Potsdam to host new Europa Nostra Heritage Hub with a focus on climate resilience, civic engagement and youth capacity-building

The State Capital City of Potsdam has entered into a strategic partnership with Europa Nostra, leading European heritage civil society network. On 29 October 2026, a Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Potsdam was signed at the Old Town Hall by Potsdam’s Lord Mayor Noosha Aubel, the Secretary-General of Europa Nostra, Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, and the President of Europa Nostra Germany, Dr. Uwe Koch. From 2027 onwards, the Hub in Potsdam will prioritise climate-resilient cultural heritage management, civic engagement and, above all, capacity-building for young people.

The new Hub brings together Potsdam’s local expertise and Europa Nostra’s transnational network. The Palaces and Parks of Potsdam, which are inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and the city itself serve as a real-world laboratory for the conservation of cultural landscapes in the context of climate change. To this end, close collaboration with local institutions, such as the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Research Centre Sanssouci (RECS), is foreseen.

The new Hub’s remit is structured around three key pillars:

– Climate-resilient cultural heritage management: Practical research into and implementation of adaptation strategies for historic buildings and gardens to withstand extreme weather conditions.

– Community-based cultural heritage practice: Strengthening civil society initiatives and associations in the joint upkeep of cultural sites.

– Capacity-building for young people: Creating educational and practical platforms for the next generations of professionals in the fields of heritage conservation and restoration. Within this framework, two exchange projects with the European Heritage Volunteers are planned for the coming year, which will focus on the themes of collective memory and the preservation of cultural heritage.

“We can only succeed in preserving our cultural heritage if we actively involve and inspire the next generation right from the start. With the new Hub in Potsdam, we are deliberately creating spaces and platforms for young people. We are not interested in theoretical debates, but in genuine, practical engagement at a local level. The planned exchange projects with European Heritage Volunteers are a prime example of how young Europeans can jointly take responsibility for our collective memory and the preservation of historic monuments,” stated Lord Mayor Noosha Aubel. 

The Hub’s work will begin in 2027 with a joint cooperation project with the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Nicosia, Cyprus, entitled “Divided Heritage – Shared Responsibility”. In an online address, Androulla Vassiliou, Vice-President of Europa Nostra and Chair of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Nicosia, welcomed the initiative.

Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra and Project Leader of the European Heritage Hub, highlighted that this further expansion of the Europa Nostra network underscores the organisation’s dedication to protecting and celebrating Europe’s diverse cultural heritage. She also emphasised that the Hub in Potsdam will actively contribute to the implementation of the objectives and activities of the European Heritage Hub project.

The Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Potsdam joins the Hubs in Krákow (Poland), Athens (Greece), Nicosia (Cyprus), Lisbon (Portugal), Belgrade (Serbia), Kyiv (Ukraine) and Yerevan (Armenia). These City Hubs play an instrumental role in supporting the work of the European Heritage Hub in advancing Europe’s green, digital and social transformation.

More information

Landeshauptstadt Potsdam richtet „Europa Nostra Heritage Hub“ ein

 

Photos
© Landeshauptstadt Potsdam / Friederike Herold