Times are changing—and with them, the work of heritage interpreters. 

Digitalisation and AI introduce entirely new challenges. At our conference in Nuremberg, we will explore and discuss from every angle the risks and new opportunities brought about by these developments. 

With its museums and other sites, the city of Nuremberg offers numerous opportunities to explore this topic in greater depth during our study visits. Modern media have arrived in many locations, while other sites are still developing ideas and plans for the future. 

We can trace how we communicate – and how we used to communicate – while considering the future direction of our field and the role the human dimension plays within it. 

Nuremberg is deeply shaped by history. It is a city of medieval life and former wealth – once a Free Imperial City, home to the Imperial Castle, and the famous painter Albrecht Dürer. Yet, it is also the city associated with the Nazi Party Rallies and the Nuremberg Trials, events that continue to have a global impact to this day. Hence its designation as the City of Peace and Human Rights. 

Nuremberg is also the birthplace of the first German railway and a hub for toys and games; not to forget its famous gingerbread, bratwurst, wine and beer of which you will surely get a taste. 

Come to Nuremberg next May and be part of another inspiring IE event!

Join the team!

Do you have ideas for future conferences? Do you see yourself getting more involved in the IE events team? We are looking for one, or several, volunteers to help take on some of the tasks involved in managing the IE annual conference. The idea would be to shadow a little this year to understand more about what is involved with a view to taking on more responsibility.

If this sounds like something you could get your teeth into, please make contact with Bettina.

Bettina Lehnes is IE’s Event Coordinator. She can be contacted at: bettina.lehnes@interpret-europe.net.

To cite this article: Lehnes, Bettina (2026) “Interpret Europe Conference 2027 – In the planning stages”, Interpret Europe Newsletter Summer 2026, p. 33. Available online: Interpret Europe Newsletter Summer 2026.

It is really great that this year’s topic and location seem to have proven popular before we even begin, with the Interpret Europe conference becoming fully booked in no time.
When 150 people from diverse regions of Europe, as well as from South Korea, Brazil, Kenya, and the USA, gather for the next Interpret Europe conference in April, the Faro Convention and its significance for natural and cultural heritage will be the central focus.

Open space

Even before the conference gets fully underway, we will welcome members and non-members to our first IE open space session – a participant-driven forum where we will come together to explore the questions that matter most to us. Whether your passion lies in advancing heritage interpretation practice or strengthening the way our membership organisation functions, this method of working invites you to step forward, voice your ideas, and collaborate with others who care just as deeply.
How do we make Interpret Europe even more resilient and impactful together – for ourselves as members and for more and better interpretation across Europe? Bring a theme you want to discuss and develop with others.
Open space thrives on the belief that the people who show up are the right people, the topics that emerge are the ones we are ready to tackle, and the outcomes depend on the collective energy we bring. Here, you are not just a participant but an active co-creator, free to move between discussions, propose themes, challenge assumptions, and shape practical results. Your curiosity, commitment, and willingness to engage are the driving forces behind what we discover – and the impact we create together.
The open space forum will take place on 16 April 2026 at 14:00-17:00. Make sure to book a space and come along if you will be joining us for iecon.
(This year’s IE General Assembly will be digital and will take place in May instead of in this usual pre-conference spot.)

Developing the Faro Declaration

On the last day of the conference, full of inspiration, new ideas and thoughts from numerous presentations, workshops, study visits and conversations during the breaks, we will come together in a plenary session. Your input and active participation will be needed here too! Organised by our colleagues from MIK Małopolski Instytut Kultury in Krakow, we will gather and discuss what we’ve learned from these days together, which will hopefully culminate in a final document – the IE Faro Declaration – that will give the Faro spirit a new boost.

Let us carry the light of Faro into the world spreading how interpretation can enhance the value of heritage for people and societies not only in European democracies.Join the team!

Do you have ideas for future conferences? Do you see yourself getting more involved in the IE events team? We are looking for one, or several, volunteers to help take on some of the tasks involved in managing the IE annual conference. The idea would be to shadow a little this year to understand more about what is involved with a view to taking on more responsibility.

If this sounds like something you could get your teeth into, please make contact with Bettina either by email or in person at iecon.

Bettina Lehnes is IE’s Event Coordinator. She can be contacted at: bettina.lehnes@interpret-europe.net.
To cite this article: Lehnes, Bettina (2026) “Open space for your voice at iecon”, Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026, p. 32–33.
Available online: Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026.

