpretive agents from ...Read More

The Human Swan landed in Poland

It was a privilege to add a new dimension to the Interpret Europe conference programme this year in the form of a conservation cinema night. Interpret Europe’s conference on ‘Heroes, Anti-heroes and Villains’ was brilliant, inspiring, and a rare opportunity to dive into an issue where conservation often ...Read More

Heroes and villains at iecon

Some thoughts inspired by IE’s annual conference 2025 and what the theme might mean for each of us. When I was asked to do the wrap-up of this year’s conference, which took place 11-14 April in Poland, I was genuinely surprised—and I hesitated. But then ...Read More

Interpreting heroes and villains in history