Rethink Heritage

This chapter summarises suggested ways of modern heritage management, recommended strategies for heritage organisations to safeguard monuments and organise both the public access and involvement of the communities to the processes of this preservation work.

The chapter introduces the 'European Cultural Heritage Strategy For The 21st Century' adopted by the Council of Europe in 2017, the document that works as a compass for European policy makers, heritage professionals when thinking about the future of cultural heritage. In three further separate sections we are examining the three types of challenges that the Strategy can identify and we are summarising all the recommendations that the Council provides as suggestable answers. Parallel to the texts of the recommendations the chapter also analyses the intersecting areas of the challenges and summarises the ultimately coherent and complex nature of the Strategy. 

A separate section collects together the main funding schemes of heritage organisations and gives a short insight to the different strategies from heritage grants to tax incentives and donations, that are broadly used by European countries and actors of heritage management.

Finally, three further sections showcase the best practice activities and functioning of three outstanding heritage organisations operating in Europe::

• The Edinburgh World Heritage Trust (Scotland, UK) has been distributing heritage grants for important restoration and maintenance works required for preserving the World Heritage Site of Edinburgh for more decades now, besides many other important projects, while continuously monitoring the Site and keeping updated its own action plan in connection with the designated area.
  

• The French research organisation, CRAterre has been the pioneer in the broad recognition of earthen wall techniques and earth structures, while contributing to the protection of a great number of preservable earthen heritage sites worldwide and assembling possible development strategies for these locations. The research work of its laboratory aims at the effective and wide use of sustainable earthen constructions as most-up-to-date technologies of an eco-friendly future.
  

• Since 1966 Rempart has been organising voluntary restoration heritage camps in France and all over the world - from dwellings to churches and castles. The camps allow a great number of volunteers to contribute with their own work to the renewal and restoration of important monuments, while next generations of heritage managers, specialist and master craftsmen are trained as part of these socially involving venues.