HERILAND BLENDED INTENSIVE PROGRAMME 2024 AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG

Five students from the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, Kalle Trappe, Koloman Hajdu, Luca Baufeld, Marie Partzsch and Yasmin Sauter, accompanied by Prof. Michael Kloos and Dr. Merve Demiröz-Torun, made their way to the HERILAND Blended Intensive Programme at the University of Gothenburg, organised by Prof. Susanne Fredholm. More than 60 participants from all over the world and professors from the University of Antwerp, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, RheinMain University of Applied Sciences and Newcastle University were involved in many training activities, seminars, forums and practical workshops.

The programme aims to train young professionals to create sustainable and inclusive World Heritage sites, focusing not only on well-known sites but also on everyday heritage places. Topics such as industrial heritage and renewable energy were also be topics of exploration.

The week in Gothenburg started on Monday with a get-together where we had the opportunity to meet other students and lecturers. After an introductory discussion about the HERILAND programme, we quickly moved on to practical work at the Skeppsbron heritage site. This site provided an ideal case study, where we were able to put all the theoretical input into practice over the course of the week.  

On Tuesday we went out in small groups to explore Gothenburg, which gave us the opportunity to experience the city and its urban heritage. For the rest of the week, we built on these experiences by learning innovative methods for researching and managing different types of cultural heritage.

At the end of the intensive training week, we applied what we had learned to a landscape of our own choosing, allowing each of us to deepen our understanding and practice of heritage management. By the end of the programme, we felt equipped with new skills and perspectives to tackle the complex challenges of cultural heritage in our future careers.

Yasmin Sauter