In the latest 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, specialist in heritage promotion and communication.
The Europa Nostra Heritage Hub for Central and Eastern Europe in Kraków was established in July 2022 and has been actively working from the outset to raise awareness of the region’s rich cultural heritage. One of the key projects was mapping the non-governmental heritage sector in Central and Eastern Europe, which will help better understand and support organisations working towards its preservation and promotion in subsequent phases of the Hub’s activities.
Our team’s achievements are numerous! One of these is the creation of the Kraków Heritage Forum – a platform for practitioners and experts to meet. Regular meetings facilitate the exchange of experiences on local issues, such as culinary traditions or reflections on the future of the Kraków Fortress.
In this episode, we also discuss our podcasts, which have become an effective tool for popularising and promoting the regional heritage ecosystem, increasing its visibility across Europe. We are proud that the voices of our region’s material and intangible heritage are resounding throughout the continent, starting from Kraków.
The latest episode of the podcast offers not only the opportunity to listen to stories from “heritage specialists” but also to immerse yourself in the sounds of heritage, include excerpts of soundscapes recorded during journeys through the region:
– The Polish-Ukrainian folk band “Hraybery” play in the south-eastern border town of Przemyśl, summer 2024;
– Organ interlude at St. Mary’s Basilica in Kraków, home of the Wit Stwosz alterpiece which won a European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award in 2023;
– Walking the Via Transilvanica hiking trail near Piatra Fântânele in Romania, summer 2024;
– A crackling fire opens the Łemkowska Watra festival in southern Poland in July 2024;
– Urban soundscape of the city of Lviv, western Ukraine, April 2024;
– Mining machinery in operation at the Queen Luiza Adit mine in Zabrze, Poland, early 2025;
– Onboard a vaporetto in the Italian city of Venice on the occasion of the European Cultural Heritage Summit in September 2023;
– The snap and crackle of wicker weaving at the Serfenta Association in Cieszyn, Poland, April 2025;
– Mechanical looms being operated at the Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź, June 2025;
– A thunderstorm in the Beskid highland village of Nowica, summer 2024.