Holistic Heritage

The popularity of the Schindler Factory – a branch of the Museum of Kraków – which opened 15 years ago, has since led to the creation of a new museum at the nearby KL Plaszow concentration camp.The Schindler Factory is a part of the Museum of Kraków, and displays a narrative of Kraków life during World War II under Nazi German occupation.The new KL Plaszow museum, set to open its doors to the public in 2026/2027, is to bolster the narrative proposed by the Schindler Factory, whose popularity among visitors has been cemented thanks to the 1993 Hollywood film “Schindler’s List” directed by Steven Spielberg. Even nowadays, many visitors who come to the Schindler Factory do so on account of the motion picture.How can the two museums complement each other, and how is it that the KL Plaszow Holocaust memorial site went for so long without being properly commemorated?Katarzyna Jagodzińska meets with Monika Bednarek, director of the KL Plaszow Museum, as well as Bartosz Heksel, manager of the Schindler Factory branch of the Museum of Kraków.

For this episode of Heritage Hour we are in Nowa Huta, an industrial city which was built as a workers’ neighbourhood in the socialist-realist style in the late 1940s, acting as a proletarian counterweight to the seemingly snobbish and intellectual city of Kraków.Over seven decades later, and Nowa Huta’s sprawling steelworks have all but disappeared, the district is one of the greenest in Kraków, and new challenges await. While the city is on the Polish historical monuments register (designated as a pomnik historii), it now has a chance to promote itself further by applying to UNESCO. But is such a heritage label what Nowa Huta really wants, or needs?John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska meet with two experts from Nowa Huta to discuss its very phenomenon. Katarzyna Kobylarczyk, a local journalist, author and social archivist, as well as Jarosław Klaś, Director of the Norwid Cultural Centre in Nowa Huta.

Is sound heritage? Sound is inherent to every building, every object. A wind which whistles its way through a church door, the bustle of people on a market square, the echo inside a church or even farm machinery harvesting the year's crops...And yet, we still rarely think about sound as part of heritage. For this episode of Holistic Heritage, hosts John Beauchamp and Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska are in the Portuguese town of Mafra at the UNESCO site of the Royal Buildings of the Palace, Basilica and Convent, where heritage and museum specialists have gathered to discuss sound in museums and heritage sites.In the episode, we speak to Alcina Cortez, a sonic researcher and founder of the Sound in Museums Conference, as well as Luisa Santos Professor at the Catholic University of Portugal and a curator at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, on the role of sound in heritage.As part of our endeavours of raising awareness of the sonic layer of heritage and making heritage sounds more accessible, the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub for Central and Eastern Europe has set up the Heritage Sound Register. While still in its initial phase, it aims to provide the public with free to use sounds.Among the sounds on the register you can hear a number of sound artefacts which are an inherent part of the cultural heritage of Central and Eastern Europe. In the podcast, you can hear the industrial complex in Dolni Vitkovice in Ostrava, a mechanical loom at Łódź's Central Museum of Textiles, a excavator at the Queen Louise Adit in Zabrze, and the Mocănița logging train in Romania's Maramureș region. You can find more here.

The implementation of new architecture in World Heritage City Areas is a challenge. What is allowed and what needs to be negotiated? What is the range and limit of these negotiations? Isn’t it better to build new somewhere else, leaving protected areas as they are?In October 2025, on the occasion of the conference of the Organisation of the World Heritage Cities of the Central and Eastern European Region held in Kraków, Katarzyna Jagodzińska meets with representatives of Budapest, Vilnius and Riga about the various dimensions and relations between old and new architecture in highly protected areas of these cities.Many thanks to our guests for this episode:Ákos CapdeboSenior officer in charge of OWHCDepartment of City Planning, Mayor’s Office of Budapest CityDonata KabelkėHead of Cultural Heritage Preservation Division at Vilnius City MunicipalityAigars KušķisExpert in Management Planning Questions of Historic Centre of Riga UNESCO World Heritage SiteCity Development Department, Riga City Council

The Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum, located on a peninsula on the Danube in the vicinity of the Slovak capital of Bratislava, is one of the most stunning places created specifically for modern and contemporary art in Central Europe in the 21st century.It was founded thanks to the determination of art dealer Vincent Polakovič and the involvement of Dutch investor Gerard Meulensteen. The building, resembling the shape of a Roman galley with oars, was designed by Slovak architect Peter Žalman.The idea of a museum in the shape of a ship refers to its location – the Danube – which connects the countries of the region. It is especially symbolic in Čunovo, where the borders of Slovakia, Hungary and Austria meet.Katarzyna Jagodzińska came to visit the museum in its jubilee year, 2025 – a quarter century after its opening – to learn how the place has rooted in this amazing spot. Her guide at the tour of the immense grounds of the museum is Michaela Simonova. The museum turns out to be an integral part of the green ecosystem – not only a place for art, but also leisure to enjoy Danube’s beauty accompanied by chirping birds on one of the many deckchairs.

For this episode of On The Road, we are in the Bulgarian Valley of the Roses and the town of Kazanlak to find out more about rose production.John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska visit Kazanlak, where they meet Denitsa Barekova from the Rose Museum in Kazanlak, who explains the history of roses in the area and the traditional methods used to make coveted rose oil and other rose-related products.Apart from the history and traditions of rose oil making, we also learn about the industry and as it stands now thanks to a meeting with Aleks at Lema, one of Kazanlak’s rose oil distilleries on the outskirts of town.

An ensemble of sculptures in the Romanian city of Târgu Jiu by renowned artist Constantin Brâncuși is now on the UNESCO Heritage List.For this episode of Holistic Heritage, John Beauchamp and Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska are in Târgu Jiu, where they take a look at the Brâncuși sculptures: the Table of Silence, Gate of the Kiss and perhaps the best known sculpture of the ensemble, the Endless Column.We also visit the Deputy Mayor of Târgu Jiu Dr Adrian Tudor, who speaks about the process of getting Brâncuși’s ensemble onto the list and the city's plans regarding their new status as a UNESCO city since 2024. He is joined by colleague Oana Șomănescu, who kindly helped translate our conversation.

