8th Cultural Routes Annual Advisory Forum

Görlitz, Germany, 26-28 September 2018

Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe connecting cultural values, heritage sites and citizens: strategies and synergies in a global perspective

The 8th Annual Advisory Forum was organised under the auspices of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (EPA) in co-operation with the City of Görlitz, the Saxon Ministry of the Interior and the German Federal Foreign Office and with the support of the European Institute on Cultural Routes in Luxembourg.

The 2018 Forum highlighted the strategies and synergies between the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe and International Organisations (European Union, UNESCO, ICOMOS, Organisation of Ibero-American States, NECSTouR) concerned with the protection and the promotion of cultural heritage. Coinciding with the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage, the Forum explored concrete possibilities of co-operation with the other European programmes or Conventions, such as the European Heritage Days and the UNESCO World Heritage List. It was also an occasion to discuss developing new initiatives and partnerships, as well as a platform for exchange of good practices.

During the Forum, official ceremonies took place to welcome two new member States of the EPA, the Republic of Turkey and the Holy See, as well as two new certified Cultural Routes, Impressionisms Routes and Via Charlemagne. On the occasion of the Annual Advisory Forum, the City of Görlitz officially joined the VIA REGIA, certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2005.

The Forum was attended by over 200 participants, 30 countries, 25 certified Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe and over 20 Cultural Routes projects.