2000 Visitors at This Year’s European Heritage Days in Georgia
2000 Visitors at This Year’s European Heritage Days in Georgia
The 2017 European Heritage Days common theme breathed a new life into Europe’s diverse landscapes. Inviting participants to discover the beauties of their local parks, gardens, woodlands, historic trails, and various other green spaces, the events uncovered new meanings of heritage.
In Georgia, the “Heritage and Nature” theme was marked in 20 municipalities with a range of nature-inspired topics. From a lecture on the impact of climate change on cultural heritage monuments in the Abasha municipality, to an eco-educational boat tour on the lake Paliastomi and river Pichori gorge in Kolheti National Park, the events highlighted the richness of Georgia’s nature.
One of the spotlight events was held in the Kobuleti municipality, where the Social Impact Hub Effendi Villa organised an exhibition featuring works of young artists from Georgia, Canada, and France. The exhibition was unveiled by 30 artists, who invited the local community, creative sectors, and media to join the initiative of recreating Effendi Villa as a cultural meeting place for diverse groups.
In addition to these events, a number of other activities took place accross the country. The Aspindza municipality hosted a hiking tour and a discussion at Vardzia cave monastery, while the Tkibuli municipality welcomed participants to an exciting educational tour through Tsutskhvati Cave. Visitors could also enjoy guided tours and clean-up activities at Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, as well as an eco-tour through Georgia’s sacred Dzama gorge.
The events took place on 30 September and 1 October, when over 2000 visitors rushed to explore their local environment. The numerous other walks, tours, lectures, events highlighting the role of landscape in the cultural, ecological and social fields, were a great way to bring citizens of Georgia closer to nature as the “landscape of possibilities.” With so many active explorers and innovative events, this was not only another great year for Georgia’s heritage, but also an important educational journey for everyone who joined.