Cultural mega-events, European Capitals of Culture but not only, have been undergoing a significant evolution over the last thirty years or so. They are no longer perceived as just cultural festivities that broaden cultural offer of the host city. Aware of their socio-economic impact cities use them to boost their own development. However, for historic cities this may mean both an opportunity for development but also a threat to their cultural tangible and intangible heritage. Recommendations of the Charter for Mega-Events in Heritage-Rich Cities, the final out of the HOMEE project, are a useful tool that helps cities take advantage of the opportunities offered by large events and mitigate the risks for cultural heritage.

The aim of the session is to present the Charter, based on a literature research and extensive case studies, with the conclusions validated by experts in the field through a series of workshops, and trigger a discussion on challenges faced by historic cities organising large and mega events. While it is true that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect on the event industry, this time can also be used as an opportunity to re-think the way events, especially mega-events, operate, using the Charter to develop new event strategies in heritage-rich cities.

Participants: Franco Bianchini, Kathrin Deventer, Piotr Knaś, Anna Kozioł, Davide Ponzini, Jacek Purchla, Joanna Sanetra-Szeliga, Julia Nerantzia TZORTZI (GEORGI), Hubert Mącik

HOMEE (Heritage Opportunities/Threats Within Mega-Events in Europe Changing Environments, New Challenges and Possible Solutions for Preservation in Mega-Events Embedded in Heritage-Rich European Cities) is a three year international research project that aims to better understand the relationship between mega-events and cultural heritage protection policy, as well as the impact of mega-events on heritage-rich cities in Europe. Research partners include Politecnico di Milano (coordinator) (Italy), University of Hull (the UK), Neapolis University Pafos (Cyprus) and the International Cultural Centre (Poland).

The project is financed by JPICH Heritage in Changing Environments Programme – support for research on cultural heritage within Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage.

More about the project: https://mck.krakow.pl/homee-about-the… The discussion was held during the 6th Heritage Forum of Central Europe.