For this episode we are in Lviv and visiting the Jam Factory Art Center. This new space in an old and run-down suburb of Ukraine’s western city has been in the making for years. Now it has become Lviv’s most fashionable centre for contemporary artists both from Ukraine and beyond, and has the ambition to become the country’s premier exhibition space.Creating such a massive area for visual and performative art in an old industrial space has proven to be a challenge. However, for the Jam Factory team, nothing seems to be impossible, especially when they have the help of founder and Swiss cultural entrepreneur Harald Binder.John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub for Central and Eastern Europe, meet the Jam Factory’s Executive Director Bozhena Pelenska in Lviv. Artur Wabik  from Kraków’s Comics Museum also joins us for this episode.Throughout the episode we’ll be finding out more on the Jam Factory as well as take a tour of this new state-of-the-art centre.

We’re in the centre of Lviv to visit UA Comix – a comic book store, as you might have guessed from the name. But it’s so much more than that. In fact, you could say that comics are now helping the Ukranian war effort against Russia.Bohdan Kordoba is the founder and CEO of UA Comix. Even though it has always published comics and graphic novels, the full-scale invasion by Russia has meant that more and more publications are geared towards Ukrainian language and culture. We also hear from Ruslana Koropatka, Editor-in-Chief of UA Comix, as well as artists Lyudmila Samus and Khrystyna Koropetska.Presented by John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków.

Assistance for heritage during times of war has been a leitmotif throughout the Ukraine Heritage Spotlight podcast series. In this episode we look closely at the activities undertaken by non-governmental organisations, including those bringing physical support for heritage institutions endangered by ongoing Russian attacks.Iryna Nikiforova offers us an insight into current heritage matters – organisation, management and networking. Nikiforova is deputy head of the Initiative for St. Andrew’s Passage NGO [Andriyivsko-Peizazhna Initsiatyva] and coordinator of Ukraine Art Aid Center based in Germany. Since March 2022, the organisation has been providing assistance to museums and cultural institutions of Ukraine. We met during her visit to the offices of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków.

December 2022 marked the reopening of the Slovak National Gallery after major reconstruction. A large part of exhibition premises were closed for more than twenty years due to their derelict condition, and construction works took almost seven years.Bratislava has now regained one of its most iconic buildings for art and culture, as well as a meeting place for residents and tourists. The bold socialist modernist structure designed by Vladimir Dedeček in 1977 stands out clearly on the banks of the Danube. It is commonly referred to as the “Overbridge”, an elevated three-storey bridge optically closing the baroque Water Barracks from the street side and forming an inner courtyard.Our guide to the newly opened building of the main Slovak museum is Dr Alexandra Kusá, its general director and a specialist in 20th century art. Through the perspective of this spectacular architecture we look closer at the contemporary capital of Slovakia, asking what still needs to be done in Bratislava and Slovakia in broadly understood heritage?Hosted by John Beauchamp together with Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków.

How has the concept of heritage changed over the decades? We take a look at best practices and approaches to heritage preservation with Professor Jacek Purchla, Vice-President of Europa Nostra. We met at the Heritage Hub in Kraków in June 2024 on the occasion of the announcement of the European Heritage Awards.Hosted by John Beauchamp together with Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków.

Physical damage to Ukraine’s cultural heritage is very real. Official figures from UNESCO dated 10 April 2024 reveal verified damage to 351 sites since 24 February 2022, including religious sites, museums and monuments, as well as other heritage sites.For the inaugural episode, I’m in Lviv, Ukraine’s western gateway, where we meet leading cultural figures to learn what is being done to preserve – and save – Ukrainian cultural heritage in light of the continuing conflict with Russia.Lilia Onyshchenko-Shvets is advisor to the Mayor of Lviv on heritage protection. We meet her in her office near the old Arsenal in downtown Lviv. “We were absolutely not prepared for what happened on 22 February,” she says of the outbreak of war. “We simply didn’t think it could happen” she says of the full-scale Russian invasion.In the podcast, we also hear how Vasyl Rozhko from the НеМо: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab is systematically assessing damage done to Ukrainian heritage, including information which may be used for criminal proceedings against the Russian Federation.Dr. Iryna Sklokina is a Research Fellow at the Center for Urban History of East Central Europe in Lviv. In 2023, her project – Un/Archiving Post/Industry – won an Europa Nostra heritage award in the category “Citizen Engagement and Awareness Raising”. She explains how the war has raised awareness among Ukrainians of their cultural heritage.In Lviv’s opulent Potocki Palace I meet with Taras Voznyak, director of the Lviv National Art Gallery. He explains the situation of museum collections across the country and what is being done to protect them.We also visit the Ukrainian Catholic University. It’s here where leading Ukrainian historian, Professor Yaroslav Hrytsak explains what’s at stake for the Ukrainian people.

