The award commemorates Angela Bugeja of Malta, Molly Hude of the United States, and Ioanna Thomopoulou of Greece, students of the HERITΛGE MA in Heritage Management who passed prematurely on July 3, 2013, at the end of their fieldwork in Belize.

They gave a great deal to HERITΛGE in its early years, and the annual scholarship exists so that their names, and their contribution, are carried forward by other heritage professionals.

About the Angela Bugeja, Molly Hude and Ioanna Thomopoulou Memorial Scholarship
HERITΛGE aims to award one Memorial Scholarship each year. The award covers tuition fees only. It is offered to a student from the developing world, or from one of the three countries of the colleagues it commemorates – Malta, the United States, and Greece. Eligibility and application details are published at heritagemanagement.org.

About the Certificate in Digital Tools for Heritage Management
The certificate is a part-time, 30 ECTS program at EQF level 6, offered jointly by HERITΛGE and HOGENT. It runs over three months of online study followed by supervised fieldwork in Greece, and is aimed at students and young professionals working in archaeology, architecture, conservation, anthropology, geography, and heritage management who need practical command of spatial and digital documentation. Its modules are:

• Surveying methods (4 ECTS) – photogrammetry, laser scanning, and advanced spatial data acquisition
• Land surveying in practice (4 ECTS) – acquisition of photogrammetric and laser scanning data
• Data processing (4 ECTS) – processing acquired data in the relevant software
• International land surveying project (6 ECTS) – integrated fieldwork in Greece
• Cartography and GIS (4 ECTS) – geographic information systems, from basics to advanced use
• Introduction to heritage management 1 and 2 (4 ECTS each)

Full course details are available at the HERITΛGE Digital Tools certificate page.

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To celebrate the start of a new academic year, HERITΛGE is proud to host a public roundtable bringing together distinguished heritage leaders from five African countries. The discussion will explore how heritage—and its effective management—can serve as a lever for community and economic development, and how this potential is being approached in different national contexts.

The roundtable marks the opening of a special edition of HERITΛGE’s Community and Economic Development workshop for heritage professionals in Africa. Around 30 participants from Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda will take part in the programme, developing the knowledge and practical tools needed to create sustainable economic and social benefits through heritage.

Joining the roundtable:

Essel Blankson – Executive Director, Ghana Museums & Monuments Board

Dr Fredrick Manthi – Director of Antiquities, Sites and Monuments, National Museums of Kenya

Abebaw Ayalew Gella – Director General, Ethiopian Heritage Authority

Amb. Robert Masozera – Director General, Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy

Sanna B. Jarju – Director of Literature, Performing and Fine Arts, National Centre for Arts and Culture, The Gambia

Roundtable: Heritage as a Driver of Community and Economic Development

Date:  16 September 2026 | 13:00–14:30 UTC

Register here: The roundtable is open to the public upon registration. Please register here.  

The discussion will be moderated by Dr Paul Burtenshaw, the workshop’s lead instructor and an expert in heritage economics, heritage tourism, and the role of cultural heritage in sustainable and community development. Dr Burtenshaw is currently Senior Director of Project Impact at World Monuments Fund.

Cultural heritage managers are increasingly expected both to demonstrate the economic value of heritage and to create tangible benefits for local, regional and national economies. The Community and Economic Development workshop provides participants with a firm understanding of why cultural resources are mobilised for economic benefit, the limits and potential risks of this mobilisation, the different strategies available, and the ways in which economic impacts can be measured and communicated.

Participants are guided through the development of an economic development plan for their own heritage projects or case studies. This includes setting goals, selecting appropriate strategies, assessing economic feasibility, and establishing effective monitoring and evaluation procedures. By the end of the workshop, participants are equipped to implement context-sensitive economic development strategies in their own locations.

HERITΛGE is also currently accepting applications for the next edition of the Community and Economic Development workshop, taking place in November 2026. Heritage professionals interested in strengthening the contribution of their projects and organisations to sustainable local and community development are warmly invited to apply.

