European Heritage Days
Encyclopedia
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
and the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
involving all 50 signatory states of the European Cultural Convention under the motto, Europe: a common heritage. The annual programme offers opportunities to visit buildings, monuments and sites, many of which are not normally accessible to the public. It aims to widen access and foster care for architectural and environmental heritage. These events are also known as Doors Open Days and Open Doors Days in English-speaking countries.
The event began in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1984, with La Journée Portes Ouvertes, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture. In 1985, in Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, at the 2nd European Conference of Ministers responsible for Architectural Heritage, the French Minister of Culture proposed that the project be internationalised under the Council of Europe. The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
held their first Open Monumentendag in 1987. Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
joined in 1989, and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1990.
In 1991 these events were united as European Heritage Days at the initiative of the Council of Europe, supported by the EU. By 2010, 50 signatory states of the European Cultural Convention had joined the EHDs.
The Directorate General IV – Education, Culture and Heritage, Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
, in close cooperation with the Directorate General for Education and Culture of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
, ensures the general orientation, definition and execution of the tasks to be achieved within the framework of the EHD. The Secretariat of the EHD is carried out by the Directorate of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage, under the responsibility of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
’s Steering Committee for Cultural Heritage.
Responsible institutions per European country
- Andorra: "Jornades europees del patrimoni" by Patrimoni CulturalPatrimoni CulturalPatrimoni Cultural refers both to the cultural heritage of Andorra, and also to the Andorran government protection agency called by the same name ....
- Austria: "Tag Des Denkmals" by BundesdenkmalamtBundesdenkmalamtThe Bundesdenkmalamt is the name of the Austrian Federal Monuments Office, a department of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture that is responsible for cultural heritage in Austria.-History:...
- Belgium:
- In Brussels by Journées du patrimoine à Bruxelles;
- in Wallonia by Journées du patrimoine en Wallonie;
- in Flanders by Open Monumentendag Vlaanderen
- France: "Journées européennes du patrimoine" under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture
- Germany: "Tag des offenen Denkmals" by Deutsche Stiftung DenkmalschutzDeutsche Stiftung DenkmalschutzThe Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz is a German private initiative founded in 1985 which works for the preservation of cultural heritage in Germany and to promote the idea of cultural heritage management....
- Ireland: Heritage WeekHeritage WeekHeritage Week is a nationwide annual set of events organized by the Heritage Council in the Republic of Ireland.Heritage Week is part of the European Heritage Days, a joint action between the Council of Europe and the European Commission....
by the Heritage CouncilHeritage CouncilThe National Heritage Council is an organisation created by the Irish government to "propose policies and priorities for the identification, protection, preservation and enhancement of the national heritage."... - Netherlands: "Open Monumentendag" by Stichting Open Monumentendag
- Poland: "Europejskich Dni Dziedzictwa" by Narodowy Instytut DziedzictwaNarodowy Instytut DziedzictwaNarodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa is a Polish governmental institution responsible for the objects considered most important to the nation's cultural heritage.-Heritage lists:...
- Spain: "Las Jornadas Europeas de Patrimonio" by Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de España (Ministry of Culture).
- United Kingdom
- England: Heritage Open Days by English HeritageEnglish HeritageEnglish Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. London has a separate event, Open House LondonOpen House LondonOpen House London is an organisation which promotes appreciation of architecture by the general public. It organises tours, lectures, educational projects for children and so on, but it is best known for Open House Weekend, a two-day event which takes place on one weekend each September throughout...
. - Scotland: Doors Open Days by Scottish Civic TrustScottish Civic TrustThe Scottish Civic Trust is a registered charity. Founded in 1967, and based in the Category A listed Tobacco Merchants House in Glasgow, the Trust aims to provide "leadership and focus in the protection, enhancement and development of Scotland's built environment"...
- Wales: Open Doors Days (WelshWelsh languageWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
: Drysau Agored) by Civic Trust for WalesCivic Trust for WalesThe Civic Trust for Wales was founded in 1964. It is a registered charity.The organisation promotes civic pride as a means to improve the quality of life for all in the places where the Welsh live and work... - Northern Ireland: European Heritage Open Days
- England: Heritage Open Days by English Heritage
- Switzerland: "Europäischer Tag des Denkmals" by the Swiss Information Centre for Cultural Heritage ConservationSwiss Information Centre for Cultural Heritage ConservationThe Swiss Information Centre for Cultural Heritage Conservation , is the cultural heritage conservation association of Switzerland....
The idea has been taken up outside Europe, too, with similar schemes in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the USA, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and other lands, at different times of year. In Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
the corresponding Día del Patrimonio is held on the last weekend of September, while in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
the same event is held on the last Sunday of May.
External links
- European Heritage Days — includes links to the national sites of all participants