One of the most important activities in heritage research is not just looking at the past, but recording the present for future generations of citizens and scholars. This is exactly what Dr Iryna Sklokina is doing from the Center for Urban History in Lviv. One of the centre’s projects is „Un-archiving Post-industry”, which digitally preserves endangered industrial heritage collections in Ukraine’s East and fostering engagement with this heritage among local communities.Collaborating closely with local archives and heritage practitioners, the project digitised collections at a number of museums in Ukraine, including Mariupol, Pokrovsk and Donetsk. It’s also worth noting that the project won a Citizens’ Engagement prize at the 2023 Europa Nostra Awards.Hosted by John Beauchamp together with Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub for Central and Eastern Europe in Kraków. Recorded in Lviv, April 2024.

W 2023 roku historyczne centrum Lwowa zostało wpisane na Listę światowego dziedzictwa UNESCO w zagrożeniu. Decyzję Światowego Komitetu wymusiła trwająca od lutego 2022 roku pełnoskalowa inwazja wojsk rosyjskich na terenie Ukrainy. Choć Lwów jest położony daleko od frontu, od początku wojny w tym regionie zniszczone zostały trzy obiekty dziedzictwa.Jak dzisiaj wygląda sytuacja zabytków we Lwowie, partnerskim mieście Krakowa? Jakie przygotowania przed atakiem zbrojnym zostały w mieście poczynione? Jakie są wyzwania, potrzeby, plany? Aby się tego dowiedzieć, udaliśmy się w kwietniu 2024 roku w podróż za wschodnią granicę. Naszą przewodniczką jest Lilia Onyshchenko-Shvets, doradca mera Lwowa ds. ochrony dziedzictwa kulturowego, w przeszłości główna konserwator Lwowa.Idąc na spotkanie mijamy pomniki zamknięte w ochronnych klatkach, kościoły z oknami witrażowymi zasłoniętymi płytami z dykty, worki z piaskiem na chodnikach i jeże przeciwczołgowe w każdej chwili gotowe do rozstawienia na ulicach. Spotykamy się w Miejskim Biurze ds. dziedzictwa przy ul. Wałowej. W historycznym budynku dawnych koszarów zeskładowane są drzwi, ławy i inne elementy wyposażenia z okolicznych kościołów i zabytkowych budynków. W rozmowie z Johnem Beauchamp i  Katarzyną Jagodzińską, kierowniczką regionalnego centrum Europa Nostra w Krakowie – Europa Nostra Heritage Hub, Lilia Onyshchenko-Shvets mówi nie tylko o sytuacji Lwowa, ale odnosi się do całej Ukrainy oraz wskazuje na różnice między wschodem i zachodem kraju.