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The Gate of No Return in Ouidah, Benin, commemorating the millions of enslaved Africans

By Philip Kwame Boafo, PhD

The museum has long been imagined as a place of preservation, education, and in recent times healing. Yet I wonder whether healing has become one of the most convenient metaphors through which museums avoid the harder work of confronting history. I have been contemplating on this question a lot lately, which is, if the museum heals too quickly, what kinds of wounds does it leave untouched? 

I recently participated in a webinar put together by the Europeana Network Association Communicators Community titled Decolonising Museum Practices: Collections, Interpretation and the Invisible. During the discussion, the host, HERITΛGE’s Maria Kagkelidou asked how museums might present painful narratives while remaining sensitive to audiences. My response was that it appears we have become too eager to sanitise the past to tidy history into something consumable and morally resolved. I further suggested that we sometimes need to sit with discomfort, relaying my intervention with Donna Haraway’s (2016) invitation to stay with the trouble(1). My answer gestured towards the fact that difficult histories should not always be resolved but should sometimes remain difficult because the past itself has not been resolved. 

Difficult histories should not always be resolved but should sometimes remain difficult because the past itself has not been resolved. 

My co-panellist, Peter Jegede, offered a different perspective. He argued that there are ways to address difficult histories without reopening old wounds. He noted that the museum ought to be a place of healing. It was a compelling position, and the conversation ended there. 

Days later, while scrolling through social media, I came across a short video featuring the Vietnamese-American poet Ocean Vuong. He was reflecting on the distinction between writing violence and writing trauma. Although the clip was brief, Vuong suggested that trauma can sometimes become an easier narrative because it names the aftermath without requiring us to remain with the structures that produced it. He spoke further and made an illustration through the image of excavation. He noted that anytime you dig, you find some bones, and the question is who was it, how did that happened and what happens now. This metaphor brought me back to the earlier conversation about museums being a place of healing. 

I very much like Vough’s metaphor and want to stretch it to the webinar conversation. I want to suggest that the museum should be less concerned with covering wounds than with excavating them. The museum should rid itself from what seems to be the endless performance of guilt and spectacle. Within the workings of the museum, there should be an understanding or a recognition, that every collection is already an excavation. This is to say, that display case or ethnographic label sits upon histories of movement, extraction, violence, and asymmetry of power. The museum therefore is full of bones, literally and metaphorically. The various human remains, sacred objects, looted artworks, displaced archives, interrupted cosmologies, stolen futures are embedded within in the museum’s make-up. To curate is therefore to decide which histories become visible or disappear into storage. 

To curate is therefore to decide which histories become visible or disappear into storage. 

Scholars such as Ariella Aïsha Azoulay (2019) have argued that the modern museum is inseparable from imperial world-making(2). For her, museums do more than just simply collect the world. Museums actively participate in producing a world in which colonial conquest appear natural, ownership is regarded as legal, and dispossession is seen as heritage. In Potential History, Azoulay challenges us to refuse the museum’s claim that colonial violence belongs safely to the past. The objects behind glass remain evidence of relationships that have never been repaired and their presence continually implicates the present.

This critique is hardly new, scholars like Tony Bennett (1995) have demonstrated how museums emerged as technologies for producing disciplined citizens(3). Annie Coombes (1994) has also showed how imperial museums helped normalised colonial authority by transforming conquest into culture(4). Similarly, James Clifford (1997) has reminded us that museums are “contact zones” where unequal encounters continue to open up(5). 

Also, Løgstrup’s (2021) proposition of the museum as a conflict zone challenges the desire to move too quickly toward healing(6). If conflict is inherited within the museum itself, then difficult histories cannot simply be treated as wounds that need closure. Instead, museums must create conditions where these tensions can remain visible and productive.

More recently, Dan Hicks (2020) has argued that ethnographic collections are the material residue of colonial violence(7). This is to say, to display them without confronting the violence that enabled their acquisition is itself a political act. So, if these scholars are correct, then the question is no longer whether museums should heal rather the question becomes, heal whom?

We cannot speak of healing without asking whose pain is recognised and whose is ignored. If we do so, we risk reproducing the very inequalities museums now seek to overcome.

