Finland celebrates the European Heritage Days (EHDs) with common European themes. The 2021 European theme Inclusive Heritage has been adopted under the name of Open and Inclusive (FIN: Rajaton ja avoin, SWE: Öppen och gränslös). 

Events organised throughout the year

The European Heritage Days are celebrated in Finland every year through hundreds of organised walks, exhibitions, village and neighbourhood celebrations and trips. Events are organised by museums, libraries, schools, youth and hobby clubs and different associations. Everyone interested is welcome to contribute to the programme of the European Heritage Days.

The EHD theme week will be celebrated between 6 and 12 September 2021, but events will be organised throughout the year. The International Landscape Day was celebrated for the first time in Finland in 2019 as part of the European Heritage Days. Event organisers can also produce programme for the International Landscape Day, which will take place on 20 October. All of the events will be compiled in a joint event calendar.

Children and young people in focus

The Heritage Makers is a storytelling competition designed in Finland to inspire children and young people to explore their immediate surroundings and cultural heritage. In 2018, the project was extended to the whole of Europe by inviting all under 18-year-olds to participate by sharing a photo and a story from close to their home. The concept encourages children and the young to observe, explore and analyse their immediate surroundings and, through this, to get involved and influence its development and cultural renewal.

FACT: European Heritage Days in Finland

• The aim is to increase people’s understanding and appreciation of the cultural environment and to inspire them to actively protect and take good care of it.
• The theme in Finland in 2021: Open and Inclusive
• Everyone can organise events for the European Heritage Days in Finland
• The International Landscape Day will be celebrated as part of the European Heritage Days in Finland
• The EHD theme week will take place between 6 and 12 September 2021 and the International Landscape Day on 20 October 2021. Events will be organised throughout the year.

In Finland, the European Heritage Days are coordinated by a working group consisting of the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Finnish Local Heritage Federation, the Finnish Heritage Agency, the Finnish National Agency for Education, the Finnish Museums Association and the Association of Cultural Heritage Education in Finland.

 

Coordination

The coordination of the European Heritage Days in Finland is done in cooperation with the partners represented in the working group appointed by the Ministry of the Environment:

The Ministry of the Environment
The Ministry of Education and Culture
The Finnish Local Heritage Federation
The Finnish Heritage Agency
The Finnish Association for Cultural Heritage Education
The Finnish Museums Association
The National Board of Education
And theme related expert members

The above mentioned partners are responsible for the national coordination of the events. The actual work for the celebrations is carried out by local authorities, local associations, private museums and volunteers.

More information: Jonina Vaahtolammi, The Finnish Local Heritage Federation, erp @ kotiseutuliitto.fi or Hanna Hämäläinen, The Ministry of the Environment, hanna.p.hamalainen @ gov.fi