On 27 February 2024, the European Heritage Hub affiliated partner Centro Nacional de Cultura held the first Hub meeting in Lisbon, in the historic neighbourhood of Chiado. 60 public and private stakeholders from across Portugal joined the engaging meeting, including public institutes, municipalities, universities, research institutions, private companies, civil society associations, and professionals committed to heritage, culture, social development and the environment.
Attendees emphasised the key role of the European Heritage Hub, presented their involvement so far and learned how to contribute even further to this key EU-funded project, which brings together heritage stakeholders and initiatives across Europe to support the transition towards a more sustainable, digital and inclusive society.
Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Project Leader of the Hub and Secretary General of Europa Nostra, made an inspiring online address at the beginning of the meeting.
“More than ever, in these difficult times, we need cultural heritage to connect us – in all our diversity. Cultural heritage is the fundament of the European project and the European identity, and can help us to overcome many challenges, from restoring peace to combating climate change,” she stated.
Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović outlined the conceptual framework of the Hub project, emphasising the legacy the European Year of Cultural Heritage (2018) and the importance of the Faro Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (2005). She highlighted the decentralised approach of the Hub project, which aims at building bridges between countries in the wider Europe, including EU neighbouring countries in the Western Balkans, the Caucasus, Ukraine and Moldova. She also underlined the strategic role played by the Hub partners based in Lisbon, Athens, Krakow, Venice, Brussels and The Hague.
“The Hub project brings the cultural heritage movement to a higher level. It is instrumental in convincing leaders at all levels of governance – from local to global – about the strategic importance of cultural heritage. Together, we can make a big difference and build, through cultural heritage, a more sustainable, inclusive, democratic and peaceful Europe,” said the Project Leader of the Hub and Secretary General of Europa Nostra. “The Hub project should be beneficial to all. Feed us with your ideas and challenge us!” she concluded.
Maria Calado, President of the Centro Nacional de Cultura, and Guilherme d’Oliveira Martins, Trustee of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Hub associate partner, also addressed the audience highlighting the importance of embracing the interdisciplinary and pan-European nature of the Hub.
Teresa Tamen, Director of Activities at the Centro Nacional de Cultura, presented the Hub project in all its key dimensions (green, digital and social), and encouraged the Portuguese stakeholders to get more involved in project, for instance by joining the Hub Community, getting the Hub Training Opportunities, and submitting important content to the Hub Heritage Library and to the Policy Monitor, readily accessible from the Hub website.
Following the presentation about the project, each of the sixty participants (nine of whom joined online) had the floor. All the participants spoke with great enthusiasm about how their organisations and themselves can contribute in concrete terms to the Hub project. Among them were the three Portuguese associated partners of the project: the Municipality of Lisbon, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Património Cultural, I.P.
