HerO Project - Conference on Cultural Activities

The rapidly changing basic conditions of modern times pose a big challenge on the management of historic towns in Europe. This imbalance of progress and the preservation of the historic urban fabric often result in either economic stagnancy or the loss of cultural heritage values and with it the loss of identity.

In this context, the URBACT project HerO's main objective is facilitating the right balance between the preservation of built cultural heritage and the sustainable, future-proof socio-economic development of historic towns in order to strengthen their attractiveness and competitiveness. Emphasis is placed on managing conflicting usage interests and capitalising the potential of cultural heritage assets for economic, social and cultural activities.

The HerO conference on cultural activities has been initiated by the City of Lublin in cooperation with the Marshal's Office of Lubelskie Voivodship (Lublin's 'Managing Authority') as an extraordinary meeting within the frame of the HerO network activities to foster the exchange of experiences between the HerO partner cities and the member cities of the Polish 'Forum for Revitalization'. Apart from the renovation of historic buildings and the preservation of the historic urban landscape as a whole, the Lublin conference placed emphasis on the 'soft' cultural and social initiatives, which keep historic cities alive and make them attractive places to live, work and invest in.

During the two-day workshop, representatives from the HerO cities as well as the Polish historic cities, discussed their different approaches to cultural activities and the impact of those events on the quality of life in historic city centres. The HerO partners from Graz, Liverpool and Vilnius reported on their experiences with the 'European Capital of Culture', while representatives of the City of Lublin presented their application for this title in 2016. The cultural activities of the hosting city of Lublin have been presented 'in action', as the annual event 'Festival of Tastes' took place at the same time. Walking tours and site visits in Lublin and a trip to the nearby Kozlowka palace and museum completed the conference programme. The participants experienced Lublin's unique cultural heritage assets but also its future challenges.


Read more:

• Download HerO_Newsletter_October_2010.pdf (3.65 MB) -  URBACT website
• HerO - URBACT website
• HerO Project Final Conference - Save the date! - URBACT website