The number of cultural heritage sites in Ukraine is huge, yet with local municipalities struggling to finance the upkeep of buildings, monuments and other treasures, new ways of financing have had to be found.That is where Spadshchyna.UA – which means ‘heritage’ in Ukrainian – comes into play. The NGO was set up to raise awareness of cultural heritage in Ukraine as well as become a first point of call for interested investors, of which there are more and more.“The war raised in us an understanding and the value of our identity,” says Hanna Havryliv from Spadshchyna.UA, adding that especially in western Ukraine – which was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – people with Polish, German, Jewish and Armenian roots have also taken an interest in buying old properties which need restoration.Since Spadshchyna.UA was launched in 2016 there has been a great interest in Ukrainian cultural heritage, but after the war started a lot of NGOs simply vanished due in part to a lack of funding. However, those which had implemented successful programmes have managed to stay afloat.Now “we have a new stage of cultural heritage NGOs in Ukraine which work more effectively, sustainably, [and] more professionally,” Havryliv underlines.Hanna Havryliv spoke to Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków, as well as John Beauchamp and Artur Wabik on the importance of turning Ukraine’s cultural heritage into a patriotic profit-making exercise.

The ongoing war in Ukraine has not only caused physical damage. Russia’s continuing “special military operation” also has a cultural dimension, one which Ukraine is now having to fight against, and not just with heavy weaponry.In this episode of Ukraine Heritage Spotlight, we are in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv to meet renowned historian and public intellectual Professor Yaroslav Hrytsak.Hrytsak recently published a book on Ukraine which underlines the nuances of the country’s history and culture, entitled Overcoming the past: the global history of Ukraine [originally published in Ukrainian as: Подолати минуле: глобальна історія України and recently translated into Polish as: Ukraina. Wyrwać się z przeszłości by the International Cultural Centre in Kraków]. So what is the cultural state of Ukraine today and what should Ukrainian society be doing to protect its culture and heritage? “War leads to homogenisation of the cultural space,” Hrytsak says. While Ukraine is “leaving behind” Russia’s imperial legacy, this has also meant the “cancelling” of Russian culture to a certain degree.Hrytsak underlines that this does not mean the eradication of Russian culture, but simply taking it down from its pedestal. “We talk of a ‘great’ Russian culture, but not a ‘great’ French culture, for instance,” the historian states, quipping that a statue of Balzac in Ukraine would be more suitable than one of Pushkin, for instance.However, while Russia poses an “existential threat” to Ukraine and her culture, paradoxically it has meant that artists and thinkers are more creative than ever before. Professor Yaroslav Hrytsak met John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków, at the beginning of April 2024 at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv to talk about how Europe must realise the importance of Ukraine in the European cultural landscape despite it being on the periphery.

The World Monuments Fund is an independent organisation based in New York devoted to safeguarding heritage locations to build mutual understanding across cultures and communities. Since 1965, its global team of experts has preserved cultural heritage at more than 700 sites in 112 countries. Today one of the countries in need of special attention is, of course, Ukraine.One of the many specialists helping to protect Ukraine’s cultural heritage is Dr Kateryna Goncharova, Ukraine Heritage Crisis Specialist at the World Monuments Fund. For a number of years she has been involved with the preservation of architectural heritage and historical sites of Ukraine. Previously, she worked as Head of the Research Department at the Ukrainian State Research and Project Institute for Historic Preservation. We ask her about her view of on the scale of damage of heritage in Ukraine, current needs and projects being realised to safeguard cultural heritage.Podcast co-host and Head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków, Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska spoke to Kateryna during a meeting of the European Commission-led expert sub-group on the safeguarding of cultural heritage in Ukraine. The meeting was held in January 2024 in Brussels to develop a set of recommendations for the Government of Ukraine and for the Commission itself in the field of protection and reconstruction of tangible and intangible heritage following hostilities.