Join us to co-create our Interpret Europe conference 2026: Re-interpreting Heritage in the Light of Faro, which will take place in Faro, Portugal in April. We will explore how heritage interpretation can strengthen democratic values, foster dialogue, and connect people with both cultural and natural heritage in meaningful ways. Faro is the birthplace of the Faro Convention, a milestone in people-centred, value-based approaches to heritage, making it the perfect setting to reflect on how interpretation can contribute to inclusive, sustainable communities across Europe.

To this end, we will organise group discussions and open space sessions and invite you to shape and co-create the future of interpretation with colleagues from all around Europe and beyond.

However, our standard programme with presentations and workshops remains, so you are warmly invited  to consider your own contribution by submitting an abstract (and later a full paper) by 5 January. 

As always, we will peek beyond the conference halls and visit numerous places in the Faro region. Whether your passion is culture, gastronomy, or nature, there will be something for everyone to remember this remarkable corner of Portugal forever.

You will be able to choose from six long study visits and at least six short ones, making the selection really hard.

Will you be tempted to visit the Loulé Rock Salt Mine, one of the most important geological sites of the Geoparque Algarvensis? 230 metres below the surface we will not only marvel at the magnificent underground world but also discuss how interpretation could help small businesses to find new ways forward in times of globalisation.

Or, will you prefer to go to the archaeological site of Milreu, surrounded by a serene agricultural landscape. We will rest our senses by wandering through the remains of a luxurious Roman villa and ponder over the succession of beliefs and cultural practices that shaped the south of the Iberian Peninsula. 

The group visiting the Eco-Cork Factory will learn about one of Portugal’s greatest natural treasures and one of its most exported products worldwide. In this family-run factory the love for cork has been passed down from generation to generation. Here, the ancestral knowledge of cork harvesting and transformation is preserved and at the same time adapted to modern times.

‘The cubist town’ of Olhão, an ancient fishing village, is a living testimony of the historical interconnection of locals with the ocean. We will trace the paths of legends, immersing ourselves in narratives that have influenced lives for centuries. Here, stories of fishermen, sailors and local folklore have woven a rich tapestry of identity. 

Or maybe you will choose to hop aboard a boat and experience the stunning Ria Formosa with its barrier islands, salt marshes and sand dunes as well as its rich flora and fauna. In conversation with local fishermen committed to sustainable practices, we’ll discuss the ecological challenges they face and the strategies they use to adapt to a changing world.

A bunch of short visits will let us explore Faro itself and its near surroundings, its landmarks, hidden gems and the most determinant moments in its history. Whether you chose a museum, the science centre, the digital visitor centre, a guided tour along the beach, a hike on the Ludo trail in the nature reserve or a tour up on the roofs of Faro or in its narrow streets – you will find plenty of food for lively discussions that align with our conference theme. Tastings of food and wine at sunset will round off our days. But this is not all! 

Parallel to our conference, our local organisers – Sciaena organisation – will be holding their annual Marmotto festival. This will be our unique chance to enjoy some artivism through a lively cultural event that blends music, interactive art, talks and performances inviting visitors to think about ocean conservation and expression through creativity. 

To round up our Portuguese adventure, join us on one of the post-conference tours to Évora or the Geopark Algarvensis.

There are good reasons why Évora will be the European Capital of Culture in 2027. A walk in the city centre is like a journey through 2000 years of Portuguese history. We’ll go on a guided tour visiting Évora’s most remarkable historic sites, including haunting chapels, ancient aqueducts, and serene gardens, and learn about the challenges and expectations of this UNESCO World Heritage city.Nature lovers should definitely not miss the post-conference tour UNESCO Geopark Algarvensis, a unique landscape of striking cliffs, hidden caves, and dramatic rock formations shaped over millions of years. We will learn about the region’s geological history, and discover the rich biodiversity of the area. 

However, before we get there, you should be aware of these deadlines so you don’t miss out on preparation for the conference:

Call for papers deadline: 5 January

Early bird registration until: 1 March

The conference website will be our most reliable signpost and information desk before we will meet in April so keep an eye on that for any extra information.

