European Heritage Masterclass

The European Heritage Masterclass with Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger is divided into 12 lessons, that can be watched on this page as they become available.

Our Guide

The masterclasses are led by Hermann Parzinger, archaeologist and Executive President of Europa Nostra.

From 2008 to 2025 he served as President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, one of the largest cultural institutions worldwide. He previously led the German Archaeological Institute and played a key role in the development of the Humboldt Forum and Berlin’s Museum Island. His career connects academic research, institutional leadership, restitution debates and European cultural policy. That breadth of experience informs the reflections throughout the series.

Location

All lessons are recorded at Huis van Brienen, owned by Hendrick de Keyser Monumenten.
Hendrick de Keyser Monumenten preserves historic buildings for active use. The organisation received a European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award in 2018 in Berlin and is a member of Europa Nostra. The setting reflects the living dimension of heritage discussed throughout the lessons.
www.hendrickdekeyser.nl

Why Heritage Matters, Lesson 1

This lesson opens a twelve-part Heritage Masterclass series recorded at the historic Huis van Brienen in Amsterdam. It introduces the central question that runs through all twelve sessions: why does heritage matter?

Across the series, cultural heritage is approached as a living force in society. Not simply as monuments or museum collections, but as something that shapes identity, civic responsibility and democratic culture. Heritage influences how societies respond to conflict, climate change and rapid transformation. It provides continuity, but also direction.

This first lesson lays the conceptual foundation. The following sessions move into ethics and restitution, digital transformation, governance, European cooperation and practical action. The sequence is deliberate. It begins with reflection before turning to policy and practice.

Further Reading
Togetherness – A New Heritage Deal for Europe
In his essay for the European Investment Bank Institute, Parzinger argues that cultural heritage is central to European cohesion and long-term stability. The text expands on many of the ideas introduced in this first lesson.

Related Context
On 6 November 2025, Europa Nostra received the Empress Theophano Prize in Thessaloniki in recognition of its contribution to European cooperation and shared values. Professor Parzinger accepted the award on behalf of the organisation.

Ethics, Heritage and Ownership, Lesson 2

This lesson addresses one of the most pressing questions in contemporary heritage practice: who owns cultural heritage, and what ethical responsibilities follow from that ownership?

Over the past decades, the debate has shifted significantly. Questions of cultural rights, restitution and moral responsibility are no longer peripheral. They sit at the centre of institutional practice. This lesson looks at how ideas about ownership have evolved, how provenance research works in practice, and which professional standards guide responsible decision-making.

Further reading and reference texts

UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970)
https://www.unesco.org/en/legal-affairs/convention-means-prohibiting-and-preventing-illicit-import-export-and-transfer-ownership-cultural
UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects (1995)
https://www.unidroit.org/english/conventions/1995culturalproperty/1995culturalproperty-e.pdf
UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/79/133 – Return or Restitution of Cultural Property to the Countries of Origin (6 December 2024)
https://docs.un.org/en/A/RES/79/133
UNESCO – Return and Restitution of Cultural Property
https://www.unesco.org/en/fight-illicit-trafficking/return-and-restitution

Council of Europe
Faro Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (CETS 199)
https://rm.coe.int/1680083746
Nicosia Convention on Offences Relating to Cultural Property (CETS 221)
https://rm.coe.int/1680710435
Parliamentary Assembly Resolution 1205 (1999) on looted cultural property
https://pace.coe.int/en/files/16726/html

European Union
Regulation (EU) 2019/880 on the Import of Cultural Goods
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2019.151.01.0001.01.ENG

Museum Ethics and Professional Standards
ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums (2022)
https://icom.museum/en/resources/standards-guidelines/code-of-ethics
UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Protection and Promotion of Museums and Collections (2015)
https://www.unesco.org/en/legal-affairs/recommendation-concerning-protection-and-promotion-museums-and-collections-their-diversity-and-their

Humboldt Forum
Publications and official materials
https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/publications
The Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace (Stiftung Humboldt Forum / Prestel)

Media: DW, Euronews, European Heritage Awards
Music: Audiotronika Bright-Road, Audiio

The European Heritage Masterclass is part of the network project Europa Nostra Heritage Agora (2025-2028), carried out by Europa Nostra and co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.