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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Conversaciones... a multilingual journal on history and theory

Conversaciones... a multilingual journal on history and theory

Conversaciones... is an international peer-reviewed journal published twice a year, which promotes reflection and discussion on the history and theories of cultural heritage conservation. Though initially geared to a Spanish-speaking audience, the central texts and author contributions cover a broad variety of languages and regional representation.

Ms Daniela Porro

Visit: Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Roma

On 12th of February 2020 the Director-General received the visit of Ms Daniela Porro, Soprintendente Speciale Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Roma, and Alessandro Mascherucci, Architect in charge of the Portion of San Michele Complex.

ICCROM’s 31st General Assembly evaluation report

ICCROM’s 31st General Assembly evaluation report

Based on feedback provided by delegates attending the General Assembly, from 30-31 October 2019, this evaluation is vital to assessing outcomes and identifying areas that need improvement. As ICCROM continues to improve its services to Member States, this evaluation will provide the opportunity to measure progress and ensure a high standard of quality at future General Assembly meetings.

RE-ORG workshop in Catalonia

RE-ORG workshop in Catalonia

The first RE-ORG workshop in Spain was held in December 2019 at the Victor Balaguer Library-Museum in Vilanova i la Geltru in Catalonia. It was conducted in the framework of the preventive conservation strategy developed by the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya for 2018-2021, which in particular, aims at improving storage areas of the 114 museums in Catalonia. In this context...

Evacuation manual for heritage collections now in Portuguese

Evacuation manual for heritage collections now in Portuguese

ICCROM is proud to announce the release of the Portuguese version of Endangered Heritage: Emergency Evacuation of Heritage Collections translated by the Grupo de Amigos do Museu Nacional dos Coches (GAMNAC), in collaboration with ICOM Portugal and ICOMOS Portugal. The project was coordinated by ICCROM Council Member Isabel Raposo de Magalhães, and is co-published by GAMNAC, ICCROM, and UNESCO.

First Aid to Cultural Heritage for Preventing Illicit Trafficking in times of Crisis

First Aid to Cultural Heritage for Preventing Illicit Trafficking in times of Crisis

The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), through its Regional Office in Sharjah, UAE (ICCROM-Sharjah) joins efforts with the INTERPOL (the International Criminal Police Organization), in organizing an international training course on ‘First Aid to Cultural Heritage for Preventing Illicit Trafficking in times of Crisis’, with...

Andrea Meloni

Visit: International School of Cultural Heritage of the Fondazione Scuola dei beni e delle attivitá culturali

On 5th of December 2019 the Director-General received the visit of Amb. Andrea Meloni, International School of Cultural Heritage of the Fondazione Scuola dei beni e delle attivitá culturali.

The RE-ORG Method is now available in Italian and Arabic

The RE-ORG Method is now available in Italian and Arabic

ICCROM, CCI and the Egyptian Heritage Rescue Foundation are pleased to offer the RE-ORG Method free download in two new languages, Italian and Arabic. More than 55 000 museums exist in the world, and typically 90% of their objects are in storage rooms. As collections grow, financial resources continue to dwindle, leaving museums struggling to ensure that their treasures in storage are adequately...

RE-ORG Slovenia – Phase II

RE-ORG Slovenia – Phase II

Five months after the successful RE-ORG workshop that took place in the Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia (Muzej Novejše Zgodovine Slovenije) in Ljubljana, RE-ORG Slovenia moved to its second phase. From 22 to 24 October 2019, a group of 11 participants coming from seven Slovene museums met again for another RE-ORG workshop to review and implement the storage reorganization proposal that...

RE-ORG Serbia

RE-ORG Serbia

In the frame of a long-term national program RE-ORG Serbia, the first in the series of workshops is going to be organized in the National museum in Kraljevo (central Serbia), from 2-7 December 2019. The host museum will welcome 11 colleagues from 5 museums from the surrounding region, who will during 6 days learn how to reorganize a storage according to the RE-ORG method and apply that knowledge...