Muzeum Sztuki (literally “Art Museum” in Polish) is one of the first contemporary art museums in the world, and was conceived by renowned artist Władysław Strzemiński and created thank to the grassroots collection of art pieces from leading artists connected to Paris at that time.Over decades the museum expanded, occupying three buildings connected to the textile industry which built the wealth and identity of Łódź. Even today, it remains one of the leading museums of modern and contemporary art, interconnected with major international institutions.In this episode Katarzyna Jagodzińska and John Beachamp hold a meeting with Dr Leszek Karczewski, Deputy Director of the Muzeum Sztuki, to learn about coexistence of this “temple of art” with the capital of textile industry in the 20th and 21st centuries.A background for the conversation is a participatory exhibition (“How the Museum Works”, 2025/2026) co-created by the entire team of the museum and mounted in the first museum building called ms1 located in the former palace of the owner of the Poznański textile enterprise, while the whole story starts and ends in the gardens of the Herbst Palace, part of the Scheibler textile empire, winner of the Europa Nostra Award medal for conservation in 1990.

For this episode of Holistic Heritage, we meet the team at the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub for Central and Eastern Europe and take a look back at the first few years of the Kraków Hub and its activities.Hosted by John Beauchamp and Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, Head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków. Also featured in the episode are Deputy Head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków, Dr Joanna Sanetra-Szeliga, and Communications Manager Łukasz Pieróg.The Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków was established in July 2022, hitting the ground running to increase awareness of heritage issues across the region. A major project undertaken by the Heritage Hub in Kraków was the mapping of the NGO heritage sector in the CEE region. We also set up the Kraków Heritage Forum, a series of meetings for practitioners to discuss local matters, such as culinary traditions and the Fortress Kraków network of forts surrounding the city.We also discuss how our podcasts are a great tool to communicate our activities and the regional heritage ecosystem to a global audience.In the episode, you can hear excerpts of soundscapes recorded while travelling across the region:Organ interlude at St. Mary’s Basilica in Kraków, home of the Wit Stwosz alterpiece which won a European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award in 2023.Walking the Via Transilvanica hiking trail near Piatra Fântânele in Romania, summer 2024.A crackling fire opens the Łemkowska Watra festival in southern Poland in July 2024.Urban soundscape of the city of Lviv, western Ukraine, April 2024.Mining machinery in operation at the Queen Luiza Adit mine in Zabrze, Poland, early 2025.Onboard a vaporetto in the Italian city of Venice on the occasion of the European Cultural Heritage Summit in September 2023.The snap and crackle of wicker weaving at the Serfenta Association in Cieszyn, Poland, April 2025.Mechanical looms being operated at the Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź, June 2025.A thunderstorm in the Beskid highland village of Nowica, summer 2024.The Polish-Ukrainian folk band “Hraybery” play in the south-eastern border town of Przemyśl, summer 2024.

In this edition of Holistic Heritage, we speak to three heritage practitioners in Poland’s southern city of Kraków and what makes this city so special in terms of creating and running cultural heritage projects.Join hosts John Beauchamp and Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, Head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków, as they speak to Katarzyna Sosenko, an art historian and Chair of the Sosenko Family Collection Foundation, Artur Wabik, mural artist, curator and Chair of the Comic Museum Foundation in Kraków, and Krzysztof Żwirski, a long-term collaborator with the Kraków Municipality and mastermind behind numerous projects promoting cultural heritage in the city and beyond.What makes Kraków such a special city to create and undertake cultural heritage projects? How does the city compare in terms of grass-roots movements and bottom-up initiatives? How does Kraków fare in comparison to other urban centres in the region? Find out more in the podcast – and also remember to download our latest report on the heritage-based third sector in the CEE region! 

Over the past couple of years, the research team at the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków has been busy on creating a report on the non-governmental heritage sector in Central and Eastern Europe.“Mapping of the Central and Eastern European Non-Governmental Heritage Sector: Report” was published in June 2025 and penned by researchers at the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków in collaboration with the Centrum Cyfrowe Foundation in Warsaw.The report is the first of its kind, giving a comprehensive overview of the non-governmental heritage sector across ten countries in the region. The document – containing over 200 pages – highlights the situation of the sector as well as the challenges it faces.As many as 35,000 heritage NGOs are operational across the CEE region, the report finds, although working conditions leave a lot to be desired: the research reveals that problems regarding cashflow, operational stability and burnout are the three hardest challenges the sector faces.The report shows findings from ten countries: Belarus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine.Three of the report’s authors: Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska (Head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków), Dr Joanna Sanetra-Szeliga (Deputy Head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków), and Maja Drabczyk (Chair of the Centrum Cyfrowe Foundation in Warsaw), join podcast host John Beauchamp to discuss the report’s findings.You can download a copy of the report from the Kraków Heritage Hub’s website by going here. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

In this edition of Holistic Heritage, we are both in Kraków and further afield for the Małopolska Culture Heritage Days 2025, run by the Małopolska Cultural Institute, which this year won a European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Awardin the Citizens Engagement and Awareness-raising category.In the episode, join John Beauchamp and head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub, Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska as they explore three places on the 2025 Heritage Days trail in Małopolska.This year’s theme is “light”: we visit the cozy village of Zakrzów, some 30km from Kraków near Niepołomice. It is there we go to the Zagroda Apolonia, where a determined Elżbieta Graboś is rebuilding a traditional hut after a fire destroyed the roof in 2023. At the zagroda (homestead) we also meet veterinarian and fantasy writer Radek Rak who authored a book commissioned by MIK for this 27th edition of the event.In Kraków, right off the Main Market Square on we visit the Sperling tenement house on Sławkowska Street. There, we meet Christian and Véronique Leprette, the grandchildren of the former owners of the building, and Katarzyna Łomnicka, an art historian and curator of an exhibition on show at the house with paintings by Maria Sperling and Józef Jarema.We also spend time at the Jerzmanowski Palace in Kraków’s Prokocim district. Throughout the episode, we meet some of the Culture Heritage Days team from MIK, including: Joanna Nowostawska-Gyalókay, Małgorzata Hordyniec and Dominika Mietelska-Jarecka.

