This university, founded in Minsk, primarily targets students from Belarus.
ICC Expert at the European Humanities University
The expert from the International Cultural Centre in Kraków conducted classes as part of the course titled “European Heritage: The History of the Idea and Its Implementation”. Dr. Michał Wiśniewski was involved in a series of classes for students at the European Humanities University in Vilnius. This institution is a partner of the ICC, with a program primarily aimed at students from Belarus.
Dr. Wiśniewski is the director of the Educational Department – the Academy of Heritage at the ICC, specializing in the history of architecture. He has curated numerous architectural exhibitions both at our institution and elsewhere, and is the author of books on the history of architecture. He also works at the University of Economics in Kraków, is a board member of the Institute of Architecture Foundation and a Fulbright scholar.
About the European Humanities University in Vilnius
The European Humanities University was founded in 1992 in Minsk. The university was intended to be an independent institution supporting the revival of European civilization’s values during the transition from totalitarianism to democracy. Its activities focused on research in the humanities and social sciences. However, in 2004, the university was closed due to the growing authoritarian rule of President Lukashenko. The university received significant international support, however, and was relocated to Vilnius, with the understanding that it would be ready to return to Belarus as soon as the political situation improved.
The university has two main faculties—social sciences and humanities, the latter of which includes studies on cultural heritage, a program that began in Minsk. Currently, like the ICC, its research mission includes the development of heritage studies and the dissemination of the latest ideas in this field. One of the lecturers at the European Humanities University is Dr. Stsiapan Stureika. A historian, cultural anthropologist and president of the Belarusian Committee of ICOMOS, he is a long-time collaborator of the ICC, including as a fellow of the Thesaurus Poloniae program (13th edition—September–December, 2nd call for applications in 2015) in the Senior Program. Dr. Michał Wiśniewski conducted an interview with Dr. Stureika for an issue of the magazine “Herito” titled “Heritage as multilayered addiction”.