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IE tourism initiative: Recreating tourism through heritage interpretation ‘Open doors’
September 21, 2021If your destination, like many others, has been hit by the pandemic, you are probably looking for ways to recover and thinking about how to recreate tourism to make it more resilient in future. We believe the solution lies in mindful people striving for meaningful experiences in a responsible way ...Read More
Dead men do tell tales: interpreting difficult heritage
September 18, 202122 September 2021, 18:00 CEST Difficult heritage is a type of cultural heritage that reflects a strong social preoccupation with the past. It includes human remains, graves, concentration camps, memorials, monuments, and other elements of individual and community heritage whose main features reflect pain, fear, shame and loss. It ...Read More
Interpretation and gamification can go hand in hand
August 22, 202126 August 2021, 18:00 CEST What do you think of when you say the word ‘game’? Do you associate it with something carefree, fun, and childlike? How about a serious, immersive, mind-bending, mission-oriented experience? When the creative mind of a game designer gets in perfect tune with ...Read More
Heritage Interpretation for families: Why and what’s it all about?
June 16, 2021Do you focus on families with the heritage interpretation you offer? Research in the Flanders region shows that the experiences we gain as a child when we’re out with our family determine what we are interested in later in life. So, if we want future generations to grow up ...Read More
IE Webinar: Seeking the universal in the “outstanding universal value” at World Heritage Sites
May 14, 2021World Heritage Sites represent outstanding universal values. But how should we grasp and interpret their relevance, simply, to a wider audience? What approach should we take to balance the complexities of these sites with comprehensible interpretation that brings the “aha” moment? How can the scientific understanding of the outstanding universal ...Read More
IE Webinar: Interpretation for children – exploring Cornell´s Sharing Nature in relation to IE quality standards
April 17, 2021In this webinar, presenters will compare the IE quality standards with the principles of Flow Learning. Proposing the basis for a new model of developing interpretation for children and youth and implementing it in a new IE training module. One of the principles of Heritage Interpretation written by Freeman Tilden ...Read More
Recreating tourism through heritage interpretation: Call for papers
March 28, 2021When the pandemic comes to an end, there will be a need for new ideas in tourism. What role can heritage interpretation play in this? ‘Recreating tourism through heritage interpretation’ is the title of our next Interpret Europe Conference (#iecon21) that is due to take place 1 – 4 October ...Read More
EU Funding for Culture 2021-2027
March 28, 2021There are 13 EU programmes for culture and the creative sector with funding opportunities to help with covid-recovery. Culture is considered an important pillar of the EU as it significantly contributes to social cohesion, building a common sense of belonging and promoting shared values and cultural diversity. The Treaty ...Read More
Cultural heritage as a catalyst for positive change
March 28, 2021A ‘green paper’ aims to put Europe’s shared heritage at the heart of the European Green Deal and is linked to the New European Bauhaus initiative. The European Cultural Heritage Green Paper (published 22 March 2021) was developed by Europa Nostra, ICOMOS (the International Council on Monuments and Sites ...Read More
Philanthropy for Europe
March 28, 2021The European Cultural Foundation and the Allianz Kulturstiftung for Europe invite you to imagine European philanthropy for a common future. Interpret Europe is represented in the European Commission Expert Group on Cultural Heritage (Cultural Heritage Forum) and the study, Imagine Philanthropy for Europe, was shared with us in January. It ...Read More
Heritage and our sustainable future
March 28, 2021Recordings and reading material from this conference supported by UNESCO, focusing on preserving the past for the future, are available online. Amongst the vast amount of online content available in the past year, the virtual conference, Heritage and our Sustainable Future, hosted by Praxis (University of Leeds) and the UK ...Read More
Discovering wooden treasure in the heart of Croatia
March 28, 2021Recent earthquakes in central Croatia have drawn attention to valuable wooden architecture that has proven resilient to earthquakes. Traditional wooden architecture is characteristic for the wider area of central Croatia. However, the largest concentration of the most valuable wooden architecture is located in the micro-regions of Banovina/Banija, Pokuplje ...Read More
Sharing stories: The 8 Billion project
March 28, 2021Two international projects bring together environment, heritage, arts and faith groups to share support and experiences through films and stories. CelebrationEarth! has been a project based on hope. Despite all the environmental crises, despite the anger and despair, we wanted to remind people that there is still so much beauty ...Read More
Virtual hands-on – How corona challenged me as a trainer
March 28, 2021Adapting to online training provided a lot of challenges, but also some learning experiences. Can we highlight some opportunities from this? Last year was challenging for all! But challenges also seek solutions and my job as a trainer changed dramatically over night. I/we had to adapt from the full ...Read More
Vransko Lake Nature Park – A place you’ll always return to
March 28, 2021Direct encounters with nature and opportunities for nature to be your teacher, is also one of the most powerful weapons in maintaining health. Vransko Lake is the biggest natural lake in Croatia and one of the last Mediterranean wetlands. Its location, between the cities of Zadar and Šibenik in the ...Read More
Project-based learning for heritage tourism
March 28, 2021Is project-based-learning the missing link for thriving heritage tourism professionals? Pro-Youth offers some insight. The Erasmus+ project, Pro-Youth – Strategic cooperation for more efficient international work-based learning schemes in the field of heritage tourism, is in its final stage. Partner organisations from Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy and ...Read More
International Day of Tourist Guides celebrated in Slovenia
March 28, 2021The International Day of Tourist Guides commemorates the founding of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations on 21 February 1990. This year, the way we tourist-guides run the celebration of our special day has completely changed. Covid-19 has forced us into a virtual version of our presentation ...Read More
How do we nurture memory in museums?
