Prague, 05/09/2005 (Agence Europe) -European Heritage Days 2005 (EHD) opened in Prague on Friday, celebrated with much pomp and circumstance by the Czech authorities throughout the weekend. The capital of the Czech Republic was selected this year to organise the EHD, along with Chrudim, a historic town of Eastern Bohemia. The aim of the event, which started in 1991 as an initiative by Council of Europe culture ministers, is to give the general public the change to get special access to the cultural heritage of the 48 countries that signed up to the European Culture Convention, explained Vladimir Vihan, EHD Coordinator in the Czech Republic. A national theme is chosen each year by each participating country, the Czech Republic choosing New Life in Historical Context, focussing on traditional activities in the country. The European Heritage Days do not only cover cultural heritage that can be seen or touched, but can also shed light on crafts from a bygone age, local crafts which form an important part of a country's cultural richness, said Czech culture minister Zdenek Novak. Maud De Boer-Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, said the European Heritage Days were a deeply democratic concept, designed to bring Europeans close to their cultural heritage and help them understand themselves and understand others, understanding that they share values and a common identity as Europeans, which forms a solid basis for European unity. Heritage was created by societies whose roots go back to a definite area on the map, anchored in well-defined traditions and social structures, she said, inviting people to reflect on everyone's identity. Far from being set in stone, heritage is constantly changing shape, with the migration and moving of populations, acting as a palimpsest by providing new layers and new wealth, thereby avoiding any ghettoisation, explained Katerina Stenou of UNESCO. Heritage is the mythical thread of Ariadne in modern society. We have to both contribute to and benefit from this heritage, she concluded.
The European Union has provided half of the funding for the EHD, explained Daniel Theroud, Director of Culture and Cultural Heritage at the Council of Europe. Joint action has been organised in this connection since 1999, ending with common work on the interpretation of heritage and the use of a methodology. The project has taken a dual approach since it was set up - turning into a non-elitist popular project covering the whole of Europe on the one hand, and developing in terms of content from access to historic monuments, which was what the EHD involved at the start and led to their creation, to a representation of know-how from the arts and crafts world, popular traditions, and traditional skills, he explained. Society is multi-cultural today, and the EHD enables us to become aware of history, he explained, and of the need to protect a common environment, no matter where one comes from.
The Czech Republic spontaneously volunteered to host the event and has spent between one and one and a half million Czech crowns on organising the EHD. The private sector has also greatly invested in funding and preserving the Czech cultural heritage - Ceska Bank Sporitelna, very visible at the opening ceremony, has provided around 50% of the funding for public projects to rebuild and adapt cultural sites.