Although the official celebration of European Heritage Days will not start for another several months, more than 1700 new events are already announced by different countries that traditionally participate in the initiative. Recently, we welcomed the new theme for the events in Finland, while Ireland, Portugal and Norway, among other countries, started adding their events to the European Heritage Days portal.

Ireland

The programme for this year’s National Heritage Week in Ireland will focus on "People and Place in 1916," as the official theme states. The events will re-enact the spirit of medieval Ireland through fairs, lectures, traditional music sessions, storytelling and many other activities and workshops. Some of the events will include an afternoon with a master storyteller Ray O’Sullivan, learning about the Irish Dipper and natural wonders of Ireland, getting to know more about the military heritage of the South East of Ireland, and many others.

Portugal

Portugal will offer a wide range of unique exploratory experiences for visitors who wish to find out more about the national history and shared European heritage. A centenary trip from the wonderful Sintra to coastline, guided tours to the Porto de Mós castle and public presentations of historical research abut iron, glass and pottery are just some of the events designed to present Portuguese heritage in a new light during European Heritage Days 2016.

Norway

Norway will also welcome visitors to learn more about the country’s nature and historical landmarks, most notably through the events that will take place throughout the year. One of such events is a family day that aims to bring people together in a Norway area known for old monuments and exceptional natural landscape. In addition to this, Norway will attract lovers of agriculture with an Open Day on a Bjorklund farm, which can be seen as an embodiment of Norwegian village idyll.

With so many interesting events added at the beginning of the year, 2016 promises to bring lots of unique experiences for both new and old European Heritage Days visitors. While most of the other events are expected to be announced in the next couple of months, those that are already added to the portal represent great ideas for new cultural explorations of Europe.