Healing in any stage or state is never politically innocent. We cannot speak of healing without asking whose pain is recognised and whose is ignored. If we do so, we risk reproducing the very inequalities museums now seek to overcome. For instance, for descendants of colonial powers, healing may mean reconciliation with an uncomfortable national past. For communities whose ancestors were dispossessed, healing may require acknowledgement, restitution, repatriation, or even the refusal of museum ownership altogether. I must emphasise that what feels like closure for one community may feel like erasure for another.

This is why I remain uneasy whenever museums speak too confidently about healing. Healing often assumes that the wound has been properly diagnosed but what if the wound has barely been named? Perhaps what museums need is not therapeutic certainty but something that may look like ethical uncertainty.

This is where Haraway’s notion of staying with the trouble becomes productive. Staying with trouble does not mean celebrating conflict or refusing repair. It means resisting the temptation of premature resolution and sometimes allowing exhibitions to remain unresolved enough that visitors leave carrying questions rather than comforting answers.

The museum, then, becomes less a sanctuary than an ongoing excavation. Ocean Vuong’s metaphor of digging which I mentioned earlier captures this beautifully. Digging inevitably exposes bones and once they are out, we face an ethical decision. We can quickly rebury them and preserve institutional comfort or we can place them behind glass as objects of detached curiosity. In a more difficult sense, we can ask challenging questions like who lived, who died, who profited, who remembers, who forgot and what responsibilities emerge now that we know. Alternatively we could also ask what should we do with the information like Seth Avusuglo once told me that one of the Black Atlantic Residents asked after watching Johan Grimonprez’s Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (8). 

These questions extend beyond human remains and apply equally to looted bronzes, sacred masks, colonial photographs, linguistic archives, botanical collections, and scientific specimens. Every object carries multiple lives, and every exhibition chooses which life to narrate. Perhaps the most important question is whose sensibilities museums are so anxious to protect and not offend. When institutions speak of avoiding offence, they rarely ask whose comfort has historically structured the museum in the first place. Sanitisation thus become a politics of selective forgetting.

Museums should certainly aspire toward healing but that healing should not arrive through simplification or carefully managed discomfort. They should instead cultivate what could be called reparative discomfort or to put it differently a willingness to remain with histories that continue to demand accountability and imagination. Perhaps this is how healing begins; by refusing to pretend it has already healed. 

* Kwame Boafo is a scholar and artist from Accra, Ghana, exploring how ritual, religion, embodied knowledge and African cultural expression intersect.

** The views and opinions expressed in Opinion Pieces featured on the HERITΛGE website, including this article, are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Heritage Management Organization (HERITΛGE), its partners, or affiliated institutions.

Footnotes: 

1.  Haraway, D. J. (2016). Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Duke University Press.
2.  Azoulay, A. A. (2019). Potential History: Unlearning Imperialism. Verso.
3. Bennett, T. (2009). The Birth of the Museum: History, Theory, Politics (Reprinted). Routledge.
4. Coombes, A. E. (with Internet Archive). (1994). Reinventing Africa: Museums, Material Culture, and Popular Imagination in Late Victorian and Edwardian England. New Haven ; London : Yale University Press. http://archive.org/details/reinventingafric0000coom
5. Clifford, J. (1997). Routes: Travel and Translation in the Late Twentieth Century. Harvard Univ. Press.
6. Clifford, J. (1997). Routes: Travel and Translation in the Late Twentieth Century. Harvard Univ. Press.
7.  Hicks, D. (2020). The Brutish Museums: the Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution. Pluto Press.
8.  Seth Avusuglo is the manager of the Library Of Africa and The African Diaspora (LOATAD), a decolonial library and cultural space in Accra, Ghana. As part of LOATAD’s programming, he curates films for the Black Atlantic Residents. Following a screening of Johan Grimonprez’s Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, one resident posed a question: “What should I do with this information?” The question captures the tension between encountering difficult historical knowledge and determining how such knowledge might be transformed into action or responsibility.

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The Heritage Management Organization (HERITΛGE) is proud to announce that it will deliver the first capacity building activity of the European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage (RCH)—a major new Horizon Europe-funded initiative bringing together 90 organisations from 30 countries to strengthen the resilience of cultural heritage in the face of climate change and explore heritage’s contribution to climate change adaptation.