Bettina Lehnes is IE’s Event Coordinator. She can be contacted at: bettina.lehnes@interpret-europe.net.
Available online: Newsletter winter 2025

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 of Europe in challenging times of rapid change.
It was here where the Council of Europe launched the ‘Faro Convention’ in 2005, embarking on a transformative journey towards more democratic, people-centred, and value-based practices in dealing with Europe’s heritage. Today, the Council of Europe’s Faro Convention is more relevant than ever for all heritage – cultural and natural.

The Faro spirit provokes the entire heritage sector to re-assess its basic assumptions and practices and it provides guidance to lead the sector into a new era.  

It can inspire all professionally involved in heritage interpretation, including

• those working on the ground as front-line heritage interpreters, as interpretive writers or interpretive planners, or as interpretive agents and mediators, as well as others working in the field of heritage education,
• those engaged in professional development as trainers, teachers or researchers related to heritage interpretation, and
• those who govern or influence the framework conditions for heritage interpretation as site managers or as policy makers at local, regional, national or international level.

Heritage interpretation in the Faro spirit can become a catalyst for societies that seek unity in diversity. We can empower people, communities and societies to establish common ground while embracing diversity by engaging them in fruitful reflections about the past that matter for the present and future. 

The Algarve – so much more than a tourist destination

The whole region has been shaped throughout history by the succession and coexistence of diverse cultures and religions arriving by land and sea. It can look back on a turbulent past and it displays traces of these events everywhere.

There is the old town of Faro with a labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets lined with seventeenth- and eighteenth-century houses and its Gothic cathedral where you find many traces of its history and feel the spirit of the city’s eventful past.

Not quite as old is the Club Farense, a renowned place where, over cigars, gentlemen once debated world events and ladies met for more than card games. This is the unique setting for our next Interpret Europe conference in April 2026.

Founded over 150 years ago, the Club Farense in Faro hasn’t lost its special atmosphere even after so many decades. Every room tells its stories and transports visitors to times long past. We can immerse ourselves in this world and fill the rooms with our stories and contributions. While the club is usually reserved for its members, on weekends you can experience just about anything related to art and culture there – from all kinds of music to readings, theatre and shows.

And it will be at the heart of our conference!

Exploring the region

Our study tours will take us to places where we dive deep into the heart of heritage, both natural and cultural, tangible and intangible. Each tour will reveal unique stories and connections that tie individuals to their homeland, illuminating the dedication of those committed to preserving and sharing these treasures with both locals and visitors alike. Details of the study tours and more about the region we will be visiting will be announced on the website and in the next newsletter.

If you’re an early bird, you’ll be able to start your day with an exhilarating birdwatching tour in Ria Formosa at sunrise, providing a breathtaking start to your day before the conference day begins.

Your contribution

Our conferences depend on your contributions. We’re sure many of you have ideas and experiences connected to the theme which you’d like to share with others, and we look forward to a diverse range of sessions and workshops.

The call for papers will be open in October so keep an eye open for information coming on that.

Our 2026 conference will be organised in partnership with Sciaena, a non-governmental organisation that works towards a healthy marine environment through the promotion of sustainable ways of exploitation, the involvement of the population and political intervention.

Make sure you join us in April 2026 at the Algarve and be inspired by the light of Faro!

Want to know more? Take a look at the conference website: www.interpreteuropeconference.net.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me at: bettina.lehnes@interpret-europe.net

To cite this article: Lehnes, Bettina (2025) ‘Re-interpreting heritage in the light of Faro: #iecon26’ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 3-2025, pp. 18–19.
Available online: Newsletter autumn 2025

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 ‘shoots itself in the foot’ – narrative framing – with people that understand it so well, and from different perspectives.

I shared the Flight of the Swans film about my record-breaking expedition flying the migration route of Bewick’s swans from Arctic Russia back to the UK, which I undertook to engage people along the flyway with the conservation issues facing the species. In a Q&A session after the screening, we discussed how I learnt the hard way how different stories landed with different audiences, as I landed with each of them from out of the sky, or via national and international media. I shared how I learnt that anyone at the outset seen as ‘villains’ in a conservation problem – whether hunters, power companies, or landowners – often are the ones that truly hold the keys to the solution. You can achieve change much faster if you can frame stories so those villains see themselves instead as the potential heroes.

