Description

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Description

45 years ago, in 1966 the Old Town of Tallinn was for the first time protected as a heritage site – i.e. a heritage protection area was designated in old Tallinn to value its long history, architecture and environment. This year the European Heritage Days celebrate this anniversary with a conference on architectural history and a seminar on sustainable development and use of traditional building materials and crafts. However, in addition to the capital city Tallinn, there are a number of historic towns and villages in Estonia whose development is often a joy for local inhabitants and visitors, but sometimes fast uncontrolled development also becomes a source for concern. In order to draw attention to the value of historic towns and villages, the Estonian Heritage Society organises a number of events around Estonia in the frame of the EHDs.

Description

Local museums play an important role in the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage. They are often run by a small number of people and managed with a minimum budget. They do not enjoy the same amount of attention or support from the state as big national museums. At the same time, local museums often have excellent collections and well-organised activities for the public. Local museums include village and town museums, museums that specialise in a certain topic such as narrow-gauge railways, fire-fighting, the history of broadcasting, roads etc. The 2009 European Heritage Days in Estonia will draw attention to the important role that local and open air museums play in the preservation of our cultural heritage.

A round table organised in the open air museum in Koguva, Island of Muhu, invites museums from all over Estonia to discuss the future of such museums. Special events are planned for cross-border activities in the open air museum in Setomaa, on the border between Estonia and Russia, inviting people living on both sides of the border to participate in events organised by the museum.

Practical workshops are organised to attract young people and teach them about traditional working methods with traditional tools and materials. Old historic farmhouses, saunas, barns and dwellings in wooden towns benefit from sustainable repairs with traditional methods instead of modern plastic windows or foreign chemical products.