As one of the Partnership’s flagship capacity-building initiatives, RCH will organise a series of seven international Seasonal Schools, each exploring a different dimension of climate resilience and equipping heritage professionals with the knowledge, skills and networks needed to respond to one of the defining challenges of our time.

HERITΛGE has been entrusted with delivering the inaugural programme, Heritage Adaptation to Climate Change, which will take place 5–15 October 2026 in Athens and online. The Seasonal School marks the beginning of an ambitious global training programme that combines scientific knowledge with practical, project-based learning to help heritage professionals develop effective adaptation strategies for the places, collections and communities they serve.

“Delivering the first RCH Seasonal School is both an honour and a responsibility, and we look forward to welcoming participants from across the globe to begin this exciting journey together,” Dr Evangelos Kyriakidis

The ten-day programme will bring together internationally recognised experts in heritage management, climate science and conservation. Rather than focusing solely on theory, participants will work throughout the School on a real project from their own professional practice, receiving personalised mentoring and expert guidance while developing practical adaptation strategies that can be implemented in their own organisations.

“For almost two decades, HERITΛGE has worked with heritage professionals around the world to build practical skills and lasting international networks. Delivering the first RCH Seasonal School is both an honour and a responsibility, and we look forward to welcoming participants from across Europe and beyond to begin this exciting journey together, said HERITΛGE Director, Dr. Evangelos Kyriakidis

More than a training course, the inaugural Climate School offers participants the opportunity to become part of the growing RCH community—an international network of researchers, practitioners, policymakers and cultural institutions committed to advancing resilient cultural heritage through collaboration, innovation and knowledge exchange.

Participation in the Seasonal School is free of charge. 

In-person participation is limited to seconded experts but applications are now open for online participants. Find out more and apply here before September 15th.

We look forward to welcoming the first cohort of participants and launching this exciting new initiative together.

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We are delighted to invite our global HERITΛGE community to join us for the official Kick-off Event of the European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage (RCH), taking place on 29 September 2026 at Mucem – Musée des civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée in Marseille, France, and online.

For us at HERITΛGE, this is far more than the launch of another European project. It marks the beginning of an ambitious, decade-long collaboration that has the potential to transform how Europe—and its international partners—understand, protect and adapt cultural heritage in the face of climate change and how heritage can itself contribute to climate change adaptation.

We are incredibly proud that HERITΛGE is one of the 90 partner organisations from 30 countries shaping this landmark initiative, one of the largest investments ever made in research and innovation connecting cultural heritage and climate action.

Over the next ten years, the Partnership will coordinate transnational research and innovation funding, while building an entire ecosystem of activities to strengthen the heritage sector. These include capacity-building programmes, networking opportunities, impact monitoring, Living Labs, knowledge exchange, and collaborative initiatives that will help translate research into practical action and public policy.

As we contribute to the Partnership’s capacity-building activities, HERITΛGE is especially excited to be working to develop opportunities that will equip professionals, researchers, institutions and communities with the knowledge and skills needed to respond to one of the defining challenges of our time.

Why attend?

Whether you work in cultural heritage, climate science, museums, conservation, archaeology, architecture, policy, education, local government or the creative industries, this event offers an exciting opportunity to become part of the RCH community from the very beginning.

By joining us, you will be able to:

• Learn about the Partnership’s vision, priorities and roadmap for the next decade.
• Discover upcoming transnational funding opportunities for collaborative research and innovation.
• Explore how RCH’s Mapping, Living Labs, Capacity Building and other initiatives can support your work.
• Meet researchers, practitioners, policymakers and organisations working across heritage and climate resilience.
• Join discussions exploring how research can better inform policy, practice and sustainable development.

The programme will feature distinguished speakers from the European Commission, French national and regional institutions, and leading experts from the fields of cultural heritage and climate science. Through keynote lectures, panel discussions and interdisciplinary conversations, participants will explore new ways of working across disciplines, sectors and countries to strengthen the resilience of cultural heritage.

Event Details

Date: 29 September 2026

Venue: Mucem, Marseille, France

Participation: In person or online

️ Cost: Participation is completely free, but registration is required.