The conversations extending afterwards (and in to the bar) were lively, refreshingly practical, challenging and inspiring. We discussed the power of people and the stories we tell to build bridges and drive collaboration across borders when our politicians are building walls. 

I came away with plans for future collaborations on film tours, talks, a potential route to funding our ‘Finding your Wings’ education programme and a lot of food for thought. Thank you for having me at #iecon25 – I’m looking forward to bringing life to all of those ideas.

As mentioned after the film showing, I am very interested in discussing opportunities for film screenings and/or speaking tours and would love to speak to anyone that might be interested in setting up a tour or screening in your countries. I can appear live in person or online for a Q&A session to complement the film screening and spark debate amongst your groups.

Here is a link to the film trailer: https://youtu.be/9YLcTq53CUg?si=Jpvt8PI7hXSZ7Nwd

And a preview version of the full film:https://conservation-without-borders.notion.site/Flight-of-The-Swans-Documentary-84ffc156f28c4f459b1b732c9fd52950?pvs=4

Sacha Dench is the CEO of Conservation Without Borders (www.conservation-without-borders.org), a wildlife conservation charity that she set up in 2019 to deliver story-focussed action to protect migratory species. Following the Flight of the Swans expedition in 2016 Sacha became known as The Human Swan and she was the Ambassador for the UN’s Convention on Migratory Species 2019-2024. Sacha can be contacted at: sacha@conservation-without-borders.org.

To cite this article: Dench, Sacha (2025) ‘The Human Swan landed in Poland‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 1-2025, pg. 8.
Available online: PDF Newsletter Spring 2025 

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 I thought, “Yes, I’ll do it” because it would push me to be fully present throughout the conference. I’d have to pay close attention to everything that was said. It seemed like a great way to get the most out of the experience.

Following multiple sessions, keynote speakers, guides—for four days, all in English, which isn’t my mother tongue—was intense. Listening to people who, like me, were expressing themselves in a language that’s not their first can be quite demanding. I’m sure I wasn’t alone and many others could relate to that.

Maybe we shared more than just language challenges during the conference.

• We learned something about Polish history
• We had meaningful conversations with people we’d never met before
• We felt connected to people from other countries because you realised you face similar challenges in your work

We shared experiences.

And yet, I don’t have any universal truths for you following the conference. I can only offer my perspective—my point of view as a woman in her forties, from Belgium, working in cultural heritage, who only experienced part of this conference due to the many parallel sessions and study visits that were on offer to attend.

This conference reminded me that all we ever really have is our own point of view. What we perceive triggers associations—concepts and memories drawn from the personal backpack we each carry. And everyone’s backpack is different. We don’t know what others are carrying. So, we experience the world—and each other—differently.

For example: one morning, I stepped outside the hotel and said, “Wow, fresh air!”
The next person came out and said, “Oh, it’s so cold!”
Same moment, different perception.

After sessions, I would talk to others and be struck by how differently we interpreted the same speaker. So, I’ve come to believe, from my point of view, that if we want to truly understand one another, we need to listen more. Not just hear—but really listen. And perhaps ask questions that help us listen better, more deeply—questions that allow us to get past the walls our backpacks might build between us.

Another takeaway from the conference for me was the power of words.

This was beautifully explored during the guided tour I joined at the Piłsudski Museum. And it echoed throughout the conference—how words can empower, how they can give voice, and how sometimes, we need new words.

Take “sheroes” instead of “heroes”.
Maybe history should become herstory.
Luckily, someone reminded me—we already have her-itage!

Words matter.

Last night, I called my partner in Belgium and was raving about the study visit to Basha’s museum in Warsaw. He was surprised: “Marie Curie was Polish?!”
So, from now on, I’ve decided not to refer to her simply as Marie Curie, but as Marie Skłodowska-Curie.

Words matter.
Talking about motherhood isn’t the same as talking about the mothering soul in all of us.

Words matter—like the word originality in UNESCO’s World Heritage criteria. If we strictly followed the Western, material-based interpretation of originality, post-war reconstruction in Warsaw wouldn’t have been recognised as World Heritage. But thanks to the Eastern perspective—where originality lies in form—it was.

Words can unite, but they can also divide.

During the conference I learned that words can also limit the space for dialogue. Someone pointed out that if the Warsaw Uprising Museum had instead been called the Museum of the Polish Underground State, it might have allowed for a broader range of perspectives. Which title leaves more room for complexity?

