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“Cultural Heritage Matters for Europe” is the theme of the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2025, taking place in Brussels from 12 to 15 October. This year’s edition holds particular significance as it precedes the publication of the European Commission’s first-ever “Cultural Compass for the Future of Europe”. This included showcasing the achievements of the 30 winners of the 2025 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards. Among those honoured at the ceremony held in Flagey – a stunning Art Deco building in Brussels – were five projects from Central Europe.

In the next episode of the “On The Road” podcast series, we visit the Bulgarian town of Kazanlak, located in the Valley of the Roses. This region – also rich in UNESCO World Heritage sites – is primarily famous for its sprawling rose fields which stretch for kilometres, with their flowering cycle shaping the local calendar of celebrations.

The XV meeting of the Krakow Heritage Forum was held on Thursday 2 October with the first of three workshop sessions dedicated to heritage sounds and storytelling. The workshops were run by John Beauchamp, the Kraków Heritage Hub’s audio producer and heritage specialist, who introduced attendees to the world of sonic narratives.

In the next episode of our podcast “Holistic Heritage”, John Beauchamp and Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska travel hundreds of kilometres to get a close-up look at the work of this pioneer of modern abstract sculpture in Târgu Jiu. “The Table of Silence”, “The Gate of the Kiss” and perhaps the most famous sculpture of the set, “The Endless Column”, are iconic works by Constantin Brâncuși. Discussing this extraordinary global sculpture ensemble, we speak with the Deputy Mayor of Târgu Jiu, Dr Adrian Tudor, who reveals behind-the-scenes details of the process of inscribing these works on the list.

What role can cultural heritage play in European Union policy? How does the situation in conflict-affected countries, such as Ukraine or Syria, influence the perception and protection of European cultural heritage? What are the main challenges related to social divisions in Cyprus, and how can they be addressed to achieve agreement and cooperation? In the second interview of the “Heritage Voices” series, Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska and John Beauchamp speak with Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth from 2010 to 2014, one of the key figures in shaping and managing European heritage policy.

In the latest episode of “Holistic Heritage,” Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska and John Beauchamp speak with Dr Leszek Karczewski, Deputy Director of the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź, uncovering the secrets of the coexistence of this “temple of art” with the vibrant (post-)industrial city in the 20th and 21st centuries.

What are the most pressing issues in the heritage sector today? Who are the key players in this field? Which concerns are causing the greatest worries? In our new series ”Heritage Voices”, we discuss hot topics on the heritage map with influential figures from this discipline — practitioners and theorists alike! In the inaugural interview, Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of Europe Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków, talks with Dr Joanna Ślaga, Deputy Director for Research and Strategy at the Jagiellonian University Museum – Collegium Maius in Kraków, about academic heritage — a field that is only now beginning to gain proper recognition in heritage studies.

The Kraków Heritage Forum is a unique initiative providing a space for dialogue, experience sharing, and collaboration among NGOs, informal groups, and activists working on the cultural heritage of Kraków. Launched in December 2023 as part of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub project, the meetings aim to support the social, ecological, and digital transformations in the protection and promotion of the city’s heritage.

In the latest, 19th episode of “Holistic Heritage”, we invite you to listen to conversations with members of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub team in Kraków, and to look back at the early years of this inspiring place and its most important initiatives. The podcast hosts are John Beauchamp and Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, Head of the Kraków Hub. Also featured are Deputy Head Dr Joanna Sanetra-Szeliga and Łukasz Pieróg, Promotion and Communications Specialist.

On Monday 30 June 2025 an international webinar took place focusing on mapping the non-governmental sector involved in cultural heritage across Central and Eastern Europe. During the event, the pioneering results of a study were presented, published in the report titled “Mapping of the Central and Eastern European Non-Governmental Heritage Sector”. The event, attended by a diverse group of experts—including scholars, practitioner-experts, as well as representatives of NGOs and European institutions—provided an excellent platform for exchanging experiences, reflections, and setting future directions for the NGO sector working in the field of cultural heritage.

In the 18th episode of our “Holistic Heritage” podcast, we speak with selected expert practitioners who manage cultural heritage in Kraków — an exceptional Polish city where care for the past is engrained in the DNA of its residents! What makes Kraków so unique in the creation and implementation of projects related to both tangible and intangible heritage? How do grassroots cultural initiatives in Kraków, where competition for free time is fierce, succeed?

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.