What is a post-museum? Is museum participation really all that it’s geared up to be? How can museums – seen as gatekeepers of knowledge – really open up their collections and programming to the public? Or maybe they shouldn’t?“In the book I show that museums are overusing the word participation, that they're inviting people to do collaborate and contribute while keeping their authoritarian position,” says Jagodzińska.“But even if that is so, it is wonderful that more and more museums are deciding to open up, breaking from their traditional way of functioning, to leave their buildings and go beyond the museum walls,” she continues, sitting in the luscious grounds of the Royal Łazienki Museum in the centre of Warsaw.The book was published by Routledge in 2025. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

The latest mapping of the heritage NGO sector in Central and Eastern Europe, conducted by the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków (to be published in June 2025), has shown that heritage practitioners and others working in the sector often suffer from stress and burnout. This is of course a wider trend across society. How can we slow down and find our balance? Can heritage be the answer? We ask the Cieszyn-based Serfenta Association, whose Craft Revitalisation Model earned them a European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award in 2024, how to take things slow and whether traditional basket weaving is the answer for stressed-out urbanites in need of rest.John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska speak to Paulina Adamska, Łucja Cieślar and Urszula Szwed from the Serfenta Association at the headquarters in Cieszyn.“When the hands are working, the head is resting,” says Łucja Cieślar, one of the Serfenta team. During the podcast, she rustles various types of reeds and straw for your ASMR listening pleasure! This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

Over recent decades, a lot of industry in the region of Silesia has shut down. While some plants and factories have been demolished, others have stood the test of time and are still standing, albeit having been adapted to completely new functions, such as museums, art galleries, restaurants, cafes, hotels, and as headquarters of various companies.Usually these buildings were in need of change, being adapted to serve current needs and possibilities, yet leaving some authenticity behind. Perhaps only in this way these buildings could have been saved… Join us as we discover Silesia and the potential for adaptation and reuse of the region’s industrial heritage.In this episode we visit:Queen Louise Adit and Guido Mine at the Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze, Poland (European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Grand Prix award winner in 2019)Dolní Oblast Vítkovice complex in Ostrava, CzechiaPLATO Contemporary Art Gallery in Ostrava, CzechiaLandek Park Mining Museum in Ostrava, CzechiaZinc Rolling Mill in Świętochłowice, Poland (owned and managed by the Foundation for the Protection of Silesian Industrial Heritage, represented by Dr Piotr Gerber, Heritage Champion awarded in 2024) This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

In this inaugural episode of Heritage Hour, we speak to leading experts on the preservation of Jewish heritage in Poland.We hear about the synagogue in Orla, in eastern Poland, and its submission to the 7 Most Endangered Programme run by Europa Nostra. What is special about the synagogue in Orla and why was it important to include it in the 7ME programme? Are there any other synagogues eligible? What is the scale of Jewish heritage sites that still need securing, protecting and restoring? What is the public awareness of Jewish heritage today? The Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków’s Katarzyna Jagodzińska and John Beauchamp are in the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews to meet:Jolanta Gumula – Deputy Director for Programming, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish JewsPiotr Ostrowski – Publisher, Virtual Shtetl online project, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish JewsPiotr Puchta – CEO, Foundation for Preservation of Jewish Heritage in PolandKrzysztof Bielawski – Foundation for Preservation of Jewish Heritage in PolandAleksandra Janus – President, Zapomniane FoundationHeritage Hour is the latest podcast series to come from the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków.Each episode takes an important topic concerning heritage in our part of Europe and brings it to the table to discuss with a range of experts.As the title suggests, the podcast is an hour-long discussion, which allows us to get to the heart of each matter, as well as giving a voice to the many heritage practitioners we will be meeting on the way! This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

The bare concrete structure of a decommissioned power plant, part of the Arsenał Gallery in Białystok in north-eastern Poland, is the home to an exhibition by Augustas Serapinas, a Vilnius-based artist who is putting a spotlight on the plight of regional wooden architecture.For the exhibition, Serapinas has deconstructed three wooden buildings, which have all been decommissioned, from the Podlasie region as well as from his native Lithuania. The title of the exhibition is Pine, spruce and aspen, a nod to the native species of the region’s extensive forests.Hosted by John Beauchamp and Katarzyna JagodzińskaOut of the wooden beams, Serapinas has created a kind of labyrinth, and we can walk in and out of the houses, and the wooden zigzag structures weave a stark contrast to the concrete hall which the exhibition is housed in.In this episode, we explore the plight of wooden vernacular architecture in the Podlasie region and beyond. Join us as we are in Białystok to see the exhibition for ourselves, and we are joined on the line by artist Augustas Serapinas and Matthew Post, a Podlasie-based curator originally from California who stands behind the idea for the exhibition.The universal message will remain topical even after the exhibition closes. Despite its captivating aesthetics we read it as a gesture of activism, calling for the saving of this ephemeral heritage.During the podcast we mention the Koźliki open air museum which we visited as part of the Ukraine Heritage Spotlight series: you can find out more here. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

Dan Perjovschi is a Romanian artist, writer and journalist whose simple cartoon-like drawings provoke and appeal to audiences the world over.His work is politically and socially engaging, and his exhibitions – which he usually “installs” himself by painting directly onto museum walls – are extremely popular, with shows being held at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, MoMa in New York, as well as a whole host of other institutions.Perjovschi is often regarded as a disruptor, and his illustrations often provide a cynical – if not critical – view of the contemporary world with all its oddities and absurdities.As an artist, Perjovschi challenges our contemporary view on the cultural heritage produced and interpreted by institutions. In his role as an activist of sorts, he often questions authority – as well as the authority of the very places where he shows his art. How does that affect his creative process and how does he navigate our the ins and outs of our post-modern reality?The Hub’s John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska met Dan Perjovschi in Bucharest in October 2024 to discuss his work and his approach to art.There are a number of moments during this episode when Dan uses strong language. You have been warned! This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

It’s the first Thursday in December, and in the southern Polish city of Kraków a number of people have gathered around the Adam Mickiewicz monument on the Main Market Square for the annual nativity scene competition.Cracovian nativity scenes, or szopki, have been a regular fixture in the city since the 19th century, and since 1937 a competition has been running for the best-made cribs. But these are not your normal nativity scenes – yes of course, you have the Holy Family and it is representative for the Christian feast of Christmas, but what sets the Cracovian szopki apart is the technique in which they are made and their regional symbolism.In 2018 this festive tradition, which adds a colourful accent to the Christmas atmosphere of the city, was inscribed to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.The Hub’s John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska meet with Dr Andrzej Szoka, head of the Intangible Heritage Interpretation Centre of Kraków (part of the Museum of Kraków) to find out more this unique heritage. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

