Welcome to our 5th newsletter, which brings you the latest highlights of the European Year of Cultural Heritage as well as many opportunities whereby you can get involved.

This edition is dedicated to the European Heritage Days, the most widely celebrated participatory cultural event in Europe, taking place mainly in September. How about sharing this newsletter with your colleagues and friends? Plus, keep an eye out for our next and last edition, which will be sent straight to your inbox!

Every year the European Heritage Days (EHDs) provide access to thousands of rarely opened cultural sites and offer unique events for up to 30 million people. You might be surprised at what you can explore. Alongside guided tours, talks and exhibitions, events range from enjoying tea and home baking in a house on the grounds of a ruined 16th century castle in Ireland, to a gathering of the youngest people of Jindřichův Hradec, Czech Republic for a festival dedicated to Saying Goodbye to the Holiday, or engaging in cross-border heritage exploration connecting the Spanish region of Extremadura and Portugal to unveil its multicultural links.

In most EU Member States, the EHDs take place in September (with a few exceptions: Ireland in August and Cyprus in October). This year, the EHDs celebrate the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 under the common theme – ‘The Art of Sharing’. The EHDs will contribute to a very successful year: we expect there to be 70,000 EHDs events, 50,000 of which will take place in EU Member States. Read about the EHDs programme in countries such as Latvia, the UK and Slovenia, and find out which events are happening near you.

Enjoy exploring the cultural ties that your country/region/community has with Europe!

The EHDs are a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Commission. The initiative is the most widely celebrated participatory cultural event in Europe. EHDs events take place in 50 countries that are signatories of the European Cultural Convention. The days allow visitors to learn about Europe's shared heritage and to engage in safeguarding heritage for future generations. Why not learn more about the EHDs initiative? Join the conversation online using #EHDs and #EuropeForCulture.

The art of sharing is also the art of storytelling: finding the connections between the local and the European, to (re)discover how much of our heritage is actually shared.

Two new pilot initiatives were launched in the context of the EHDs scheme, as part of the 2018 special edition to celebrate the European Year of Cultural Heritage. They target local communities, children and young people to encourage them to celebrate Europe's shared heritage through storytelling experiences.

Read more about what happened so far: the European Heritage Makers week and the Call for European Heritage Stories.

Did you know that over 6,300 events were organised for the European Year of Cultural Heritage in the first 6 months of 2018?

Over 3.6 million people have participated in this year-long celebration, with events ranging from the first-ever European Cultural Heritage Summit in Berlin, to wine and fish tasting at the Brodetto & Fish Soup Festival in Italy. Have a look at what has happened lately:

• European forum on music – 7-10 June, Oslo, Norway
• European Cultural Heritage Summit, with over 60 different events and the launch of the Berlin call to Action "Cultural Heritage for the Future of Europe” by the three co-hosting organisations of the summit – 18-24 June, Berlin, Germany. Missed it? Have a look at some pictures here.
• European Green Capital 2020 and European Green Leaf 2019 Award Ceremony – 21 June, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
• Cultural heritage: European Parliament conference – 26 June, Brussels, Belgium. If you missed the event, you can still watch the video streaming online.
• Nordic Culture Festival – 4-8 July, Siglufjörður, Iceland
• International Brodetto & fish soup festival – 5 July, Fano, Italy
• Urban Jewish heritage international conference – 3-7 September, Krakow, Poland

Stay tuned for upcoming events such as:

• The EU speaks your language exhibition – 19 September - 12 October, Brussels, Belgium
• Restless Times: Archaeology in Germany – 21 September - 6 January 2019, Berlin, Germany
• Years of Disarray | Between Anxiety and Delight - the Birth of the Modern Central European Citizen – 20 September - 27 January 2019, Olomouc, Czech Republic
• Cultural heritage for the future: the role of media innovation – 25 September  
• European Days of Languages 2018 – 26 September, with more than 70 events across Europe
• International conference: the best in heritage 2018 – 26-28 September, Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Future for Religious Heritage Biannual Conference – 11-13 October, Paris, France
• 11th International Conference for Cultural Tourism in Europe – 25-27 October, Pafos, Cyprus

Check the EYCH website or visit your country's website to find out what else is in store for the next few months! Can’t make these events in person? Follow all the action on Twitter using the hashtag #EuropeForCulture.

