In our new Heritage Hour series, we turn our attention to a pioneering report “Mapping of the Central and Eastern European non-governmental heritage sector”, published in June 2025 by researchers from the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków in collaboration with the Centrum Cyfrowe Foundation in Warsaw. The report indicates that approximately 33,500 NGOs are engaged in heritage work operate across the Central and Eastern Europe region. However, their operating conditions leave much to be desired — main challenges include financial instability, lack of operational stability, and burnout.
Three co-authors of the report share insights on the sector’s current state, its challenges, and opportunities for growth in a new podcast episode: Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska — head of Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków, Dr Joanna Sanetra-Szeliga — her deputy, and Maria Drabczyk — President of the Centrum Cyfrowe. The conversation is hosted by John Beauchamp (also a co-author).
The “Mapping of the Central and Eastern European non-governmental heritage sector. Report” is the first publication of its kind, offering a comprehensive overview of the non-governmental heritage sector in ten countries of the region: Belarus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
The full report can be downloaded from the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub website in Kraków.
We warmly invite you on Monday, 30 June at 11:00, to participate in an international webinar dedicated to the report. During the session, with the input of European heritage experts, the results of the research, challenges, and recommendations from our mapping project will be presented. Attendance is free of charge; registration is required.