Following our visit to the Tășuleasa Social and hiking a part of the Via Transilvanica (you can hear more in our episode on the Via Transilvanica here), we decide to carry on our journey through Romania and Bulgaria by taking in a few heritage sites. Our first destination is the village of Viscri, an old Saxon village which is home to a fortified church, one of seven Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania inscribed onto UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1999. Viscri also caught the attention of the British Royal Family, when Prince Charles – now King Charles III – bought a house there in 2006 and has since become an advocate for the region’s rich cultural heritage. After stopping off south of Bucharest for lunch we head over the Friendship Bridge into Bulgaria.Veliko Tarnovo, one of the oldest settlements in Bulgaria, has a history spanning some five millennia. It was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire and is now one of the country’s cultural centres. We visit the scenic hillside town and the old fortress of Tsarevets and then head for the Tuesday market in Pavlikeni – where we try some Bulgarian street food – and then hit the road towards the Black Sea coast.Up in the hills not too far away from Varna we visit another UNESCO heritage site. The Madara Rider or Madara Horseman is a large early medieval rock relief in the mountains near Shumen depicting a majestic rider. What is amazing about the site, however, is the fact that it is larger than life and is still visible after well over 1000 years.After going offline at Camping Kosmos in Durankulak, we head up towards the Danube Delta and stay in the port town of Tulcea before heading up over the Carpathians and towards the Bucovina region and the Humor Monastery, one of eight ‘Churches of Moldavia’ inscribed in to the UNESCO World Heritage list.We end the podcast at the National Museum of the Village in Bucharest. But we are already planning our next road trip! This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

Head of the Kraków Heritage Hub Katarzyna Jagodzińska speaks to Tamas Fejerdy, a long-standing expert on cultural heritage and president of the Hungarian ICOMOS national committee.Tamas Fejerdy is a treasure trove of knowledge about monuments and heritage, both in Hungary and across Europe. We speak broadly on today’s challenges of heritage protection in Hungary, matters of authenticity, the role of civil society when it comes to heritage, taking several sites and projects in Budapest and in the Hungarian provinces as illustrations. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

Estonia is on the front line with regards to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Being in such a position has forced decision makers to rethink official policy in times of war. How to protect tangible cultural heritage? How to tackle the country’s dissonant Soviet heritage?With the invasion of Ukraine, what measures has Estonia put in place so far and what good practices in general can the rest of Europe take on board so as to safeguard its cultural heritage?The Kraków Heritage Hub’s John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska speak to Riin Alatalu, Vice-President of ICOMOS  who holds the UNESCO Chair of Cultural Heritage Studies at the Estonian Academy of Fine Arts. We met during the Europa Nostra Cultural Heritage Summit held in Bucharest in October 2024. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

Oleksandra Kovalchuk is the deputy director of the Fine Arts Museum in Odesa as well as the co-founder of the Museum For Change NGO, which actively seeks and supports cultural institutions in Ukraine in preserving their collections and assisting in ongoing operations.Head of the Kraków Heritage Hub, Katarzyna Jagodzińska met with Oleksandra Kovalchuk at the International Cultural Centre in September 2024 to hear the latest on how Ukraine’s cultural heritage is being fought for against the odds. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

In the latest podcast in the Holistic Heritage series, the Kraków Heritage Hub’s John Beauchamp is in Bucharest for the 2024 European Cultural Heritage Summit, where he takes a closer look at the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards.Since 2002, the awards have championed the best cultural heritage initiatives from across Europe, with a total of just under 4,000 entries from as many as 46 countries. Why is the award so popular? And for all the programmes which have been awarded, what has the impact been of the award? Find out why it is so important to apply and get your project highlighted by Europe’s leading cultural heritage organisation.In the podcast we hear from Jacek Purchla, Vice-President of Europa Nostra who was also Chairman of the awards jury in 2024. We also hear from Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik, Europa Nostra board member and director of the International Cultural Centre in Kraków, and Elena Bianchi, Programme Manager of the European Heritage Awards at Europa Nostra, who explains the ins and outs of the prize.And what about the former winners? How has the award made an influence on their projects? We hear from Eugen Vaida, who is now a jury member but whose Ambulance for Momuments project rescues heritage-listed buildings across Romania (2020). Additionally, we hear from Anna Szekely from the Via Transilvanica in Romania (2023), Francesca Moncada from Le Dimore del Quartetto (2019), as well as this year’s winners: Łucja Cieślar and Paulina Adamska from the Serfenta Assocation in Cieszyn (Poland), Marek Gołosz from the Ignacy Historic Mine in Rybnik (Poland), and Caroline Fernolend from the Mihai Eminescu Trust (Romania).Do you have an amazing initiative which fits the bill and you think could win a prize? You can find out more details here. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

Coming up in this episode, we go up to Lithuania to find out the activities undertaken in Kaunas following the city’s remarkable success as European Capital of Culture in 2022 and its inscription to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023.During a meeting in Kraków, head of the Heritage Hub Katarzyna Jagodzińska speaks to researcher and architectural historian Vaidas Petrulis from the Kaunas University of Technology.They talk about the specificity of Kaunas’ modernist architecture in terms of its protection and recognition, as well as its importance for the Lithuanian nation during the inter-war period when the “true” Lithuanian capital – Vilnius – was part of Poland.The title of the UNESCO inscription is “Modernist Kaunas: Architecture of Optimism, 1919-1939”. Listen to the interview to find out more about what lies behind the inscription’s title and what this architecture means for the city today. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

In our search for the cultural heritage of Ukrainians in Poland we have arrived in Podlasie – a region encompassing the Polish-Belarusian borderland, with the Narew river meandering through its centre and the World Heritage listed Białowieża forest straddling the border.For decades, Ukrainian inhabitants of this land have been struggling with a harmful stereotype that this region – as a national and cultural borderland – is a contact point between Poles and Belarusians. This has seemingly condemned the ethnically Ukrainian population of this area to oblivion. Yet a great many Orthodox inhabitants of the villages and towns between the Bug and the Narew rivers belong to the Ukrainian ethnic area in terms of language, material culture and folklore.The cultural identity of Ukrainians who are still living in the area is strong, but they indicate that it’s fading. People are moving out to other regions or abroad, children don’t use the language of their grandparents any longer in their daily communication, and in the meantime whatever traditional architecture remains is falling apart.However, all is not lost, and it would be skepticism to say that it was too late to keep this heritage alive. The Kraków Heritage Hub’s John Beauchamp together with Katarzyna Jagodzińska are at a local privately-owned open-air museum, Skansen Koźliki, where they meet Jerzy Misiejuk to find the tangible essence of Ukrainian Podlasie.Also in the episode, we meet a number of local activists and researchers connected to the Podlasie Scientific Institute  in Bielsk Podlaski. We hear from journalist Jerzy Gawryluk, the editor-in-chief of local Ukrainian-language newspaper Nad Buhom i Narwoju, local poet Eugenia Gawryluk, teachers Elżbieta Tomczuk from Bielsk Podlaski and Irena Wiszenko from Czeremcha, the home of the Hiłoczka Ukrainian youth song  ensemble. We also meet Maria Ryżyk, head of the Association of Ukrainians in Podlasie and a member of the local council in Bielsk Podlaski.This podcast was produced as part of the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukrainians in Poland: Mapping and Dissemination” project realised by the Faculty of International and Political Studies at the Jagiellonian University with the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków. The project is led by Dr Olga Kich-Masłej from the Department of Polish-Ukrainian Studies.The funding was provided by the Strategic Programme Excellence Initiative at the Jagiellonian University.

