The cultural heritage in the Baltic Sea
region includes several uniting elements and targets. Regional collaboration on cultural
heritage facilitates wider understanding, better updated and more effective
know how, inspiration, dialogue and respect for others.
The Monitoring Group on cultural heritage
in the Baltic Sea States cooperates for safeguarding and developing the common
cultural heritage on the regional level. The members are executive civil
servants that represent national boards responsible for cultural heritage
management. The Group has been appointed by the respective Ministers of Culture
already in 1997.
The Monitoring Group shares information and
identifies topical fields of cooperation on the wide field of cultural
heritage. It links national projects to regional networks as well as initiates
and supports regional approaches. Joint activities enhance awareness for
sustainable exploiting and integration of cultural heritage to regional
policies and programs.
The Monitoring Group has initiated thematic
Working Groups and several regional events to promote visibility and good
management of cultural heritage resources. At the moment, there are five of
them; on coastal and maritime heritage, on building preservation and maintenance
in practice, on sustainable historic towns, on underwater heritage and on
cultural heritage education.
The activities of the Monitoring Group on
cultural heritage and its thematic working groups promote a regional portfolio
of cultural heritage and enhance sustainable management and easy access to
these resources. The Monitoring Group and the thematic regional working groups
have organized several regional gatherings, seminars and have been involved as
a spokesman for cultural heritage in many regional approaches.
The network arranges Cultural Heritage
Forum-events on actual topics together with a hosting state agency and relevant
stakeholders. The recent 4th Cultural Heritage Forum was arranged in Riga 8-11
September 2010. Two thematic
exhibitions were launched at the Forum; the exhibition "Preservation of Historic
Ships" and a documentary film on underwater heritage. Connected to the
forum event, even three thematic expert seminars were arranged. The Forum Resolution includes
recommendations on environmental assessment of historic buildings, on authenticity in restoration of historic
buildings, on contemporary architecture in historic environment and on cultural
heritage as a public good and an asset in regional development. More
information and presentations online
http://forums.mantojums.lv/?lang=en
The 5th Cultural Heritage Forum will be
arranged 2013 in Estonia.
The Department of Cultural Heritage under
the Ministry of Culture of Lithuania has the Chairmanship 2009-2011. During the
ongoing mandate, the Russian Federation has appointed expert members to the
Monitoring Group representing the Ministry of Culture in Moscow and the
Kaliningrad region.