Europa Nostra, the Pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, is an umbrella network of heritage organisationsand is considered today THE voice of Europe ’s organised civil society committed to cultural heritage. The network is composed of 250 member organisations, 210 associate members and 1500 individual members from 53 countries, of which 45 in Europe. The power of the network comes from a shared passion for cultural heritage, and the readiness of our members to invest their time, expertise, connections and often money for the pursuit of our goals ... www.europanostra.org
Europa Nostra Participating in europalia.europe 20 December 2007 - 15 February 2008
Brussels is currently hosting europalia.europe - a wide ranging bi-annual cultural festival whose theme this winter is the European Union, chosen to mark and to celebrate 50 years of the Treaty of Rome. Europa Nostra is mounting, together with its local country representation Europa Nostra Belgium, a photo exhibition of a selection of laureates from across Europe of its 30 year old Awards Scheme, of which the last 5 years has been run in partnership with the European Commission as the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards.
The photo exhibition illustrates the local diversity of buildings, monuments and cultural landscapes from across Europe arranged according to building type, function or style. The intention is to show the 'Unity in Diversity' and the 'Diversity in Unity' of various building types and styles found across Europe, drawn from examples of Europe's rich cultural heritage, illustrated through photos of winning projects of Europa Nostra's Awards Scheme. Photos of approximately 100 winning projects are displayed on long panels hung in the central hall of the Royal Depot of Tour & Taxis in Brussels. In the 1990s, Europa Nostra and Europa Nostra Belgium participated in the campaign to save the industrial warehouse complex of Tour & Taxis, which is now beautifully restored and houses offices and showrooms, and is a prime Brussels location for exhibitions and trade fairs.
The Opening of "The Building of Europe - A Vision on Heritage" exhibit was held on Thursday evening, 20 December 2007 . Anne Kestens, Secretary General of Europa Nostra Belgium welcomed those present and speeches were given by Kristine De Mulder, General Director of Europalia, Odile Quentin, Director General of Education and Culture at the European Commission, and Sneska Quaedvlieg-Mihailovic, Secretary General of Europa Nostra. Jozef Van Waeyenberge, President of Europa Nostra Belgium, closed the evening by thanking the sponsors. Europa Nostra Belgium, and especially Anne Kestens and Luc Fornoville, as well as Sander van der Ven and Laurie Neale of the International Secretariat in The Hague, were praised for their initiative and their perseverance in mounting the successful exhibition.
The photo exhibition will run until mid-February and is free of charge. Parallel to our exhibition is an exhibit in the lower halls of Tour & Taxis entitled "It's our History - 50 years of the European adventure". (Tour & Taxis is located at 86 avenue du Port/Havenlaan - 1000 Brussels)
more information
Laurie Neale , Communications Officer, co [a] europanostra.org
The response to the Heritage Tours 2008 programme is quite overwhelming and bookings have been very strong. The tour to Naples is already sold out with a waiting list. On the tours to Prague/Brno (19-26 May), Lisbon (26 September – 2 October), Cyprus (16-23 October) and South Africa (14-24 November), there are still some places available and therefore early booking is recommended.
more information
Barbara Zander, Heritage Tours Coordinator, om [a] europanostra.org
Europa Nostra welcomes the adoption of a common “European Agenda for Culture”
On 15-16 November 2007, the Council of Ministers adopted Resolution 14485/07 on a "European Agenda for Culture in a Globalising World", proposed by the European Commission in its Communication on 10 May 2007 following extensive consultations with stakeholders including Europa Nostra. Three key objectives form the cultural strategy for the European Institutions, the Member States , and the cultural and creative sector: 1. Promotion of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue; 2. Promotion of culture as a catalyst for creativity in the framework of the Lisbon Strategy; and 3. Promotion of culture as a vital element in the Union 's international relations. New working methods and partnerships are also proposed to achieve these objectives, namely regular and structured dialogue with stakeholders through a biennial Cultural Forum, setting up an Open Method of Coordination among the Member States , and mainstreaming culture in all relevant EU policies.
In this framework, the Council of Ministers identified five priority actions for its triennial Work-Plan 2008-2010: (i) improving the conditions for the mobility of artists and other professionals in the cultural field; (ii) promoting access to culture, in particular through the promotion of cultural heritage, multilingualism, digitisation, cultural tourism, synergies with education, especially art education, and greater mobility of collections; (iii) developing data, statistics and methodologies in the cultural sector and improving their comparability; (iv) maximising the potential of cultural and creative industries, in particular that of SMEs; and (v) promoting and implementing the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
Participation of Member States is voluntary, but Europa Nostra will invest every effort to advocate for the participation of all Member States in the proposed actions and procedures.