In this edition of Holistic Heritage we are in Romania, where we hike the Via Transilvanica with the trail’s co-founder Ana Szekely.Ana stands behind the success of Via Transilvanica, the longest walking trail in Romania, by many considered one of the most beautiful in the world. Measuring 1,400 kilometres, it crosses seven regions and many differing ethnic communities across the country.In 2023 Via Transilvanica won the European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award – the highest recognition for heritage projects awarded jointly by the European Commission and Europa Nostra.A year later, in August 2024, Katarzyna Jagodzińska and John Beauchamp from the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków travel south to Piatra Fântânele, the headquarters of Tășuleasa Social association. They have their walking boots on and are ready to explore Romania’s precious heritage.You can always meet someone interesting on the trail! We bumped into Ewa Chwałko, a seasoned Polish hiker and writer who was walking the route from the end to the beginning in Putna, north of the Tășuleasa base.We would also like to thank the family and staff at La căsuța din pădure gastronomic point for their kind hospitality and amazing meatball soup! Poftă bună! This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

We are in the Beskid Niski mountain range in southern Poland which is home of the Lemkos, an ethnic group of Carpathian highlanders. They have their own language, which may be classified as a dialect of Rusyn, akin to Ukrainian, and have been here in the Polish Carpathians for generations.The latest Polish census data from 2021 reveals that a fraction over 13,600 people are Lemko or identify as having a mixed Lemko identity. What is interesting, though, is that the majority of Lemkos don’t live here in Lemkovyna. A closer look at the statistics reveals that more Lemkos live in Dolny Śląsk in the south-west, than in Małopolska, which is home to the Beskid Niski.In the episode, the Hub’s John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska travel across green hills and virgin landscapes to visit people who struggle against the odds to save their heritage, build recognition and empower a new generation to continue the development of the customs, traditions, skills and the language.We meet Mychajło Markowicz, founder of the Nowycia Foundation in Nowica which aims to promote Ukrainian culture in the Beskid Niski. The wooden building where foundation is located - known as a chyża - in the past used to be a place for meetings and the exchange of information, a latter-day Whatsapp or social media platform. Nowadays, as Markowicz himself says, the Nowica Foundation wants to fill this gap and be a sort of Lemko internet.Then we have a late breakfast at the agrotourism farm ‘Swystowy Sad’ in Ropki run by Grażyna Betlej-Furman, who tells us about Lemko cuisine, local produce and the way of life in Lemkovyna.In the village of Łosie we speak to Wasyl Szlanta, whose professional life revolved around traditional tar making and who was one of the founders of the Łemkowska Watra festival.In Sękowa we visit the Majsternia Karpat workshop and inn run by Anna Czuchta and Piotr Jasion. We learn about changing Lemko language, local cuisine and herbs.Finally we have a meeting with Julia Doszna, a famous Lemko singer for whom Lemko language and traditional singing is an integral part of her identity.All the people we met during several days of our journey finally come together at Łemkowska Watra (or Lemkivska Vatra), the biggest Lemko culture festival, which is a compulsory event in the yearly calendar, not just for Lemkos, but for the wide community of Ukrainians.This podcast was produced as part of the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukrainians in Poland: Mapping and Dissemination” project realised by the Faculty of International and Political Studies at the Jagiellonian University with the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków. The project is led by Dr Olga Kich-Masłej from the Department of Polish-Ukrainian Studies.The funding was provided by the Strategic Programme Excellence Initiative at the Jagiellonian University.

We are in Przemyśl which plays host to the Narodniy Dim – the National House – which is run by the Association of Ukrainians in Poland. A number of families which were deported from this area in 1947 as part of Operation Vistula have since returned and are cultivating their regional traditions, language and music.We take a look at some of these stories as part of a project which aims to draw attention to Ukrainian cultural heritage and its rekindling after years of neglect.In the episode, the Hub’s John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska are in Przemyśl to meet a number of Ukrainian activists,including:Igor Horków – director of the Narodniy Dim in Przemyśl who underlines that the house open “for everyone”Maria Tucka – a local educator who promotes regional costumes and the ‘Pearls of the Borderland’ ethnographic collectionMaria Mryczko – a local artist who works with papercutting as part of the Narodniy Dim’s activitiesTatiana Czarna-Nakonieczna – a local activist who runs the ‘Krajka’ and ‘Krajeczka’ folk music groupsIn the podcast we also hear from Tatiana Harasym and Aleksandra Steć from Krajka. Daria Pulkovska joins them for the vocal pieces presented in the podcast. Maksym Nakonieczny (Tatiana’s son) also makes an appearance as the frontman of the Hraybery folk ensemble, which also accompanies Krajeczka.This podcast was made as part of the academic research project “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukrainians in Poland: Mapping and Dissemination”. The project is funded by the Jagiellonian University as part of its Strategic Programme Excellence Initiative. 

For this episode we are in Lviv and visiting the Jam Factory Art Center. This new space in an old and run-down suburb of Ukraine’s western city has been in the making for years. Now it has become Lviv’s most fashionable centre for contemporary artists both from Ukraine and beyond, and has the ambition to become the country’s premier exhibition space.Creating such a massive area for visual and performative art in an old industrial space has proven to be a challenge. However, for the Jam Factory team, nothing seems to be impossible, especially when they have the help of founder and Swiss cultural entrepreneur Harald Binder.John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub for Central and Eastern Europe, meet the Jam Factory’s Executive Director Bozhena Pelenska in Lviv. Artur Wabik  from Kraków’s Comics Museum also joins us for this episode.Throughout the episode we’ll be finding out more on the Jam Factory as well as take a tour of this new state-of-the-art centre. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

We’re in the centre of Lviv to visit UA Comix – a comic book store, as you might have guessed from the name. But it’s so much more than that. In fact, you could say that comics are now helping the Ukranian war effort against Russia.Bohdan Kordoba is the founder and CEO of UA Comix. Even though it has always published comics and graphic novels, the full-scale invasion by Russia has meant that more and more publications are geared towards Ukrainian language and culture. We also hear from Ruslana Koropatka, Editor-in-Chief of UA Comix, as well as artists Lyudmila Samus and Khrystyna Koropetska.Presented by John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

Assistance for heritage during times of war has been a leitmotif throughout the Ukraine Heritage Spotlight podcast series. In this episode we look closely at the activities undertaken by non-governmental organisations, including those bringing physical support for heritage institutions endangered by ongoing Russian attacks.Iryna Nikiforova offers us an insight into current heritage matters – organisation, management and networking. Nikiforova is deputy head of the Initiative for St. Andrew’s Passage NGO [Andriyivsko-Peizazhna Initsiatyva] and coordinator of Ukraine Art Aid Center based in Germany. Since March 2022, the organisation has been providing assistance to museums and cultural institutions of Ukraine. We met during her visit to the offices of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union. 