We would love to welcome members of the extended HERITΛGE network—from former participants, alumni and trainers to partners, colleagues and friends from around the world. Whether you join us in Marseille or online, your participation will help launch a community that will shape the future of resilient cultural heritage for years to come.

REGISTER HERE!

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How do you measure the impact of heritage? Sometimes in numbers. Often in stories. Always in people.

The Heritage Management Organization (HERITΛGE) is pleased to announce the publication of its 2025 Annual Report, offering a comprehensive overview of a year marked by international collaboration, expanded training opportunities, new partnerships, and a growing global community committed to safeguarding and activating cultural heritage.

In 2025, HERITΛGE continued to strengthen its mission of empowering people and institutions through practical, inclusive, and community-centred heritage management. Across four continents, we worked with universities, governments, museums, NGOs, local communities, and international organisations to develop knowledge, build skills, and create lasting networks.

The report highlights a remarkable year in which HERITΛGE:

• Delivered 44 training programmes and educational activities.
• Trained 1,100 participants from 60 countries.
• Advanced major international projects across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and North America.
• Strengthened collaborations with leading academic institutions, cultural organisations and funding bodies.
• Continued investing in research, innovation and digital approaches to heritage management.

Beyond the figures, the Annual Report celebrates the achievements of our participants, trainers, partners and supporters, whose expertise, enthusiasm and commitment continue to shape the future of heritage management.

Reflecting on the year, said Dr. Evangelos Kyriakidis, HERITΛGE Director:  

“Every year reminds us that heritage is ultimately about people. The achievements presented in this report are the result of the dedication of our staff, trainers, partners, supporters and thousands of participants who believe that cultural heritage can contribute to stronger communities and a more sustainable future. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey.”

As HERITΛGE looks ahead, the organisation remains committed to expanding access to high-quality training, supporting communities worldwide, fostering international cooperation, and ensuring that cultural heritage continues to serve as a powerful resource for education, resilience, sustainable development and social impact.

We invite our friends, partners and members of the global heritage community to explore the report and discover the projects, people and partnerships that made 2025 such an important year for HERITΛGE.

Read the 2025 Annual Report and join us as we continue building capacity, connecting communities, and shaping the future of heritage management—together.

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After two weeks of immersive fieldwork across Paros island in Greece, participants in the HERITΛGE Engaging Communities in Cultural Heritage Summer Field School concluded their learning journey by returning their research to the community that helped shape it.

Hosted on June 26th in the Dimitrakopoulos Building in Parikia, the public event brought together local residents, municipal representatives, heritage practitioners and visitors for an evening celebrating collaboration, dialogue and shared discovery. Rather than presenting research solely as an academic exercise, participants shared the stories, experiences and perspectives they had gathered through interviews, observations and conversations with the people of Paros.

Guided by HERITΛGE trainers Dr Aris Anagnostopoulos and Dr Lena Stefanou, the event showcased how community-based heritage research can strengthen connections between people, place and cultural heritage. Participants also had the opportunity to be instructed by Dr Evangelos Kyriakidis, HERITΛGE Director, and Valya Stergioti, heritage interpretation consultant and trainer. 

One research group explored the vibrant artistic life of Paros. Through interviews with local artists, makers and craftspeople, the participants documented the diversity of creative practices found across the island, producing a compelling short documentary celebrating the people whose work continues to shape Paros’ cultural identity.

A second group investigated the concept of spolia—the reuse of ancient architectural elements within more recent buildings. Combining historical research, interviews and personal reflections, the team created a poetic video essay inviting audiences to discover traces of the past embedded within the island’s contemporary landscape and to see familiar streets through a different lens.

Another group focused on Paros’ rich food heritage, examining how local products, traditions and everyday practices carry stories of identity, memory and belonging. Through conversations with cheese producers, olive oil makers, bakers and local families, the participants developed an interactive StoryMap and an illustrated zine highlighting food as a living expression of community heritage.

Giving back to the community

The evening was more than a presentation of research findings. It became an opportunity to give something back to the people whose knowledge, generosity and lived experiences made the projects possible. Discussions continued long after the presentations had ended, as participants and members of the local community gathered on the rooftop of the Dimitrakopoulos Building to enjoy local cheese, wine and conversation under the Parian summer sky.

