European Heritage Days is the most widely celebrated cultural event in Europe. For 2017, Interpret Europe has been asked for interpretive methods to connect natural and cultural heritage. Do you have an example to share?

European Heritage Days is a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Commission and each year attracts about 30 million citizens in 50 member countries. It offers an outstanding opportunity to make cultural heritage more meaningful to people.

The 2017 motto of the European Heritage Days will be ‘Heritage and Nature’. Interpret Europe has been asked to prepare a paper compiling recommendations and examples on how nature can be included into the interpretation of cultural heritage. So, please focus of your sites for a moment:

  • Are there any remarkable gardens around your sites or other facilities that are rooted in the landscape in a special way which are part of your interpretive programme?
  • Is there a significant link to the natural surroundings through built materials – or is there a broadly favourable impact that you experience with visitors when you visit such sites?
  • Are there any public figures from the history of your site linked to a natural subject in your interpretive services?
  • Are you interpreting intangible heritage, such as preparing culinary delights, that are connected to nature on a cultural site?

Share your ideas with us and we will chose a selection of them to be send in early 2017 to all 50 coordinators of each country taking part in European Heritage Days.

Please don’t delay. Send us your proposals, using the same format for newsletter articles, by 28 December 2016, to mail@interpret-europe.net. We are really looking forward to hearing from you.

To cite this article:
Ludwig, T. (2016) ‘Any ideas on how to link cultural heritage and nature?’. In Interpret Europe Newsletter 4-2016, 6

Available online:
https://www.interpret-europe.net/fileadmin/Documents/publications/Newsletters/ie-newsletter_2016-4_winter.pdf