In 2018, we mark the centenary of the end of World War I and the start of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648). In order to remember how precious peace is, we invite all owners of bells in Europe to ring their bells for the International Day of Peace on 21 September 2018, from 18:00 to 18:15 Strasbourg time. Join in the wonderful experience of sharing heritage!

Would you like to experience, appreciate, and enjoy Europe’s cultural heritage? Are you looking for a way to get more closely involved with it? Look no further! Have a look at the new Story Map developed by the Joint Research Centre, the European Commission's science and knowledge service for the EYCH. Find out more

The European Commission and the Council of Europe have joined forces to promote the principles of the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (Faro Convention). It emphasises the link between heritage, human rights and democracy. ‘The Faro Way’ will engage with various levels of decision-making, from the national to the local, through studies, audio-visual materials, seminars and networking opportunities. Find out more

Read more about the Faro Convention and watch the video.

The 4 winners of the YTAA 2018 were announced this summer. This is the 2nd edition, which aims to support the talent of recently graduated architects, urban planners and landscape architects by rewarding the best diploma projects of the last 2 years in Europe and beyond.

The awards ceremony will take place in Venice, Italy on 20 September and is dedicated to the memory of one of the winners, Loed Stolte. Find out more about the winners.

The Berlin call to action aims to build on the momentum created by the European Year of Cultural Heritage to unfold the potential of our shared heritage to advance to a more peaceful, prosperous, inclusive and just Europe.

It was launched by the 3 co-hosting organisations of the European Cultural Heritage Summit that took place in Berlin on 18-24 June: Europa Nostra, the German Cultural Heritage Committee (DNK) and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK). All engaged citizens, organisations and institutions who care for Europe’s cultural heritage are invited to sign it. Find out more

101 event ideas

The European Heritage Days are proud to present this compilation of 101 ideas that you can bring to your local community in order to highlight shared heritage, show how Europeans connect through different surroundings and highlight the importance of shared cultural values.

Read "101 event ideas"

Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth

The report presents a new approach to inclusive growth that looks at the social and economic benefits of cultural heritage for all levels of society.

Read the report "Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth" from the British Council

Connecting Cultures, Connected Citizens

The booklet presents some of the most interesting and exciting Interreg projects that have received the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 label.

Read the e-book "Connecting Cultures, Connected Citizens"

It’s not too late! There are still some great opportunities for your activities, projects and research to receive EU support or promotion in connection with the European Year of Cultural Heritage. Read on to discover ways to join in with events and activities going on throughout Europe as the year progresses.

The European Week of Regions and Cities is an annual event in which cities and regions showcase their capacity to contribute to the social, economic and cultural development of the EU. This year it takes place 8-11 October in Brussels.

The 2 European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 workshops are:

• ‘How to ensure quality in EU-funded heritage and architectural projects?’ – a workshop on quality standards for the contemporary transformation of the built environment will take place on 9 October.
• ‘Coop Cult and Succeed – EYCH 2018’ – focused on the role of macro-regional strategies and cross-border cooperation to support viable cultural investments in Europe – held on 10 October.

There will also be a networking session in the afternoon where the participants will have the opportunity to meet with the administrators of participating European Commission services. Registrations close 28 September 2018.

• Register to 'How to ensure quality in EU-fundee heritage and architectural projects?'
• Register to 'Coop Cult and Succeed - EYCH 2018'
• Read the full programme.

The RegioStars Award identifies good practices in regional development and highlights original and innovative projects.

21 projects were selected as finalists earlier this year. Among them, 5 outstanding projects were selected under the 2018 special category that marks the European Year of Cultural Heritage – ‘Investing in cultural heritage’. Until midnight 7^th October you can vote for the 2018 RegioStars' public choice award from those shortlisted. The winners in all 5 categories will be announced on 9 October during the European Week of Cities and Regions.

The European Commission is calling for projects under the European Solidarity Corps and cultural heritage is eligible. A total of €44 million has been set aside from the EU budget for selected projects that will be open to all young people across Europe and beyond. The deadline to apply is 16 October 2018, except for projects of volunteering teams, who have time to apply until 18 February 2019. Read more

Are you looking for inspiration for your upcoming trips? Are you passionate about culture and travel? Do you want to know more about Europe's rich cultural heritage? Join @BackpackingSimon on tour with the European Year of Cultural Heritage. He is the first of four European Year of Cultural Heritage's travellers, who will discover some of Europe's vast and varied cultural heritage in different countries.

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