Bizkaia to host almost 300 activities in 78 municipalities this October
Bizkaia to host almost 300 activities in 78 municipalities this October
This year Bizkaia is to hold the 17th European Heritage Days. This is a programme intended to raise awareness of cultural heritage which has a well consolidated track record in the area. More and more local and supra-municipal bodies are organising activities for the public, throughout October.
Paisaia Bizia. Construction of cultural landscapes is the theme selected for this year’s edition. It will cover heritage from a territorial perspective, focusing on the physical space where processes take place, involving natural, economic, social and cultural factors, to make up the landscape that we know today.
276 free activities presenting various approaches to the landscape of Bizkaia in a unique opportunity to visit specific spots accompanied by specialists, interpreters and volunteers.
Lorea Bilbao, the Provincial Councillor for Basque Language and Culture, chaired the presentation of the 17th European Heritage Days, which was attended by representatives of the cultural institutions, organisations and associations from the public and private sectors which will be taking part this year.
The success of the campaign in Bizkaia lies mainly in the participation and engagement of an increasing number of local bodies, municipal councils and other public and private organisations, individual specialists and cultural associations coordinated by the Provincial Council. This year’s edition will feature 78 municipalities – 10 more than last year – 68 of which are represented by their municipal councils, along with more than 100 organisations, groups and associations. Throughout October almost 300 activities will be organised to give the public a closer look at the heritage of the territory. A wide-ranging, dynamic programme of events in Bizkaia will help people to connect with their heritage and explore the wealth of cultural values.
The great variety of activities scheduled, and their originality, makes up a highly attractive programme of events. Guided tours, talks, exhibitions, demonstrations, tastings, dramatisations, concerts, round-tables, discussions and family workshops in October will give local people a chance to explore a wide variety of cultural attractions in 78 municipalities, making this a must on the calendar of cultural events for the month.
Paisaia bizia. The construction of our cultural landscapes is the overall theme for the events scheduled. The programme defines “landscape” in broad terms as the backdrop not only for our history, with testimonies of past events, but also an active, dynamic feature that is continually changing. This theme will provide a connecting thread for all the activities scheduled in the programme.
This consistency in their theme and the commitment and engagement of cultural and social bodies of all kinds in the campaign have made European Heritage Days in Bizkaia a benchmark for management effectiveness.
The event will deal with arable and livestock farming landscapes, coastal landscapes, river landscapes, industrial and urban landscapes and even symbolic landscapes, all seen as manifestations of a landscape that is constantly changing, where the perception of local people and the interpretation of observers are necessary. There are as many different landscapes as there are ways of looking at them.
One of the characteristic values of these days is the involvement and participation in organising them of a large number of bodies, associations and groups. These include cultural associations, associations working to promote and defend natural and cultural heritage, climbing clubs, environmental bodies and a whole series of groups, each with its own vision of the landscape and each acting within its own scope of action to provide new ways of approaching and looking at the territory.
17 years of commitment to raising the profile of the cultural heritage of Bizkaia
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This year, Bizkaia is to hold the 17th edition of European Heritage Days, a campaign that seeks to raise the profile of cultural heritage. It is an event with a well consolidated track record in the territory that attracts the participation of more and more local and supra-municipal bodies in the organisation of activities for the public throughout October.
Once again this year the focus is on raising awareness of the work done in Bizkaia by a range of associations and groups which strive from different perspectives to defend, conserve, care for and promote cultural heritage. In the framework of this project, these groups are an important asset that brings added value to a pioneering initiative in our area.
Accordingly, the idea is to continue the lines set out last year, i.e. to involve “heritage communities” in promoting the cultural heritage of Bizkaia, in tune with the Council of Europe and the 2005 Faro Convention, which advocates shared heritage management as regards not only actual assets but also the potential of heritage (be it tangible or intangible) in society as a whole.
Activities scheduled for the 17th European Heritage Days in Bizkaia
The programme features 276 activities throughout October, organised by around 100 public and private-sector organisations and offering something to interest all audiences, ranging from more conventional landscape interpretation activities highlighting the links between culture and nature (such as visits to the Biosphere Reserve and the natural parks of Gorbea, Urkiola and Armañón) to more distinctive options such as tours of industrial landscapes associated with steelmaking and mining, arable and livestock farming and forestry, landscapes linked to shipbuilding or based on infrastructure development (roads and railways), urban, religious and even symbolic landscapes, to mention but a few.
A wide variety of attractions available from 1 October
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211 outdoor guided tours on foot, by canoe or by boat; almost 50 talks, round-table discussions and seminars with experts in different fields; nine exhibitions ; storytellers, demonstrations, tastings, trade fairs and audiovisual showings, making up a comprehensive programme packed with surprises.
Photographic contests will play an important role this year as a new way of engaging society actively in learning about our cultural and landscape heritage. The biggest is Patrimonio en un click [”One-Click Heritage”], organised by Ondare lagunak e Igerrak, a Basque language Instagram community. This contest highlights the commitment of the Days to heightening awareness and promoting heritage on social networks. Throughout October anyone interested in doing so can take pictures of any of the 276 activities organised under the programme and submit them to the contest using the hashtags #ondareabizkaia2017 or #igerrak_ondareabizkaia.
Commitment to heritage
The participation of 68 municipal councils, 21 museums and interpretation centres, archives, libraries, natural parks, associations and other groups from the territory exemplifies the level of commitment to our heritage and the ever higher level of awareness of it in society (see list in catalogue).
As a result of these joint efforts, and based on the figures for the number of participants last year, it is estimated that almost 15,000 people will take part in this year’s European Heritage Days.
Objective 2018: European Cultural Heritage Year
Next year Bizkaia will join the events to celebrate European Cultural Heritage Year, an initiative approved by the European Parliament which is intended to promote the cultural heritage of Europe, and raise awareness concerning its history and common values by focusing on heritage as an essential asset for our future because of its educational and social value and its considerable economic potential.
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