December 2022 marked the reopening of the Slovak National Gallery after major reconstruction. A large part of exhibition premises were closed for more than twenty years due to their derelict condition, and construction works took almost seven years.Bratislava has now regained one of its most iconic buildings for art and culture, as well as a meeting place for residents and tourists. The bold socialist modernist structure designed by Vladimir Dedeček in 1977 stands out clearly on the banks of the Danube. It is commonly referred to as the “Overbridge”, an elevated three-storey bridge optically closing the baroque Water Barracks from the street side and forming an inner courtyard.Our guide to the newly opened building of the main Slovak museum is Dr Alexandra Kusá, its general director and a specialist in 20th century art. Through the perspective of this spectacular architecture we look closer at the contemporary capital of Slovakia, asking what still needs to be done in Bratislava and Slovakia in broadly understood heritage?Hosted by John Beauchamp together with Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

How has the concept of heritage changed over the decades? We take a look at best practices and approaches to heritage preservation with Professor Jacek Purchla, Vice-President of Europa Nostra. We met at the Heritage Hub in Kraków in June 2024 on the occasion of the announcement of the European Heritage Awards.Hosted by John Beauchamp together with Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union. 

Physical damage to Ukraine’s cultural heritage is very real. Official figures from UNESCO dated 10 April 2024 reveal verified damage to 351 sites since 24 February 2022, including religious sites, museums and monuments, as well as other heritage sites.For the inaugural episode, I’m in Lviv, Ukraine’s western gateway, where we meet leading cultural figures to learn what is being done to preserve – and save – Ukrainian cultural heritage in light of the continuing conflict with Russia.Lilia Onyshchenko-Shvets is advisor to the Mayor of Lviv on heritage protection. We meet her in her office near the old Arsenal in downtown Lviv. “We were absolutely not prepared for what happened on 22 February,” she says of the outbreak of war. “We simply didn’t think it could happen” she says of the full-scale Russian invasion.In the podcast, we also hear how Vasyl Rozhko from the НеМо: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab is systematically assessing damage done to Ukrainian heritage, including information which may be used for criminal proceedings against the Russian Federation.Dr. Iryna Sklokina is a Research Fellow at the Center for Urban History of East Central Europe in Lviv. In 2023, her project – Un/Archiving Post/Industry – won an Europa Nostra heritage award in the category “Citizen Engagement and Awareness Raising”. She explains how the war has raised awareness among Ukrainians of their cultural heritage.In Lviv’s opulent Potocki Palace I meet with Taras Voznyak, director of the Lviv National Art Gallery. He explains the situation of museum collections across the country and what is being done to protect them.We also visit the Ukrainian Catholic University. It’s here where leading Ukrainian historian, Professor Yaroslav Hrytsak explains what’s at stake for the Ukrainian people. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

One of the most important activities in heritage research is not just looking at the past, but recording the present for future generations of citizens and scholars. This is exactly what Dr Iryna Sklokina is doing from the Center for Urban History in Lviv. One of the centre’s projects is „Un-archiving Post-industry”, which digitally preserves endangered industrial heritage collections in Ukraine’s East and fostering engagement with this heritage among local communities.Collaborating closely with local archives and heritage practitioners, the project digitised collections at a number of museums in Ukraine, including Mariupol, Pokrovsk and Donetsk. It’s also worth noting that the project won a Citizens’ Engagement prize at the 2023 Europa Nostra Awards.Hosted by John Beauchamp together with Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub for Central and Eastern Europe in Kraków. Recorded in Lviv, April 2024. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

W 2023 roku historyczne centrum Lwowa zostało wpisane na Listę światowego dziedzictwa UNESCO w zagrożeniu. Decyzję Światowego Komitetu wymusiła trwająca od lutego 2022 roku pełnoskalowa inwazja wojsk rosyjskich na terenie Ukrainy. Choć Lwów jest położony daleko od frontu, od początku wojny w tym regionie zniszczone zostały trzy obiekty dziedzictwa.Jak dzisiaj wygląda sytuacja zabytków we Lwowie, partnerskim mieście Krakowa? Jakie przygotowania przed atakiem zbrojnym zostały w mieście poczynione? Jakie są wyzwania, potrzeby, plany? Aby się tego dowiedzieć, udaliśmy się w kwietniu 2024 roku w podróż za wschodnią granicę. Naszą przewodniczką jest Lilia Onyshchenko-Shvets, doradca mera Lwowa ds. ochrony dziedzictwa kulturowego, w przeszłości główna konserwator Lwowa.Idąc na spotkanie mijamy pomniki zamknięte w ochronnych klatkach, kościoły z oknami witrażowymi zasłoniętymi płytami z dykty, worki z piaskiem na chodnikach i jeże przeciwczołgowe w każdej chwili gotowe do rozstawienia na ulicach. Spotykamy się w Miejskim Biurze ds. dziedzictwa przy ul. Wałowej. W historycznym budynku dawnych koszarów zeskładowane są drzwi, ławy i inne elementy wyposażenia z okolicznych kościołów i zabytkowych budynków. W rozmowie z Johnem Beauchamp i  Katarzyną Jagodzińską, kierowniczką regionalnego centrum Europa Nostra w Krakowie – Europa Nostra Heritage Hub, Lilia Onyshchenko-Shvets mówi nie tylko o sytuacji Lwowa, ale odnosi się do całej Ukrainy oraz wskazuje na różnice między wschodem i zachodem kraju. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