March 28, 2021Family legacies evoke memories or the feelings we had on a child’s birthday, on a unique family holiday, or at the moment of losing a loved one. Sometimes I forget the groceries from the shopping list, sometimes I forget an appointment at the hairdresser, but imagine forgetting my mother ...Read More
Optimism is a strategy for making a better future
March 28, 2021Spreading optimism and enthusiasm to guides during a difficult year is easier with a Tourist Board that prioritises human resources. “Optimism is a strategy for making a better future.” This interesting quote by Noam Chomsky shows exactly what happened in Zagreb in February, at the first CIG course in the ...Read More
CIW – A calling
March 28, 2021We are lucky to love our jobs. To present and promote our natural and cultural heritage is a great responsibility and a challenge. We all had the opportunity to take part in an IE Certified Interpretive Writer (CIW) course in January and wanted to share our experiences and what it ...Read More
Thematic tables: Live(ly) exchange about creating connections
March 28, 2021IE’s new event on the first Wednesday of the month encourages members to meet online for live(ly) exchange around a different topic each time. All IE members are invited to join us on Zoom (registration needed) or you can follow the livestream of the event in the IE ...Read More
Strategic review and planning: A five-year cycle
March 28, 2021IE’s Strategic Plan 2016-2020 just ended. A review of the achievements in that period is being used to help plan our next five years. IE’s Strategic Plan 2021-2025 is currently being developed by the Supervisory Committee and Management with support from the managing coordinators and input ...Read More
Safe spaces for all
March 28, 2021Interpreters are advocates for audiences and not political activists – an appeal for our cultural sites to provide safe places for all visitors. I am worried, and I suspect I’m not the only one. First of all, Brexit. Then the Covid crisis, which has thrown our sector into turmoil ...Read More
Mindful interpretation
March 23, 202131 March 2021,18:00 CEST Black Lives Matter encouraged sidelined groups to knock established narratives off their pedestals and to interpret heritage from a new perspective. But it sometimes seems as if one ruthlessness is simply replaced by another. How can we encourage people to interpret in a more ...Read More
Thematic table: The Interpretive Brief
March 19, 2021The first Wednesday of the following months are reserved for live(ly) exchange about creating connections between heritage and people. As IE members you are welcome to join us on Zoom (registration needed) or follow the livestream in the IE members group on Facebook. Around thematic tables we will discuss ...Read More
Museums during the online days – Engagement, authenticity, distance
March 13, 202118 March 2021,18:00 CET Online technologies are more and more used by museums these days. Covid has contributed to this trend considerably. The magic of a museum visit, however, is based on the exclusive opportunity to enjoy direct contact with unique phenomena and appreciate their authenticity. How are ...Read More
Thematic tables: Live(ly) exchange about creating connections
February 24, 2021The first Wednesday of the following months are reserved for live(ly) exchange about creating connections between heritage and people. As IE members you are welcome to join us on Zoom (registration needed) or follow the livestream in the IE members group on Facebook. Around thematic tables we will discuss ...Read More
Combining IE courses with national certification systems
February 12, 202118 February 2021, 11:00 CET During the last 15 years in Sweden, quality assessment systems have been developed for guides. There are now two connected national systems: one to make sure the guide courses reach a certain standard and one where individual guides can be tested to see if ...Read More
Integrating interpretation in parks – The case of Norway
January 21, 202128 January 2021, 18:00 CET The field of heritage interpretation grew out of the national parks in the USA. To this day, the practice continues to have a strong connection with parks. Some parks in Europe are actively involved in interpretive planning, media development and guide programmes. However, this ...Read More
Playful interpretation (not only) for children
December 19, 202026 November 2020,18:00 CET Regarding our next webinar, Ondřej Vitek, our presenter, wrote: “Interpretation techniques and skills can be used more widely than Interpret Europe training courses suggest. You can dispute whether or not my activities can be called interpretation but I am just as broadly inspired ...Read More
Change in membership fees and categories
December 17, 2020The General Assembly decided that in 2021, ‘Individual membership’ will become the only membership category for individual members. In 2017, the General Assembly introduced professional membership in order to have comparable fees with other international organisations. All individual members involved in heritage interpretation were asked to change to this new ...Read More
Stories in the sky
December 17, 2020How good interpretation and engaging with local communities can inspire a cross-border inter-governmental conservation movement. Running along the ground, the wind catches under the wing and her feet leave the ground. She’s airborne. She climbs quickly and now she’s soaring over the huge expanse of the ...Read More
2021 will be the European Year of Rail
December 17, 2020Three years after the European Year of Cultural Heritage, another European Year might offer new opportunities for heritage interpretation. The European Commission’s official proposal for the Year was released on 4 March 2020. It was presented to the European Parliament on 23 June 2020 and was accepted by its ...Read More
