Emil R. van Brederode President of the Dutch Heritage .Day Foundation and coordinator of the European Heritage Days Programme. The Nether/ands Introduction coordinated by a project of~ce in Amsterdam.Commission ofthe European~etherlandS. Mu ~icipalThe Many countries have to con tend with lack of financial resources and Councils also supports the p oject. insufficient interest when allocating Common points are agreements in Idates. sufficient priority to the maintenance of a common logo and various for1ms of their cultural heritage. Cultural tourism cooperation in border areas and b4tween can however be an instrument for individual cities. 1 bringing about change, due to its I economic importance. Although, when The European Heritage Days be~an in the motives are too heavily baseà France in 1985. The Netherlands and towards econorrlic gain, this may signal a Sweden followed in 1987. Belgi..m in threat to the cultural heritage itself. It is 1988 and now 21 European co~ntries thus of great strategic importance that take part in the event. Every ye,r the maintenance of a country's cultural officiai European Opening is held ,n one heritage can gain support from a ofthis the wasparticipating the ~etherlands.countries. I ] 19911992 sufficiently broad social base. Czechoslovakia. 1993 Belgium d in A number of years ago a new weapon 1994 it will take place in Portug . was launched in Europe -the European , Heritage Days. This is a specific form of The European Heritage Days is weIl cultural tourism, which is primarily thought of, and in many countries it is a aimed at the country's own inhabitants. huge success. The question is. ho~ver. and then only once a year. This paper will what its importance is for the demonstrate the direct and indirect preservation of the cultural heri(age? influences of this event for the care of The project does not provide direct monuments. It will also show which funds. On the contrary. it costs the J specific role ICOMOS can play in this organizational bodies money as w~ll as context. the guardians of the monuments. as'theyI are asked to open their property fr~e of What are the European Heritage Days? charge on thIs day. and the large stlteam of visitors can also generate extra costs. The European Heritage Days is an event Before these questions are go ne in~o. a in which most of the countries of Europe number of other problems in I the now participate. Each country. or region. preservation of monuments will fir~t be chooses one day or weekend in the second looked at. \ or third weekend of September for its own Heritage Day. A. feature of this is 1 Problems in the preservation \ of that on this day monuments which are monuments ! normally or never accessible are opened to the public. preferably for free. In the tt is a fact that :111 over the w~rld buildings open to the public guided tours monuments are being neglected. w~ich are organized. sometimes in or around threatens their survival. lack lof the monuments, as weil as exhibitions. financial resources is usually presurhed concerts, special activities for young to be the direct cause. But this is qnly people and suchlike. The European part I y true. Many countries. also thelso- Heritage Days tak~ place under the called more prosperous ones. are auspices of the Council of Europe and is experiencing bad economic times. M.ny ~ .6 . Cu/rura/ Tour;sm countries have poverty, hunger and high are therefore seen as a good instrument debts to (:ontend with. It may then of in a number of countries. course be necessary that other interests Those involved in conservatiqn must have precedence, which is however a ., question of priorities. But even in poor therefore not only be almed ! at the countries; finance can usually be' authorities, but also at the ipeople. obtained for costly prestigious projects Concern for the heritage in sch~ls and which contribute anything to the in the media is then essential wi~in this framework. I economy. There is also the question of political choices, which determine how the available financial resources are Spin-off effect of the Heritale Days used. It is often not a Jack of money but a AILhough the Heritage Days, wit~in the lack of political will for making framework of the European Heritage maintenance funds available. This can Days, are concemed with only onc day of arise from ignorance, unwillingness or the year, the spinoQff effect cali be lack of concern. In most democratic enormous. This is outlined here, based on countries however politicians and experiences in the Netherlands, but government authorities will often react easily comparable with a numbcr of to signaIs from the people on whom they other countries. are dependent for their political Organization of the Heritage! Days existence. started in the Netherlands at a mpment when the care of monuments was being One can try to convince the decentralized from being appropriate politicians that maintaining preponderantly a task of central the cultural heritage is of great govemment to being a task of local importance. but managing to do this govemment: the town councils. A depends on the person to which one number of organizations considered it ad dresses oneself. One can put forward important to bring the people more in the case that 1:he care of monuments contact with the monuments, in otder to serves a number of economic and social create a broader base for their care. Thus interests. and point to the economic it was decided that the initiative and the interests of cultural tourism. However . actual organization should, as much as there is also a danger. If the sole reason possible, be on a locallevel. Ali the local for cultural tourism is given as the councils and private organizatioD$ were earning of money. then one can ask requested to form local committee$. This whether the cultural heritage is served in worked wonderfully. Immediatelyafter the long term. We ail know such the first year, local commit tees were examples as Venice. Versailles and formed in 300 localities and the n'fmber Bruges. where tourism has been so rose rapidly in the following years to 440 successful that the monuments have (from 646 local councils). become more of a threat than an advantage. ln alI these places commit tees were formed which also included Of more fundamental importance to the preservation of the cultural heritage representatives of the local council, is the creation for a sufficiently broad , people from monument organizat.ions, social base, for preservation of the industry .tourist organizat.ions. education, the owners of monuments and monuments, Experts and politicians can various other groups of the popul,tion. be convinced of the importance of These commit tees are rcsponsibl~ for maintaining monuments. but if this does not find a response among the population contact with the owners of' the it will be difficult to realize a positive monuments. the local programmel and monument policy. activities organized in and around the open monuments. This effort was very On the contrary. what is important to worthwhile. ln 1992. 650,000 people the public sooner or later receives visited the 3.000 monuments opcncd to political importance too. Heritage Days the public. Furthermore, on the day The Importance of Heritage Da.l's for the Care of Monuments 7 more than 2,000 press articles were possibilities for cooperation bet't"een devoted to the events. This success had a local councils and regions; for exa~ple. stimulating effect on the commit tees. within the framework of twiningJ but and the mertlbers got to know each other also in border areas and for thedtatic better. and after the day were very soon projects. This network of groups ma king plans for the coming year. As interested in local monuments i. an weIl as such questions as: Which officiaIs important infrastructure. which caq also do we invite to open the day? Shall we be involved in other areas of monunicnts make an invento~y of alI the monuments care. For the social base for! the in the region? Shall we hold an exhibition monument care this is an interc$ting or publish a special book? Can the start development. sign be given on Ithe day for restoring a monument or completing restoration of an important monument? The rote of ICOMOS Il The European Heritage Days is an Which role can ICOMOS play in res~ect event where the public, the owners of of the European Heritage Days? monuments, members of local National commit tees of ICOM<;>S in commit tees 2md (,Dcalcouncils are very Europe could be brought in on these enthusiastic, and this alI has a initiatives. It offers the chance to bring stimulating effect on the development of the monuments and their care to ! the the local monument policy. Most local attention of a larger group of the pu~lic. councils in the Netherlands have ICOMOS could give suppon in moraror meanwhile ac:tively taken up the care of organizational areas or bring in monuments as a local policy, which expertise. would have been unthinkable without the Heritage Day. A look should be taken at the relation between these European Heritage Days How should the E\JlropeanHeritage Days and the International Monument Da)' on develop further? 17 April. ln many countries the ICOMOS International Day is It is expectecl that European countries particularly a day of congrcsks, which do no,t yet participate in the exhibitions and presentations for Heritage Days willl join in the event in professionals. This connects weIJ to the the coming years.