This idea—making space for more—truly resonated with me during the conference.

As we discussed, we live in turbulent times. Rhetoric around protecting borders and making our own group “great again” dominates. So yes, perhaps striving toward a polyphonic approach to heritage, one that makes space for all perspectives, is more vital than ever. I was inspired by Marcin Napiórkowski’s keynote—and I think many others were too.

But I was also struck by the questions that followed his talk.

What about views that—fuelled by social media or political leaders promising simple answers to complex problems—turn out to be racist, sexist, or divisive?

Someone said: “Yes, but multiperspectivity must be grounded in an ethical framework.”

Hmmm, … From my point of view, that’s a difficult one. Because how can I advocate for values like openness, if I tell someone their point of view isn’t welcome?
Where does that leave room for dialogue?

Perhaps the value of openness—which I hold really dear—means that I, as an interpreter, must make space even for perspectives that might undermine my own values. That’s not easy. It’s even scary.

Still, the conversations I had in Sulejówek and Warsaw give me hope. Hope that it’s possible. That spaces like non-selective museums or natural environments can serve as starting points for real dialogue. For building trust—so we can keep talking, even when it’s hard.

(I learned that in Poland, there’s a study showing that while people may no longer trust institutions, they do still trust museums!)

Yet even with this hope, I’m left with another question:
Am I equipped to embrace radical multiperspectivity?
It feels like a risk.
How do I prepare myself for that?
How do I empower the guides in my museum, who are also afraid of this challenge?

How do we, as interpreters, become more like composers, as Marcin Napiórkowski suggested—people who step back, listen actively, and help shape harmony in this polyphony?

From my point of view, I hope we can keep talking about this. I’d love for us to explore how to meet this challenge together.

I will close with a quote from Piłsudski that I read in the museum. Suddenly, it meant something to me: “Only action has meaning. The best intentions are of no effect unless they result in practical consequences.”

So, when we are in our own places of action—natural and cultural—let’s struggle, try, fail, and try again. And let’s come back together next year, to share what we’ve learned and to interconnect our points of view.

Barbara Struys is responsible for Audience Development at Herita in Flanders. Barbara works on heritage interpretation and audience development in the sites Run by Herita, but also supports other heritage organisations in this matter. She can be contacted at: Barbara.struys@herita.be.

To cite this article: Struys, Barbara (2025) ‘Heroes and villains at iecon‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 1-2025, pg. 6-7.
Available online: PDF Newsletter Spring 2025 

Call for papers
If you were with us at the conference in Koper, Slovenia, you will certainly remember the warm invitation from our Polish friends to meet again next year in Sulejowek. Now we are working hard to deliver another exciting and inspiring event. Most importantly for the moment: The call for papers is open!  The theme will be Heroes, anti-heroes and villains: How we (re)create, use and dismantle them. Take your time to think about what you would most like to share with your international colleagues. Look at it from all sides, create new ideas, discard them, reformulate them… and use the upcoming holiday period to put everything together.  Don’t miss the deadline to send us your abstract: 5 January 2025.
Find out more about the requirements here: https://www.interpreteuropeconference.net/call-for-papers-2/ We are looking forward to a new colourful bouquet of heritage interpretation ideas, experience and visions.
Study visits
Deciding which study visits to take you on was not easy, as Warsaw and its surroundings offer a wide range of possibilities. Of course, you can’t visit the city without learning about the history of the Jews, the Warsaw Uprising and the impressive reconstruction after the Second World War. But what do apples and giraffes have to do with the conference topic? What stories does the Vistula River tell? And what awaits us in the Kampinoski National Park? Immerse yourself in the fascinating life of the city’s most famous daughter, Maria Skłodowska-Curie, or imagine the life of people in Communist times. We are sure that there is something interesting and inspiring for everyone, which can be discussed further over some tasty Polish food.
From our conference organiser
April is only a few months away and we’ll have a great chance to get to know each other and to exchange our unique experiences and ideas, during the #iecon25 conference in Sulejówek near Warsaw, Poland. We can’t wait to welcome you to the Józef Piłsudski Museum in Sulejówek (https://muzeumpilsudski.pl/en/home/) from 11-14 April 2025. Together we will interpret natural and cultural heritage in circumstances that for sure you’ll find inspiring. During the conference, besides the core programme of keynote speeches, presentations and workshops, we’ll have several other activities for you: cultural visits in Warsaw and nearby areas, pre- and post-conference tours and other opportunities to spend valuable time together. In the Piłsudski Museum itself you’ll be offered a range of interpretive guided tours and walks, as well as more traditional ways of ‘touching’ the history of Poland and Central Eastern Europe. You’ll be our special guests!

