The project Promoting Active European Citizenship through Cultural Heritage aimed at evidencing the impact of built heritage on active citizenship competences, by fostering cooperation between the different countries and ethnic groups at European level.

Culture can be percepted as a bridge between communities, to enhance the sense of European citizenship and cooperation. We materialised it by bringing together people from across Europe, sharing and exchanging experiences, opinions and values to gain historical awareness in order to build for the future. We all have a different past, which we share now, and we need to build on that, and to work together to become active EU citizens.
Implemented by the Transylvania Trust, the project was realized in partnership with National Office of Cultural Heritage, Hungary as a lead organisation, Fundação das Casas de Fronteira e Alorna (Lisbon, Portugal) and Association of cultural centres/historic monuments (main headquarters/France) as a network organisation.

Participants where invited from 6 European countries: Romania, Hungary, France, United Kingdom, Portugal and Croatia. In the “old” EU countries the issues related to citizenship are seen in a totally different way, and the democratic values of society are much more part of the everyday life as it is in the freshly joined countries, or in case of Croatia, an accession country. Cultural heritage, both built and intangible, served as a common ground, since it is very important in each of these countries, but its importance in social inclusion and active citizenship is not widely recognised in the Eastern European region. By the means of listening, debating and exchanging ideas we developed an understanding of each-other’s communities, and found common grounds to live and work together.

The training modules where organised at the Built Heritage Conservation Training Centre, at Bánffy castle, Bontida, Romania. The accommodation and the catering of the students was also organised at the centre, as well as their training activity. The training modules where 2 weeks long, and involved participation of over 30 students each, from all over Europe, coming from Universities related to cultural heritage, such as architecture, engineering, history, history of art, as well as media and communication studies, languages and anthropology. The first training module, took place in July 2008, and the second training module in August 2008.

At the end of October, participants of the training modules, students as well as teachers, organised the exhibition entitled Village in the castle. The photographic exhibition on the village surrounding the Castle, its inhabitants, way of life and connections with the castle targeted members of local and regional community.

To present the role of cultural heritage in fostering EU citizenship and acting as a bridge within and between communities on one hand, and widen the number of direct and indirect beneficiaries on the other, the detailed presentation of the project, now exists in CD format. CD’s where handed out to visitors, future participants, public libraries, attendants of different international seminars etc. A website was produced as a chapter of the main co-organisers website to offer a full presentation on the project, as well as links from the other partner’s websites.

Sponsor: European Union, Citizenship Program