The Council of Europe officially instituted the “European Heritage Days” (EHD) in 1991, with the support of the European Union. Since then the Council has assigned responsibility for the practical aspects of organizing the European Heritage Days to a co-ordination office appointed for a set period: the Stichting Open Monumentendag (the Netherlands) from 1991 to 1994, the King Baudouin Foundation (Belgium) from 1994 to 2000 and the Centro Nacional de Cultura (Portugal) since 2001. Since 1999 the EHD have been run as a joint initiative with the European Union. Objectives The many aims of EHD go beyond the basic idea of promoting access to monuments and sites, and include: – bringing European citizens closer to their cultural heritage to help them get to know and understand each other better despite the diversity of cultures and languages; – safeguarding a heritage constantly under threat.
This is something, which concerns public authorities (State, regions and cities), but also private organizations and individuals. The increasing success of this awareness-raising activity enhances the image of public and private institutions responsible for protecting and promoting the heritage, making public officials and individuals more aware of the work they do; – promoting a more open attitude to others, as a means of effectively combating racism, xenophobia and intolerance, while also playing a key role in the search for identity and the affirmation of our collective memory; – preparing for the future by re-appropriating, re-interpreting and re-positioning the cultural vestiges of the past in their political, social and economic implications. Since 1991 the EHD are a driving force in promoting awareness of a European identity, not just in cultural terms but socially, politically and economically.
Discovery of a common heritage, all the richer for its diversity, helps to make Europe a meeting ground where mutual recognition, understanding and acceptance of diversity are possible.
