The year of sharing heritage is now under way! An incredible journey of discovering Europe’s history, culture, and traditions has started with a number of exciting European Year of Cultural Heritage programme launches.

Opening ceremonies were recently held in a number of countries, announcing thousands of heritage-inspired activities and projects. Officially starting at the December launch event in Milan, the celebrations continued throughout the past few months.

Most recently, European Year of Cultural Heritage was launched in Spain with a keynote speech by Tibor Navracsics, EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. The opening took place on 13 February in Palencia, where Navracsics presented the key ideas behind the initiative. In his speech, he highlighted the fact that cultural heritage requires commitment of the whole society and called for everyone to get involved.

Uniting Europe through Culture and Heritage

Every citizen has a role in safeguarding heritage and everyone’s effort counts in preserving it for future generations. Understanding our shared past helps deepen the relationships between European nations, enabling them to find common roots to their customs, traditions, and lifestyles. By empowering that understanding, the Year unites all Europeans and create a stronger society.

This idea was also highlighted in Brussels, where Navracsics delivered a keynote speech for the opening of European Year of Cultural Heritage in Belgium on 29 January. The opening started with a conference dedicated to the initiative and was followed by a citizens’ dialogue themed Our heritage: when the past meets the future. On the occasion of the opening, Mr. Navracsics said:

“Culture and cultural heritage are the most vivid expression of the strength of European citizens' common identity and values. They should play a crucial role in uniting the EU and making it stronger and more democratic. This is why I am especially pleased to be able to participate, alongside the President of the Commission and the College, in the launch of this year of culture in Brussels, which is a truly European city by virtue of its history and its role in hosting the EU institutions, as well as a creative, avant-garde and cosmopolitan capital unrivalled in Europe.”

Besides Spain and Belgium, Germany also recently had a celebratory event dedicated to European Year of Cultural Heritage programme launch. The event took place in Hamburg in January, welcoming Germany's Minister of Culture Monika Grütters, who emphasized the need to “protect Europe against exclusion, violence and a lack of freedom" by helping evoke “enthusiasm for European ideals.” To help reach this goal, Germany will organise a rich programme with 38 projects and initiatives across the country.

These are just some of the events that mark the start of an incredibly important year for European society. A number of creative joint initiatives, programmes, and conferences have already been held or launched, announcing a truly impressive event calendar in most countries.

The underlying topic of all the activities is shared European heritage, which will also be the common theme of this year’s European Heritage Days. The Art of Sharing will help showcase common European traditions, roots, and historic paths, providing an exciting new framework for interpreting our past and exploring our relationships.

The theme will offer Europeans a new look on our shared history through a uniquely diverse set of activities. Thousands of workshops, tours, exhibitions, and talks will be held to offer a new look at Europe as a crossroads of cultures and a foundation of democracy.

For more details about the year, visit eych2018.com and subscribe to our news and updates below!