The European Heritage Hub is one of the largest cultural heritage-driven projects across Europe to support the green, social and digital transformation of our society. Launched in May 2023 by a consortium of 20 partners led by Europa Nostra, and co-funded by the European Union, this pilot project brings together a large array of heritage stakeholders and initiatives, responding to the need for a more structured cooperation and coordination for heritage across Europe and beyond.In this episode we travel to Venice, where the Hub held its first public Forum titled ‘Reimagining the Anthropocene: Putting Culture and Heritage at the Heart of Climate Action'. Against the captivating backdrop of water splashing against the banks and the gentle hum of vaporettos, we hear first-hand from the Project Leader, several Hub partners, and some of the keynote speakers of the inaugural Forum.Listen on to learn more about the mission of the Hub, upcoming activities and priorities, as well as the intrinsic connection between climate justice and cultural heritage.This podcast was produced in collaboration with the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków and Free Range Productions. The production and promotion of the podcast received the financial support of the European Union and La Fondation Hippocrène, a partner of Europa Nostra. This episode features the following voices: • Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Project Leader of the European Heritage Hub and Secretary General of Europa Nostra;• Carla Toffolo, Programme Manager of the European Heritage Hub;• Andrew Potts, Heritage and Climate Action Advisor at Europa Nostra;• Catherine Magnant, Head of the Cultural Policy Unit in the European Commission;• Lorena Aldana, Head of External Relations and Advocacy at the Europeana Foundation;• Bastien Varoutsikos, Director of Strategic Development at the ALIPH Foundation;• HRH Princess Dana Firas of Jordan, President of ICOMOS-Jordan and Petra National Trust, and Climate Heritage Network Special Envoy; • Adam Klups, European Heritage Youth Ambassador; and• Marshall Marcus, Executive and Artistic Director of the European Union Youth Orchestra.

“Cultural heritage is by nature politically sensitive, highly complex with a high degree of symbolic significance, emotionally charged and with a risk of political manipulation concerning its history, ownership and use,” we read in a “Concept on Cultural heritage in conflicts and crises” published by the European Union in 2021. As of mid-February 2024, UNESCO has verified damage to 342 sites since 24 February 2022 – 127 religious sites, 150 buildings of historical and/or artistic interest, 31 museums, 19 monuments, 14 libraries, and 1 archive. These numbers, which include only immovable cultural property, are getting higher each month.Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi holds a PhD in cultural heritage. She has been head of the UNESCO Desk in Ukraine since October 2022. She has over 22 years of professional experience with the United Nations, mainly working in fragile states and emergency contexts.Podcast co-host and Head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków, Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska spoke to Chiara during a meeting of the European Commission-led expert sub-group on the safeguarding of cultural heritage in Ukraine. The meeting was held in January 2024 in Brussels to develop a set of recommendations for the Government of Ukraine and for the Commission itself in the field of protection and reconstruction of tangible and intangible heritage following hostilities.

Vyshyvankas have always had a symbolic meaning, referring to prosperity, luck and protection. Now, at a time of war with Russia, vyshyvankas have gained an even deeper symbolism – they signify the continuation of Ukrainian culture in the face of destruction of cultural heritage.Ukrainians believe that vyshyvankas have a magical power, and take vyshyvankas with them as a token of protection. Similarly, soldiers have gone to war with the embroidered shirts. The war introduced new military textiles and patterns – alongside geometrical and floral ornaments, patterns of tanks, drones and bombs have also started to appear.Our guide through the meaning and value of vyshyvanka, Ukraine’s treasured intangible heritage, is Dr Lesia Voroniuk, head of the NGO World Vyshyvanka Day and co-creator of the Museum of Ukrainian Embroidered Shirts in Chernivtsi. The World Vyshyvanka Day received the European Heritage Award | Europa Nostra Award 2022, which in turn expanded its impact throughout Europe.Produced and hosted by John Beauchamp

What can civil society do for heritage? Basically there is no limit. In this episode we speak to Natalia Gnoińska, president of Fundacja 8Marca, who has initiated a concept of the Innovation Manor in Rokietnica, south-east Poland.The Innovation Manor addresses the problem of undeveloped architectural heritage sites located in rural areas, seeking new functions for them and creating a development plan based on economically, socially and ecologically sustainable solutions. It is based on New European Bauhaus ideas  and refers to the EU Green Deal and climate neutrality by 2050.Natalia elaborates on this idea referring to the founding project of the organisation – the Innovation Manor in Rokietnica.Rokietnica is a village with a population slightly exceeding 4,000 inhabitants, located in souerh-east Poland, picturesquely situated among the rolling hills of Podkarpacie, not far from Rzeszów and Lviv in Ukraine.Hosted by John Beauchamp and Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków.