The number of cultural heritage sites in Ukraine is huge, yet with local municipalities struggling to finance the upkeep of buildings, monuments and other treasures, new ways of financing have had to be found.That is where Spadshchyna.UA – which means ‘heritage’ in Ukrainian – comes into play. The NGO was set up to raise awareness of cultural heritage in Ukraine as well as become a first point of call for interested investors, of which there are more and more.“The war raised in us an understanding and the value of our identity,” says Hanna Havryliv from Spadshchyna.UA, adding that especially in western Ukraine – which was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – people with Polish, German, Jewish and Armenian roots have also taken an interest in buying old properties which need restoration.Since Spadshchyna.UA was launched in 2016 there has been a great interest in Ukrainian cultural heritage, but after the war started a lot of NGOs simply vanished due in part to a lack of funding. However, those which had implemented successful programmes have managed to stay afloat.Now “we have a new stage of cultural heritage NGOs in Ukraine which work more effectively, sustainably, [and] more professionally,” Havryliv underlines.Hanna Havryliv spoke to Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków, as well as John Beauchamp and Artur Wabik on the importance of turning Ukraine’s cultural heritage into a patriotic profit-making exercise. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

The ongoing war in Ukraine has not only caused physical damage. Russia’s continuing “special military operation” also has a cultural dimension, one which Ukraine is now having to fight against, and not just with heavy weaponry.In this episode of Ukraine Heritage Spotlight, we are in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv to meet renowned historian and public intellectual Professor Yaroslav Hrytsak.Hrytsak recently published a book on Ukraine which underlines the nuances of the country’s history and culture, entitled Overcoming the past: the global history of Ukraine [originally published in Ukrainian as: Подолати минуле: глобальна історія України and recently translated into Polish as: Ukraina. Wyrwać się z przeszłości by the International Cultural Centre in Kraków]. So what is the cultural state of Ukraine today and what should Ukrainian society be doing to protect its culture and heritage? “War leads to homogenisation of the cultural space,” Hrytsak says. While Ukraine is “leaving behind” Russia’s imperial legacy, this has also meant the “cancelling” of Russian culture to a certain degree.Hrytsak underlines that this does not mean the eradication of Russian culture, but simply taking it down from its pedestal. “We talk of a ‘great’ Russian culture, but not a ‘great’ French culture, for instance,” the historian states, quipping that a statue of Balzac in Ukraine would be more suitable than one of Pushkin, for instance.However, while Russia poses an “existential threat” to Ukraine and her culture, paradoxically it has meant that artists and thinkers are more creative than ever before. Professor Yaroslav Hrytsak met John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków, at the beginning of April 2024 at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv to talk about how Europe must realise the importance of Ukraine in the European cultural landscape despite it being on the periphery. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

The World Monuments Fund is an independent organisation based in New York devoted to safeguarding heritage locations to build mutual understanding across cultures and communities. Since 1965, its global team of experts has preserved cultural heritage at more than 700 sites in 112 countries. Today one of the countries in need of special attention is, of course, Ukraine.One of the many specialists helping to protect Ukraine’s cultural heritage is Dr Kateryna Goncharova, Ukraine Heritage Crisis Specialist at the World Monuments Fund. For a number of years she has been involved with the preservation of architectural heritage and historical sites of Ukraine. Previously, she worked as Head of the Research Department at the Ukrainian State Research and Project Institute for Historic Preservation. We ask her about her view of on the scale of damage of heritage in Ukraine, current needs and projects being realised to safeguard cultural heritage.Podcast co-host and Head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków, Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska spoke to Kateryna during a meeting of the European Commission-led expert sub-group on the safeguarding of cultural heritage in Ukraine. The meeting was held in January 2024 in Brussels to develop a set of recommendations for the Government of Ukraine and for the Commission itself in the field of protection and reconstruction of tangible and intangible heritage following hostilities. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

The European Heritage Hub is one of the largest cultural heritage-driven projects across Europe to support the green, social and digital transformation of our society. Launched in May 2023 by a consortium of 20 partners led by Europa Nostra, and co-funded by the European Union, this pilot project brings together a large array of heritage stakeholders and initiatives, responding to the need for a more structured cooperation and coordination for heritage across Europe and beyond.In this episode we travel to Venice, where the Hub held its first public Forum titled ‘Reimagining the Anthropocene: Putting Culture and Heritage at the Heart of Climate Action'. Against the captivating backdrop of water splashing against the banks and the gentle hum of vaporettos, we hear first-hand from the Project Leader, several Hub partners, and some of the keynote speakers of the inaugural Forum.Listen on to learn more about the mission of the Hub, upcoming activities and priorities, as well as the intrinsic connection between climate justice and cultural heritage.This podcast was produced in collaboration with the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków and Free Range Productions. The production and promotion of the podcast received the financial support of the European Union and La Fondation Hippocrène, a partner of Europa Nostra.  This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.This episode features the following voices: • Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Project Leader of the European Heritage Hub and Secretary General of Europa Nostra;• Carla Toffolo, Programme Manager of the European Heritage Hub;• Andrew Potts, Heritage and Climate Action Advisor at Europa Nostra;• Catherine Magnant, Head of the Cultural Policy Unit in the European Commission;• Lorena Aldana, Head of External Relations and Advocacy at the Europeana Foundation;• Bastien Varoutsikos, Director of Strategic Development at the ALIPH Foundation;• HRH Princess Dana Firas of Jordan, President of ICOMOS-Jordan and Petra National Trust, and Climate Heritage Network Special Envoy; • Adam Klups, European Heritage Youth Ambassador; and• Marshall Marcus, Executive and Artistic Director of the European Union Youth Orchestra.

“Cultural heritage is by nature politically sensitive, highly complex with a high degree of symbolic significance, emotionally charged and with a risk of political manipulation concerning its history, ownership and use,” we read in a “Concept on Cultural heritage in conflicts and crises” published by the European Union in 2021. As of mid-February 2024, UNESCO has verified damage to 342 sites since 24 February 2022 – 127 religious sites, 150 buildings of historical and/or artistic interest, 31 museums, 19 monuments, 14 libraries, and 1 archive. These numbers, which include only immovable cultural property, are getting higher each month.Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi holds a PhD in cultural heritage. She has been head of the UNESCO Desk in Ukraine since October 2022. She has over 22 years of professional experience with the United Nations, mainly working in fragile states and emergency contexts.Podcast co-host and Head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków, Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska spoke to Chiara during a meeting of the European Commission-led expert sub-group on the safeguarding of cultural heritage in Ukraine. The meeting was held in January 2024 in Brussels to develop a set of recommendations for the Government of Ukraine and for the Commission itself in the field of protection and reconstruction of tangible and intangible heritage following hostilities. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union. 