The event reflected the philosophy at the heart of the Engaging Communities in Cultural Heritage Summer Field School: that heritage is created through dialogue, participation and collaboration. By placing local communities at the centre of the learning experience, participants not only developed new research skills but also discovered the importance of listening, co-creating knowledge and sharing it with those to whom it belongs.

The Summer Field School concluded the following morning with an online presentation by Alexander (Sandy) Colvine, Project Manager of the EMPATHS project, who introduced participants to innovative approaches to participatory heritage interpretation. The session offered an opportunity to reflect on the fortnight’s field experience within a broader European context, highlighting how community participation is reshaping the ways heritage is interpreted, experienced and shared.

HERITΛGE extends its sincere thanks to everyone in Paros who welcomed participants into their homes, workshops, businesses and communities, generously sharing their stories, experiences and perspectives. Their openness and hospitality made this year’s Summer Field School a truly collaborative and memorable experience.

We also warmly thank Paros’ Deputy Mayor for Culture, Ms Anna Kagkani, and the President of the Paros Tourism Committee, Ms Katerina Barbarigou, for joining the Summer Field School, sharing their insights with participants and supporting this year’s public programme. Their engagement provided invaluable insights into the challenges faced by local decision-makers and business communities. 

Throughout the two-week programme, participants also had the opportunity to engage with leading international practitioners and researchers. Guest speakers included Ghanaian scholar artist at The Africa Institute, National Institute of Singapore, Philip Kwame Boafo, Traci Kwaai who shared the inspiring journey of the Fisher Child project –  which has received support through a HERITΛGE grant, HERITΛGE’s Tim Healing, Assistant Professor of Social Anthropology an Panteion University, Dr Despina Nazou, and local community leader Nikos Malatestas. We are grateful to all of them for sharing their thoughts and contributing to a unique experience for our trainees.

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As part of the

EXCALIBUR is one of the flagship projects contributing to the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECHOES) initiative, which is developing the European Heritage Cloud—a shared digital ecosystem designed to enable heritage professionals, researchers and institutions across Europe to collaborate, share knowledge and harness advanced digital technologies for the preservation, study and interpretation of cultural heritage. Within this framework, EXCALIBUR is developing innovative AI-powered and extended reality (XR) tools that will help document, analyse and safeguard heritage sites for future generations.

The team visited the sites and was privileged to have a special guide: the tour was led by Dr Sophocles Hadjisavvas, Honorary Director of the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus and the archaeologist who directed excavations at the site between 1977 and 1990. Walking through the monumental necropolis alongside the person who helped reveal many ofl its secrets transformed what could have been a technical site visit into an unforgettable lesson in archaeology, history and interpretation.

Dr Hadjisavvas guided participants through the remarkable architectural diversity of the cemetery, explaining how the site reflects the social hierarchy of Hellenistic Cyprus. Some tombs are relatively modest underground chambers, while others are monumental peristyle complexes inspired by domestic architecture, complete with colonnaded courtyards carved directly into the rock.

“Walking through the Tombs of the Kings with the archaeologist who excavated them reminded us that every digital model begins with human knowledge. The future of heritage lies not in replacing expertise with technology, but in bringing them together.”
Dr Eleni Stefanou, HERITΛGE

Throughout the morning, he shared stories from the excavations that only someone who had spent years uncovering the site could tell.

Among the most fascinating insights was the evidence suggesting that Tomb 8 may be the burial place of Ptolemy of Cyprus, the island’s last king before Cyprus became a Roman province—a reminder that archaeology is not simply about objects and monuments, but about reconstructing lives, identities and historical turning points. The tour was complemented by a visit to the Paphos Archaeological Museum that houses many of the artefacts found at the Tombs of the Kings. 

For the EXCALIBUR consortium, the visit also had a practical purpose.

The Tombs of the Kings constitute Use Case 1 of the project, providing a real-world environment in which partners are defining the requirements for a new generation of digital tools. During the site visit, participants examined the monument’s structures, discussed areas vulnerable to environmental degradation and human impact, and identified priorities for documentation, including 3D scanning, environmental monitoring and the datasets required for future digital preservation. The visit was followed by technical workshops exploring AI, risk mapping, semantic data, XR technologies and collaborative digital environments for cultural heritage.