Reignite: AHI offers new sparks for interpretation in a tough year
December 17, 2020IE’s online conference in May inspired and informed AHI, in the UK, which ran its annual conference as a virtual event in November. In the end, its annual gathering was a very real event, generally applauded for its success in making best use of available technology as well as ...Read More
Zooming through the basics of interpretive writing
December 17, 2020Taking advantage of online technology to provide a spark and light some fires to help staff understand the skill involved in interpretive writing. Take a bunch of scientists – ecologists, ornithologists, geologists and chemists. Add one major interpretive project that they are, of course, all able to write content for themselves ...Read More
Interpretation – more than communication
December 17, 2020Interpretation as a communication tool is increasingly proving to be a medium that makes our experience unique. As someone who deals with tourism on a practical level – as a head of a tourist office and as a tourist guide – but also as someone who deals with tourism on a scientific ...Read More
The value and interpretation of personal objects
December 17, 2020How do our surroundings earn community value through interpretation? The Heritage Interpretation Workshop gave useful insights. It was the end of September, and I had moved back to my hometown only a week prior. Covid-19 and office closures brought me back home from abroad and I was dying to ...Read More
True stories and real experiences spice up presentation
December 17, 2020Touring the Zapresic Novi Dvori estates, I ran into a character called Marica, showcasing our local heritage in a refreshingly intriguing fashion. Earlier in the autumn, I visited the Jelacic days held at the renowned Novi Dvori estates in Zapresic, Croatia. While surveying this historical manifestation, the authentic maidservant, Marica ...Read More
Interpreting urban transformation in Koprivnica
December 17, 2020How to interpret a half empty former military camp. Which story to tell, which sight to show? A diverse group gathered in the small town of Koprivnica in North Croatia, wanting to learn about interpreting cultural heritage and help organisers get a new insight about their future plans and projects ...Read More
We are searching for a Natural Heritage Coordinator
December 17, 2020Would you like to coordinate our Natural Heritage Team? This volunteer position is currently vacant. As IE Natural Heritage Coordinator, you should understand and appreciate the significant value of listed natural heritage (nature monuments, protected areas, Natural World Heritage), be able to look at nature and culture as a whole ...Read More
Cultural heritage warriors
December 17, 2020A Turkish artist from South Africa and a Ukrainian pushed local bureaucracy to uncover and recognise the value of a site in Feithiye, Turkey. I met Bursu Cunneen, a Turkish artist and teacher, when she was photographing the stairs I went down after visiting the Lycia rock tombs in Feithiye ...Read More
Knowledge – Respect – Stewardship: How to keep the spark alive online
December 17, 2020For the third year in a row, IE team Slovenia organised an event within the European Heritage Days. EHD 2020 celebrated ‘Heritage and Education: Learning for Life!‘ and that was also a theme of our online event that focused on learning through heritage interpretation. The event that was designed to ...Read More
How my CIG homework turned into reality
December 17, 2020During the CIG course I did not even dream about it, but then the dream happened and soon came true. The Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) course I attended at the end of June this year was held in the magnificent environment of the manorial estate Novi Dvori in Zaprešić, a ...Read More
From interpretation to recognised excellence
December 17, 2020Remember how we said to keep an eye on Bakar? Keep watching… and add Ližnjan and many other Croatian destinations to your watch-list! In an article that I wrote for this newsletter more than two years ago with Silvija Jacić, my dear co-traveller on the path of ...Read More
Dalmatia’s first heritage interpreters
December 17, 2020Changing the role of a guide into an interpreter who inspires participants to learn by themselves is also a learning experience for the guide. The guides of the Split-Dalmatia region in Croatia enjoyed theoretical and practical instruction during a five-day IE Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) course delivered in ...Read More
The second Certified Interpretive Guide course in Zaprešić
December 17, 2020Laughter, excitement, tears (of joy) and lots of creativity. These words best describe the last day of the CIG course. The Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) training was held for the second time this year in Zaprešić, in the Novi Dvori castle of the governor Jelačić. The course was organised by ...Read More
Take a look at Certified Interpretive Guide Course
December 17, 2020Curious to see a bit of what a CIG course contains? This short video was created to take you there with us. Žminj is a small hilltop town in the centre of Croatia’s biggest peninsula – Istria. A very specific place hides amazing local traditions. On a Certified Interpretive Guide ...Read More
Fruitful cooperation with local stakeholders in Žminj
December 17, 2020It’s always nice when training participants are thrilled, but when the local community joins in … we can move mountains! Recreating tourism through interpretation was the main idea when Interpret Europe co-organised the course for Certified Interpretive Guides (CIG) in Žminj, Croatia, with the local tourist board ...Read More