HOLISTIC HERITAGE

Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź The Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź is a cornerstone of Poland’s cultural heritage, preserving the city’s industrial past while celebrating textile art as a global tradition. Located in Ludwik Geyer’s historic “White Factory”, the museum was established in 1960 and is recognised as the first textile museum in […]

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.

This year’s edition of the Małopolska Cultural Heritage Days — winner of the 2025 European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award — was held under the theme “Light”. Capturing its historic reflections with a microphone was no easy task, but two brave members of our team took it on! John Beauchamp and Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, Head of the Heritage Hub, visited three sites along the 2025 Małopolska Cultural Heritage Days trail — all of which feature in the latest, 17th episode of the Holistic Heritage podcast.

What exactly is a post-museum? How can museums – as custodians of knowledge – open up their collections and involve the public in their interaction? Or should they not do so at all? In the latest podcast in the Holistic Heritage series, John Beauchamp talks to Dr Katarzyna Jagodzinska about her latest book which explores the theme of participation and the concept of the ‘post-museum’. The setting for the discussion is the picturesque historic garden of the Royal Łazienki Museum in the heart of Warsaw.

“When the hands work, the mind rests,” highlights Łucja Cieślar, a team member of Serfenta Association. In the latest episode of the “Holistic Heritage” podcast, John Beauchamp and Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska discuss traditional basket weaving and the tranquillity it offers, as well as the relaxing “speech” of reeds and straw, with members of the Serfenta team: Paulina Adamska, Łucja Cieślar, and Urszula Szwed.

Heavy industry in Silesia is changing… Adaptation to new functions often becomes the only chance for the survival of industrial heritage. How can we best protect and manage these sites? In the next episode of the podcast “On The Road,” Katarzyna Jagodzińska and John Beauchamp will explore the industrial trail between Zabrze, Ostrava, and Świętochłowice, listening to the echoes of former industrial plants in Silesia.