further information
Resolution 14485/07 on a "European Agenda for Culture in a Globalising World"
“Together in Diversity” - Launch of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008
The Slovenian Presidency of the EU officially launched the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008, gathering some 300 representatives of civil society organisations in Ljubljana from 7-8 January. An international conference entitled “Intercultural Dialogue as the Fundamental Value of the European Union” provided an opportunity for presenting three European studies on the intercultural dialogue and holding four workshops, examining intercultural dialogue in the framework of culture and art, media, education and research, and sustainable economic development. Europa Nostra was represented by its Vice President, John Sell, as Rapporteur in the Panel Session on Culture and Art. The conference was followed by an inaugural ceremony on 8 January featuring keynote addresses from the Presidents of the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament.
more information
Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia
European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue (EYID) aims to contribute to greater understanding and increased social cohesion in Europe. It will explore the advantages of cultural diversity and of active participation of citizens in European affairs. It is a joint initiative of the EU, Member States and European civil society, with a budget of 10 million Euro which will be devoted to support the information campaign, to realise research and studies, and to co-finance seven European projects and 27 national projects - one per Member State - on the theme of intercultural dialogue. Six debates adopting a specific sectoral viewpoint on intercultural dialogue will be organised in Brussels in 2008, including one the arts and heritage. |
more information on European Policy issues
Eléonore de Merode, European Policy, policy [a] europanostra.org
POLAND : Appeal for the Preservation of Katowice Railway Station
Alerted by its member organisation, Patria Polonorum, to the planned demolition of the Railway Station in Katowice, Europa Nostra wrote to the local Conservation Office on 13 December 2007 to draw attention to the European value of this iconic building of the Modern Movement and to request its registration as a protected building as a first step towards guaranteeing its protection by the State. The Katowice Railway Station is a work of worldwide significance by the most excellent of Polish architects - Wacław Kłyszewski, Jerzy Mokrzyński, and Eugeniusz Wierzbicki -, but first and foremost by the world-renowned engineer, Wacław Zalewski, who specialised in concrete structures. It is a rare example of the use of an innovative reinforced concrete construction and remains a solution unique in its kind in Europe.
ROMANIA : Rosia Montana Saved - Landmark Judgement in Heritage Protection Case!
On 27 November, the Brasov Court of Appeal annulled an archaeological discharge certificate issued by the Ministry of Culture and Cults which had effectively removed Carnic’s protected status in order to allow the Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC) to exploit the massif’s rich gold reserves. This ruling rejected RMGC’s request to intervene but admitted intervention requests formulated by several Romanian NGOs, including Alburnus Maior and the Pro Europe League. RMGC had planned to uproot the people of Rosia Montana to realise Europe ’s largest open-cast gold mine. Archaeologists, expert institutions and civil society organisations from Romania and all over the world, including Europa Nostra, had repeatedly protested over the destruction of Rosia Montana ’s archaeological treasures that would be caused by RMGC’s development. The court’s decision is definitive and means that Carnic’s unique Roman and pre-Roman mine galleries as well as the entire massif will remain protected.RUSSIA : Stop Gazprom from Devastating the World Heritage Skyline of St. Petersburg!
On 28 November 2007, Europa Nostra launched an urgent appeal to President Vladimir Putin, calling on him to intervene for the safeguarding of the historic core of St. Petersburg. If no urgent action is undertaken, this outstanding historic urban landscape will be forever devastated by the construction of a 396 metre high skyscraper for the new headquarters of Gazprom, Russia ’s energy monopoly. Europa Nostra is profoundly distressed at the planned construction of Gazprom City in this unique location and joins the international heritage community and the outraged public in Russia in its widespread opposition to the project. Europa Nostra urged President Putin to ensure that the current zoning regulations applicable at the selected location are respected and that an alternative location far from the historical centre be selected for the Gazprom City project.
further information
Europa Nostra press release
commentary on Bloomberg.com on Europa Nostra’s campaign for St Petersburg
RUSSIA : Moscow ’s Iconic Modern Movement Architecture under Threat
On 29 November 2007, Europa Nostra wrote to Mr Alexander Sokolov, Minister of Culture, and to Mr Yuri Luzhkov, Mayor of Moscow, to urge them to halt the rapid pace of destruction of the architecture of the Modern Movement. It thereby supports the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the Moscow Architectural Preservation Society (MAPS) in their campaigns waged for the preservation of this valuable heritage. In particular, Europa Nostra requested them to establish the necessary conditions for the preservation of these key achievements of the Russian avant-garde, to raise their protected status to the Federal level, and to consider including them on the Russian Federation ’s Tentative List in view of their nomination to the World Heritage List. Moreover, support for a proposed international cooperation project for the restoration of a trial section of the NARKOMFIN building would give an encouraging signal to the international public and show the positive will of those responsible for preserving and rehabilitating the buildings of the European Modern Movement in Russia.
further information
Europa Nostra press release
more information on Heritage at Risk issues
Eléonore de Merode, Heritage at Risk, policy [a] europanostra.org
© Europa Nostra 2008
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