Mapping of the North and Western European Non-Governmental Heritage Sector

The second stage of the project mapping the non-governmental heritage sector in Europe, implemented as part of the European Heritage Hub (EHH) consortium.

”Mapping of the North and Western European Non-Governmental Heritage Sector” is led by Europa Nostra, the largest and most representative network of cultural heritage organizations in Europe. The project is coordinated by The International Cultural Centre, Centrum Cyfrowe Foundation is a research partner, and the Society of Friends of Kraków History and Heritage provides communication support.

Together with the team of the Europa Nostra regional centre in Kraków — the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub for Central and Eastern Europe, run by TMHiZK — the ICC will continue the research work begun in 2023. This resulted in the publication of the report “Mapping the Central and Eastern European Non-Governmental Heritage Sector” two years later. This report provides an overview of the non-governmental heritage sector in ten Central and Eastern European countries, presenting conclusions from statistical and empirical research on its current state, challenges, and requirements.

Throughout 2026, the non-governmental heritage sector in Northern and Western European countries (Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland) will be analysed and the second part of the report will be prepared in 2027. Ultimately, over the coming years, the mapping will cover the entire European continent and provide a comprehensive analysis of the non-governmental heritage sector, constituting the first study devoted to the activities of the third sector in this field.

The methodology developed in the pilot phase, which included literature reviews, statistical data analysis, and surveys and interviews with groups and individuals, will be revised and updated for the second stage of the research.

Project team:

• dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska – Jagiellonian University in Kraków
• dr Joanna Sanetra-Szeliga – Economic University in Kraków
• Maria Drabczyk – Centrum Cyfrowe
• dr Aleksandra Janus – Centrum Cyfrowe, ESHEM – European Sites of Holocaust Memory
• dr Kuba Piwowar – Centrum Cyfrowe, SWPS University

The team is supported by a network of regional facilitators:

• Denmark: Alicja Peszkowska
• Finland: Susanna Ånäs
• Germany: Meetali Gupta, Lisa Albrecht, Mangesh Kadu
• The Netherlands: Isabel Beirigo
• Norway: Frida Foss
• Sweden: Anna Persson

Europa Nostra Heritage Hub for Central and Eastern Europe is run by the Society of Friends of Kraków History and Heritage. It is co-financed by the City of Kraków.

The study is conducted as part of the European Heritage Hub programme, co-financed by the European Union.