Alhambra Palace - Granada
Palacio de la Alhambra - Granada

La Segunda Guerra Mundial se cobró más vidas que cualquier otra guerra de la historia y destruyó una gran cantidad de bienes culturales que definían a las comunidades en las que se construyeron. Esto incluyó muchas ciudades históricas de Europa.

Tras el conflicto, el mundo necesitó una institución técnica dedicada a preservar, proteger y restaurar lo que la humanidad había destruido. Como respuesta, la UNESCO creó el ICCROM y eligió Roma como su sede. Siendo cuna del ICCROM y beneficiaria de sus primeros esfuerzos, Europa es una región con la que la organización siempre ha tenido estrechos vínculos y que también ha desempeñado un papel importante en el sector de la conservación.

Sesenta años después, la humanidad se enfrenta una vez más a acontecimientos a gran escala y catastróficos: desplazamientos masivos de personas, conflictos arraigados, endurecimiento del clima. Todos ellos ponen en tela de juicio la preservación del patrimonio cultural. Europa se encuentra de nuevo en posición de beneficiarse y servir a los esfuerzos del ICCROM. Esto se debe no sólo a que estas fuerzas demográficas, políticas y climáticas están actuando dentro o cerca de sus fronteras, sino también a que Europa es capaz y, por tanto, responsable de desempeñar un papel más universal en la realización del cambio.

El ICCROM está deseoso de comprometerse con una Europa que aproveche todos sus recursos, desde la experiencia y los conocimientos diplomáticos hasta el modelo de sociedades inclusivas y comprometidas. Este continente puede tomar la iniciativa para integrar verdaderamente a los refugiados que vienen en busca de seguridad, al acoger las culturas que traen e incorporarlas a las propias. Este continente puede mostrar cómo el cuidado de la cultura es el cuidado de las personas, ya que el patrimonio congrega y genera cohesión, comprensión e incluso oportunidades económicas. Y cuando Europa extienda esta labor más allá de sus fronteras, podrá demostrar que los beneficios de la diplomacia cultural convierten a las naciones en más estables, inclusivas y justas, con el fin de obtener un mundo mejor.

Temas destacados

Workshop Advances National Legislation for Civil Protection and Heritage Cooperation in Croatia 

Workshop Advances National Legislation for Civil Protection and Heritage Cooperation in Croatia 

Strengthening cooperation between civil protection forces and heritage professionals, updating risk assessment frameworks, and launching dedicated fire mitigation projects for heritage—these are among the key outcomes of a recent workshop for Croatian professionals. Held from 1-5 February 2025, at ICCROM HQ, the training has already led to concrete actions at local, regional, and national levels...

Visit from Ambassador of Principality of Monaco

Visit from Ambassador of Principality of Monaco

On Friday, 21 February, ICCROM Director-General Ms Aruna Francesca Maria Gujral had the honour of welcoming the extraordinary and plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Principality of Monaco to Rome, H.E. Ms Anne Eastwood, accompanied by Ms Christelle Revel, Second Secretary and Deputy Permanent Representative to the FAO.

READY track 1

Call for Applications: READY Track 1 – Safeguarding Heritage Collections, Living Traditions and Practices in the face of Disasters, Extreme Weather Events and Complex Emergencies

READY track 1: Safeguarding Heritage Collections, Living Traditions and Practices in the face of Disasters, Extreme Weather Events and Complex Emergencies is conceived as a hybrid course, this interdisciplinary training emphasizes a systems-based approach to managing risks to heritage collections—whether in museums, libraries, archives, or places of worship—as well as to living traditions and...

ChemiNova: Advancing Cultural Heritage Conservation at Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna

ChemiNova: Advancing Cultural Heritage Conservation at Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna

From 20 to 24 January 2025, the ChemiNova project conducted a data acquisition campaign at the iconic Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Programme, ChemiNova aims to refine cutting-edge technologies for monitoring, analyzing, and preserving cultural heritage sites, particularly in the face of challenges posed by climate change and human-induced...

ChemiNova: Advancing Cultural Heritage Conservation at Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna

From 20 to 24 January 2025, the ChemiNova project conducted a data acquisition campaign at the iconic Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Programme, ChemiNova aims to refine cutting-edge technologies for monitoring, analyzing, and preserving cultural heritage sites, particularly in the face of challenges posed by climate change and human-induced threats.
ICCROM’s Role in the International Summer School for Youth & Heritage (ISSYH)

ICCROM’s Role in the International Summer School for Youth & Heritage (ISSYH)

ICCROM actively participated in the International Summer School for Youth & Heritage (ISSYH), an annual international event organized by the International Forum Bosnia (IFB). ISSYH emphasizes the transformative power of cultural heritage in rebuilding communities affected by conflict, where cultural heritage has been both a target and a tool for reconstruction. In this context, the programme...

Nantucket hosts landmark training on Climate Action for Sustainable Built Heritage

Nantucket hosts landmark training on Climate Action for Sustainable Built Heritage

After four weeks of dedicated research, the International Training Course on Climate Action for Sustainable Built Heritage Conservation and Management has come to a close.

WH Impact Assessment Workshop ICCROM

National Workshop on Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context for the Republic of Ireland

On 25-26 November 2024, the ICCROM and IUCN World Heritage Leadership programme (WHL) delivered a two-day World Heritage Impact Assessment workshop in Dublin, Ireland to 80 participants working in heritage, planning, tourism and development. The workshop was carried out in partnership with the Irish National Monuments Service and the Office of Public Works.

Tackling floods: a global threat to cultural heritage

Tackling floods: a global threat to cultural heritage

From September 22 to 30, 2024, ICCROM's First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis (FAR) programme organized a blended course on flood risk mitigation in Trogir, Croatia.

ICCROM’s First Aid to Cultural Heritage Handbook and Toolkit Now Available in Ukrainian

ICCROM’s First Aid to Cultural Heritage Handbook and Toolkit Now Available in Ukrainian: A New Milestone in Heritage Protection

With user-friendly illustrations and step-by-step workflows, it caters to many users, from heritage professionals and emergency responders to community members in crisis, such as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.