Vyshyvankas have always had a symbolic meaning, referring to prosperity, luck and protection. Now, at a time of war with Russia, vyshyvankas have gained an even deeper symbolism – they signify the continuation of Ukrainian culture in the face of destruction of cultural heritage.Ukrainians believe that vyshyvankas have a magical power, and take vyshyvankas with them as a token of protection. Similarly, soldiers have gone to war with the embroidered shirts. The war introduced new military textiles and patterns – alongside geometrical and floral ornaments, patterns of tanks, drones and bombs have also started to appear.Our guide through the meaning and value of vyshyvanka, Ukraine’s treasured intangible heritage, is Dr Lesia Voroniuk, head of the NGO World Vyshyvanka Day and co-creator of the Museum of Ukrainian Embroidered Shirts in Chernivtsi. The World Vyshyvanka Day received the European Heritage Award | Europa Nostra Award 2022, which in turn expanded its impact throughout Europe.Produced and hosted by John Beauchamp This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

What can civil society do for heritage? Basically there is no limit. In this episode we speak to Natalia Gnoińska, president of Fundacja 8Marca, who has initiated a concept of the Innovation Manor in Rokietnica, south-east Poland.The Innovation Manor addresses the problem of undeveloped architectural heritage sites located in rural areas, seeking new functions for them and creating a development plan based on economically, socially and ecologically sustainable solutions. It is based on New European Bauhaus ideas  and refers to the EU Green Deal and climate neutrality by 2050.Natalia elaborates on this idea referring to the founding project of the organisation – the Innovation Manor in Rokietnica.Rokietnica is a village with a population slightly exceeding 4,000 inhabitants, located in souerh-east Poland, picturesquely situated among the rolling hills of Podkarpacie, not far from Rzeszów and Lviv in Ukraine.Hosted by John Beauchamp and Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

What does the situation of the contemporary artistic world in Ukraine at war look like? Is the war visible in contemporary artistic practice in the public space? Artur Wabik, a visual artist specialising in murals and graffiti, curator, manager of cultural projects based in Krakow, shares his perspective on Ukrainian institutions, exhibitions, projects and careers of artists as they are today. As co-founder of the Comic Museum in Krakow he has organised a number of exhibitions of Ukrainian artists, helping them to establish their artistic practice as refugees. He is well established in the Ukrainian creative sector which is developing in Krakow and thanks to continuous collaboration with institutions and artists in Ukraine is also well informed about current challenges of Ukrainian cultural sector.  Hosted by John Beauchamp and Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Krakow. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

We take a look at industrial heritage and why we should love old factory buildings instead of tear them down. What is being done to promote industrial heritage, and what has to be done to preserve industrial heritage while keeping in line with the EU’s green deal? What can the Central and Eastern European region learn from Western European industrial preservation activities? These are just some of the key issues surrounding industrial heritage today.In this episode we invite you to join us for our conversation on the promotion of industrial heritage and how best practices are being shared across the continent. We speak to Hildebrand de Boer, Managing Director Stichting Industriecultuur Nederland (Dutch Foundation for Industrial Culture), as well as Miles Oglethorpe, President of the International Committee on the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage (TICCIH).Hosted by Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, Head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Krakow, and John Beauchamp. Interview recorded on the occasion of the Industrial Heritage in the Heart of Green Europe conference in Katowice, November 2023. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

60 years ago, on 29 November 1963, Europa Nostra was founded at the Council of Europe premises in Paris. Starting out with 11 founding members, it has become the largest civil society network dedicated to cultural heritage in Europe. Today, it gives voice to over 300 organisations from across Europe and beyond.Europa Nostra is constantly exploring new fields and topics that need special attention in the area of heritage and its interconnectedness with social matters, climate, technology or economy. In this podcast we explore current plans and ambitions of the organisation within a large network of European partnerships and external collaborations, keeping in mind new potentials or challenges of tomorrow which might open up new paths of exploration.In this episode you will hear about the future of Europa Nostra. This podcast series was recorded during the European Cultural Heritage Summit held in Venice in September 2023, and produced in collaboration with the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków and Free Range Productions.This episode features the following voices: Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Jimmy Jamar, Natalia Moussienko, Andrew Potts, and Senada Demirović Habibija. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

60 years ago, on 29 November 1963, Europa Nostra was founded at the Council of Europe premises in Paris. Starting out with 11 founding members, it has become the largest civil society network dedicated to cultural heritage in Europe. Today, it gives voice to over 300 organisations from across Europe and beyond. This remarkable milestone would not have been achieved without the unwavering support of countless committed individuals and valuable partners. In this podcast, we reflect on Europa Nostra's history and the individuals who have shaped it over time. We take a moment to explore current activities and the influential figures involved. Moreover, we peer into the future, outlining priorities for both Europa Nostra and the broader heritage sector in the coming years.In this episode you will hear about the present of Europa Nostra. This podcast series was recorded during the European Cultural Heritage Summit held in Venice in September 2023, and produced in collaboration with the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków and Free Range Productions.This episode features the following voices: Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Hermann Parzinger, Elena Bianchi, Ana Szekely, Antigoni Michael and Katarzyna Jagodzińska. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.  This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

Autumn 2023 marked the opening of a blockbuster exhibition “Image of the Golden Age: Culture in the Times of the Last Jagiellons” at the Wawel Royal Castle in Kraków, presenting 16th century culture on the vast territory of Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth.The exhibition displays several hundred works gathered from all over the world, including the Bodleian Library in Oxford, the British Library in London, The Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Louvre in Paris, the National Museum in Prague and the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest.In this episode of Holistic Heritage, we meet Professor Andrzej Betlej, Director of the Wawel Royal Castle. He discusses the behind-the-scenes preparations of this monumental endeavour and sheds light on new knowledge of our understanding of the period. We also hear from chief curator Krzysztof Czyżewski who introduces us to most stunning objects...Hosted by Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, Head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Krakow, and John Beauchamp. This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.

60 years ago, on 29 November 1963, Europa Nostra was founded at the Council of Europe premises in Paris. Starting out with 11 founding members, it has become the largest civil society network dedicated to cultural heritage in Europe. Today, it gives voice to over 300 organisations from across Europe and beyond. This remarkable milestone would not have been achieved without the unwavering support of countless committed individuals and valuable partners. In this podcast, we reflect on Europa Nostra's history and the individuals who have shaped it over time. We take a moment to explore current activities and the influential figures involved. Moreover, we peer into the future, outlining priorities for both Europa Nostra and the broader heritage sector in the coming years.In this episode you will hear about the past of Europa Nostra. This podcast series was recorded during the European Cultural Heritage Summit held in Venice in September 2023, and produced in collaboration with the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków and Free Range Productions.This episode features the following voices: Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Guy Clausse, Androulla Vassiliou, Luisella Pavan-Woolfe, Jacek Purchla and Lydia Carras.  This podcast was produced in the frame of and as an outcome of the European Heritage Hub pilot project co-funded by the European Union.