Bettina Lehnes is IE’s Event Coordinator. She can be contacted at: bettina.lehnes@interpret-europe.net. Anna Wachowiak from the Józef Piłsudski Museum is the conference organizer for 2025. She can be contacted at: a.wachowiak@mipws.pl.

To cite this article: Lehnes, Bettina & Wachowiak, Anna (2024) ‘iecon25 – Call for papers is open!‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 3-2024, pg.27-28.
Available online: PDF-Newsletter_2024_3.pdf

What can be achieved in four days of conversations, presentations, lectures, workshops, meals, bus rides and site visits, with a view to sustainable development within the heritage interpretation sector? Considering where these ultimate frontiers stand, how we can challenge mindsets in the process and what this actually means is why over 120 people came from all over Europe and beyond to a welcoming town at the top of the Istrian peninsular.

As Interpret Europe’s Managing Director, Helena Vičič, reminded us in her welcome speech, we might find some guiding principles in the UN’s Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and for Global Citizenship (EGC), and the European Commission’s Stormy Times report. How we might actually step up to the challenge(s) was beautifully and generously set out by one of the keynote speakers, Professor David Uzzell of the University of Surrey, UK, in the form of ‘giving away’ the skills of interpretation so that people can work things out for themselves at other sites, too. This might help us all take responsibility locally for our own spaces and communities, when the issues we face are often so easily dismissed as ‘global’ (and thus some higher power’s responsibility instead). The global ‘issue’ (I use the word with affection) of interpretation and the World Heritage Sustainable Development Policy is, in turn, the recipient of in-depth care and investigations at WHIPIC in South Korea, led by Sujeong Lee, another keynote speaker. She came to both share and discuss with us in Europe. And, as reading the conference programme abstracts and memories of our interactions attests, so many of us brought our equally valuable own work, case studies, ideas and inspirations from 24 countries.

Koper/ Capodistria was the perfect setting for our conference: a multicultural Adriatic gem, whose warm embrace can be fast felt by anyone arriving through the town’s walls, not to mention also due to the presence of the UNESCO Chair of Interpretation and Education for Enhancing Integrated Heritage Approaches at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Primorska, our generous hosts. This sensation of coming to our IE home for a few days was even more important after the lengthy journeys that many of the participants undertook to come to Koper, putting sustainability into action with slow travel and for some, a number of stops en route to appreciate more of our beautiful continent, its heritage, nature and people.

From the determination with which two ladies from Slovenia stood up in Sighișoara, Romania, at the end of the 2023 conference to assure us we could come together once again this year, through the unrelenting efforts of IE’s management, team and volunteers to deliver the necessary admin and activities, to the dedication with which the presentations, workshops and visits were prepared and the subsequent dynamism with which they were imparted, and the warmth with which old friends and new gathered together to share knowledge, ideas and experiences… All of this is testament to the sustainability of heritage interpretation in Europe and beyond. 

For a sector that is based around both adding value and disseminating specific values, via engagement, preservation, understanding, and sharing, we need impassioned, knowledgeable, inclusive, kind and analytical individuals to do this work. This is the way in which a strong eco-system of heritage interpretation – of both trained interpreters, and publics empowered to interpret heritage for themselves and across their spheres of influence – can be passed on to the next generations. Even against the complex backdrop of climate goals going ever further off-track, rising nationalism across many of our countries and the related polarisation of societies, technology (specifically AI) behaving badly, and various other factors, as covered in the keynote by Lluís Bonet of CHARTER and the University of Barcelona, whose skills as an economist brought a whole new set of interpretations to the heritage sector’s status quo. 

In spite of, and also because of all this, our best answer as to what sustainable development within the heritage interpretation sector truly means, requires and how it can be achieved, has been found in ourselves. As sustainability is always contemporary and is about us and our communities, as voiced by another of the keynote speakers, Špela Spanžel of the Slovenian Ministry of Culture, we must continue to nurture it within ourselves, our practices and relationships. With strength, empathy, flexibility to the tides and all the publics who we will join and will join us, we will do this all the way to Sulejówek 2025, where we will once again be able to take stock and share our insights and emotions when we meet again, next time in Poland.

