Alhambra Palace - Granada
Alhambra Palace - Granada

The Second World War claimed more lives than any other war in history and obliterated a great deal of cultural property that defined the communities in which they were erected. This included many historic cities of Europe.

In its aftermath, the world needed a technical institution dedicated to preserving, protecting and restoring what humanity had destroyed. In response, UNESCO created ICCROM and chose Rome as its headquarters. As home to ICCROM and as a beneficiary of its earliest efforts, Europe is a region with which the organization has always had close ties, and which has also had an important role to play in the conservation sector.

Sixty years later, humanity is faced yet again with large-scale and catastrophic developments – mass displacement of people, entrenched conflict, harshening climate. All are challenging cultural heritage preservation. Europe is again in a positon to both benefit from and serve ICCROM’s efforts. This is not only because these demographic, political and climatic forces are playing out within or near its borders, but also because Europe is able – and therefore responsible – to play a more universal role in enacting change.

ICCROM is eager to engage with a Europe that leverages everything from its resources, to experience and diplomatic know-how to model inclusive and engaged societies. Europe can take the lead in truly integrating refugees who come in search of safety, embracing the cultures they bring and incorporating them into Europe’s own. Europe can show how caring for culture is caring for people as heritage congregates and generates cohesion, understanding and even economic opportunity. And when Europe extends this work beyond its borders, it can demonstrate how the returns on cultural diplomacy are more stable, inclusive and just nations – indeed, a better world.

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 Exterior and interior of a flood affected heritage building. Source: Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA)

ICCROM and KIK-IRPA work for post-flood cultural recovery

In the aftermath of devastating floods in Central Europe, ICCROM has joined hands with its long-standing partner, Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA), Belgium, to organise a series of consultations for assessing and securing damaged movable and immovable heritage. Through this collaborative initiative, KIK-IRPA and ICCROM aim to reduce risks and promote early recovery, by fostering...

ICCROM ready for action after meeting of G20 Culture Ministers

ICCROM ready for action after meeting of G20 Culture Ministers

The G20 Culture summit was held on 29-30 July in Rome, hosted in the evocative settings of the Colosseum and Palazzo Barberini under the Italian G20 presidency. The two-day event led to the adoption of the Rome Declaration of the G20 Culture Ministers, calling for culture to be integrated more into national economies as an opportunity for sustainable growth and international cooperation.

Bridging Europe and Africa: youth in focus at Lampedusa

Bridging Europe and Africa: youth in focus at Lampedusa

Director-General Webber Ndoro visited the Italian island of Lampedusa last month for a day-long conference exploring opportunities for strengthening ties between Europe and Africa, organized by the University of Teramo, the Municipality of Lampedusa and Linosa, the Municipality of Teramo, the Archdiocese of Agrigento and the Diocese of Teramo-Atri, in collaboration with Snapshots from the Borders.

ICCROM kicks off capacity building programme for recovering urban heritage in Mosul

ICCROM kicks off capacity building programme for recovering urban heritage in Mosul

On 26 July 2021, ICCROM organized an online information meeting to mark the start of training being delivered within the framework of the Capacity Building for Holistic, Sustainable and Resilient Heritage Recovery of Mosul project, in partnership with UNESCO and with generous financial support by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the European Union (EU).

Call for Case Studies | Heritage for Peacebuilding

Call for Case Studies | Heritage for Peacebuilding

Heritage can represent a valuable resource for living together peacefully and building prosperous, sustainable futures. However, it can also find itself in the midst of serious conflicts. As such, the role of heritage in the pursuit of peace requires careful consideration.

Spotlight on Europe and North America at first regional Member State meeting

Spotlight on Europe and North America at first regional Member State meeting

It was in the spirit of working together that ICCROM welcomed representatives from 29 Member States and Permanent Observer in Europe and North America to our first regionally focused information session, held virtually on 22 June 2021.

RE-ORG training to improve storage at ten regional museums in Italy

RE-ORG training to improve storage at ten regional museums in Italy

ICCROM has teamed up with the Cultural Heritage Service of the Emilia-Romagna Region in Italy to deliver the country’s first training course on the RE-ORG method. The course is providing a group of museum professionals from the region with the skills to prepare and implement tailor-made plans for reorganizing collection storage and improving preventive conservation.

Emergency evacuation guidelines now available in Italian and Farsi

Emergency evacuation guidelines now available in Italian and Farsi

With the aim of breaking language barriers and providing knowledge where it is most needed, ICCROM is pleased to announce the release of the Italian and Farsi versions of its pioneering online resource, Endangered Heritage: Emergency Evacuation of Heritage Collections.

Online Congress on experiences in risk management for cultural heritage in Ibero-America

Online Congress on experiences in risk management for cultural heritage in Ibero-America

The Ibero-American region has an important heritage with diverse and significant cultural expressions, ancient cultures and subcultures, strong links between culture and nature, and rich reserves of traditional and indigenous knowledge. However, this heritage and its communities face serious threats caused by social, political, economic and environmental factors, in particular climate change.

Wiesław Jerzy Domasłowski (1926 - 2021)

Wiesław Jerzy Domasłowski (1926 - 2021)

Polish chemist and conservator of monuments, professor at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń he was born and spent his childhood in Warsaw. Then he was sent to forced labor in Germany. After returning to his country he moved to Gdynia then to Toruń where he studied chemistry