What does the situation of the contemporary artistic world in Ukraine at war look like? Is the war visible in contemporary artistic practice in the public space? Artur Wabik, a visual artist specialising in murals and graffiti, curator, manager of cultural projects based in Krakow, shares his perspective on Ukrainian institutions, exhibitions, projects and careers of artists as they are today. As co-founder of the Comic Museum in Krakow he has organised a number of exhibitions of Ukrainian artists, helping them to establish their artistic practice as refugees. He is well established in the Ukrainian creative sector which is developing in Krakow and thanks to continuous collaboration with institutions and artists in Ukraine is also well informed about current challenges of Ukrainian cultural sector.  Hosted by John Beauchamp and Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Krakow.

We take a look at industrial heritage and why we should love old factory buildings instead of tear them down. What is being done to promote industrial heritage, and what has to be done to preserve industrial heritage while keeping in line with the EU’s green deal? What can the Central and Eastern European region learn from Western European industrial preservation activities? These are just some of the key issues surrounding industrial heritage today.In this episode we invite you to join us for our conversation on the promotion of industrial heritage and how best practices are being shared across the continent. We speak to Hildebrand de Boer, Managing Director Stichting Industriecultuur Nederland (Dutch Foundation for Industrial Culture), as well as Miles Oglethorpe, President of the International Committee on the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage (TICCIH).Hosted by Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, Head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Krakow, and John Beauchamp. Interview recorded on the occasion of the Industrial Heritage in the Heart of Green Europe conference in Katowice, November 2023.

60 years ago, on 29 November 1963, Europa Nostra was founded at the Council of Europe premises in Paris. Starting out with 11 founding members, it has become the largest civil society network dedicated to cultural heritage in Europe. Today, it gives voice to over 300 organisations from across Europe and beyond.Europa Nostra is constantly exploring new fields and topics that need special attention in the area of heritage and its interconnectedness with social matters, climate, technology or economy. In this podcast we explore current plans and ambitions of the organisation within a large network of European partnerships and external collaborations, keeping in mind new potentials or challenges of tomorrow which might open up new paths of exploration.In this episode you will hear about the future of Europa Nostra. This podcast series was recorded during the European Cultural Heritage Summit held in Venice in September 2023, and produced in collaboration with the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków and Free Range Productions.This episode features the following voices: Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Jimmy Jamar, Natalia Moussienko, Andrew Potts, and Senada Demirović Habibija.

60 years ago, on 29 November 1963, Europa Nostra was founded at the Council of Europe premises in Paris. Starting out with 11 founding members, it has become the largest civil society network dedicated to cultural heritage in Europe. Today, it gives voice to over 300 organisations from across Europe and beyond. This remarkable milestone would not have been achieved without the unwavering support of countless committed individuals and valuable partners. In this podcast, we reflect on Europa Nostra's history and the individuals who have shaped it over time. We take a moment to explore current activities and the influential figures involved. Moreover, we peer into the future, outlining priorities for both Europa Nostra and the broader heritage sector in the coming years.In this episode you will hear about the present of Europa Nostra. This podcast series was recorded during the European Cultural Heritage Summit held in Venice in September 2023, and produced in collaboration with the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków and Free Range Productions.This episode features the following voices: Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Hermann Parzinger, Elena Bianchi, Ana Szekely, Antigoni Michael and Katarzyna Jagodzińska.

Autumn 2023 marked the opening of a blockbuster exhibition “Image of the Golden Age: Culture in the Times of the Last Jagiellons” at the Wawel Royal Castle in Kraków, presenting 16th century culture on the vast territory of Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth.The exhibition displays several hundred works gathered from all over the world, including the Bodleian Library in Oxford, the British Library in London, The Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Louvre in Paris, the National Museum in Prague and the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest.In this episode of Holistic Heritage, we meet Professor Andrzej Betlej, Director of the Wawel Royal Castle. He discusses the behind-the-scenes preparations of this monumental endeavour and sheds light on new knowledge of our understanding of the period. We also hear from chief curator Krzysztof Czyżewski who introduces us to most stunning objects...Hosted by Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, Head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Krakow, and John Beauchamp.