Elisa Bailey is a curator, museologist and cultural strategist dedicated to making the cultural sector a kinder place for all, with a particular focus on commemorative practices and spaces, and socio-political graphics. She is based in Madrid, Spain. She can be contacted at: elisa@curacultura.art.  

To cite this article: Bailey, Elisa (2024) ‘Finding the future of heritage interpretation within ourselves’ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 1-2024, pg.5-6.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PDF-Newsletter_2024_1-spring.pdf

Our conference team is working away to ensure that we are ready to welcome you to Slovenia for our next conference, Sustainability: Challenging mindsets through heritage interpretation, on 21-24 March 2024.

Slovenia is described as a ‘green jewel in the heart of Europe’, ‘green heaven’, ‘Europe in miniature’, and other similarly poetic expressions. Although it is not located in the geographical centre of the continent, it lies at the intersection of cultures: Latin, German, Slavic and Hungarian worlds. Consequently, its culture and language is a product from this melting pot of all these influences that shaped a unique cultural mixture, resulting in an enormous variety of cultural expressions and dialects in a tiny territory.

The country’s former tourism slogan, ‘On the sunny side of Alps’, revealed its climate and geography. Whereas the current tourism slogan, ‘I feel SLOVEnia’, suggests that you will, too, fall in love with the place. But, away from this romantic poetry, Slovenia can boast about many things: vast areas (64% of its land) covered in forest and one of the most progressive forest management systems, with a fair number of European beasts that have been successfully reintroduced in nature; culinary delights, as diverse as its landscape; high responsibility and respect towards nature and traditional practices; and plenty of heritage jewels along off-the-beaten-track paths that we’ll visit during study visits.

During iecon24 in March, we’ll explore places that can offer the best interpretive experiences in the region. Not only in Slovenia, but also in its neighbours – Croatia and Italy.
Check out our range of interesting study visits: https://www.interpreteuropeconference.net/study-visits/

Travel to and from the conference can be an opportunity to add extra inspiration by connecting further with colleagues, whilst also seeing some of the more well-known and crowded tourist spots. You may join us for an additional tour before or after the conference and joining us for a visit of the capital Ljubljana at your arrival and driving together to Venice on the way home is a good option to experience these two places. However, we’ll not be staying on the usual tourist routes. Our hosts will reveal another side of the story and also talk about sustainability of the places. Find out more here:

https://www.interpreteuropeconference.net/pre-conference-tour/

https://www.interpreteuropeconference.net/post-conference-tour/

We have received a number of very promising abstracts for sessions and workshops that will open discussions at all layers of the conference theme. We will hear about local projects and research findings and discuss successful approaches as well as open questions and challenges. Together, maybe we will find some solutions.

Finally, we are extremely excited about the renowned speakers that will provoke our thoughts each day with their opening keynotes. David Uzzel, a deserving professor and researcher of heritage interpretation has dedicated his latest works to sustainability psychology and will be happy to exchange views with us regarding the potentials and limitations of heritage interpretation in fostering sustainability mindsets. Whereas Lluis Bonet from the University of Barcelona and Špela Spanžel from the Cultural Heritage Directorate Slovenia will highlight our joint endeavors from other angles.

You can find out more about our keynote speakers here: https://www.interpreteuropeconference.net/keynote-speakers/

If you have submitted an abstract for a presentation, you will be hearing from the conference team during January. It is now time to start booking up your place! The early bird discount fees are available until 9 February so don’t delay!

We are looking forward to meeting many of you (again) in March for the next lively Interpret Europe conference!

Bettina Lehnes is IE’s Events Coordinator. You can contact her at: bettina.lehnes@interpret-europe.net.

Helena Vicic is IE’s Managing Director. You can contact her at: helena.vicic@interpret-europe.net.

For all conference enquiries, you can reach the local organising team at: management@interpreteuropeconference.net.

To cite this article: Lehnes, Bettina & Vicic, Helena (2023) ‘Challenge your mindset‘  in Interpret Europe Newsletter 4-2023, pg.6-7.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IE-Newsletter-2023_4-winter.pdf