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Our trainees at work.

This year, HERITΛGE’s Digital Tools Summer School – delivered in cooperation with HOGENT- brought together 27 heritage professionals from 23 countries across five continents, online and then in person in Greece. By combining flexible online education with intensive, hands-on fieldwork in Greece, the program successfully bridged theory and practice, equipping participants with the critical skills needed to document and manage cultural heritage in the modern era.

Building on over 10 years of experience, this year’s programme extended the online component, giving participants more time to develop their understanding of complex concepts before meeting in person. As a result, an evolved learning model has been developed with asynchronous preparation, targeted live sessions and real-world application giving trainees including students, researchers and heritage professionals more flexibility and opportunities to delve into the material at their own pace. 

Participants studied at their own pace using asynchronous learning materials prepared by Dr Cornelis Stal, while submitting questions and reflections through a dedicated digital platform. These informed a series of live online sessions tailored to participants’ needs, prioritizing discussion, clarification and practical problem-solving.

The strong online preparation ensured that participants arrived in Greece with a strong theoretical foundation, allowing the field school to focus on applying knowledge rather than introducing concepts for the first time.

Learning the digital tools shaping heritage practice

During the online phase, participants developed practical competencies in two areas that are becoming increasingly important across the heritage sector: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and image-based 3D documentation.

Working through practical exercises and using their own projects as case studies, participants learned, among others, how to:

• create and manage spatial datasets using GIS;
• apply data styling and labelling;
• digitise heritage information from field measurements and existing sources;
• perform attribute and spatial analyses;
• produce maps for documentation and decision-making;
• construct orthophotos, point clouds and three-dimensional models through photogrammetry;
• integrate image-based 3D models into GIS environments.

These technologies are transforming the way cultural heritage is documented, analysed and managed, enabling professionals to make more informed decisions while creating richer digital records for research, conservation and public engagement.

From online learning to real-world application

The program’s dual structure offers unique flexibility. While the online component serves as a valuable, standalone autonomous training program in mapping, GIS, and photogrammetry for those unable to travel, it also acts as the vital foundation for the field school. Rather than a separate course, the field school is the direct continuation of the online curriculum.  

“The field component also demonstrated an important lesson: digital documentation is not simply about mastering software. It requires understanding heritage places, adapting to field conditions, solving practical challenges and making informed decisions throughout the recording process. ” Dr Cornelis Stal

In the second phase, 14 participants travelled to Tolo and Nafplio for an intensive ten-day practical training programme focused on laser scanning and drone photogrammetry. Working at heritage sites in Nafplio, Drepano, Asini, Romvi and Kastraki, participants planned documentation campaigns, collected field data, operated advanced recording equipment and processed the information into accurate digital outputs. The training took place with the support of Agisoft Metashap that offered free access to its photogrammetry software to participants for the duration of the summer school. 

By applying the concepts explored online in authentic heritage settings, participants experienced the complete digital documentation workflow—from data acquisition and processing to analysis and interpretation.

“The field component also demonstrated an important lesson: digital documentation is not simply about mastering software. It requires understanding heritage places, adapting to field conditions, solving practical challenges and making informed decisions throughout the recording process,” said HERIΤΛGE and HOGENT’s  Dr Cornelis Stal. 

Technology becomes valuable only when it is applied thoughtfully in real heritage contexts.

A global learning community

This year’s Summer School brought together participants from Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Ethiopia, Ghana, Greece, India, Iraq, Lesotho, Libya, Moldova, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, the Philippines, Rwanda, Tunisia, Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Representing five continents and a wide range of professional backgrounds, participants shared experiences from archaeological sites, museums, historic cities, cultural landscapes and community heritage initiatives.

The diversity of perspectives enriched discussions throughout the programme, creating opportunities to exchange approaches, compare challenges and establish professional connections that will continue well beyond the Summer School itself.

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HERITΛGE is proud to be a partner in MusicSphere, a Horizon Europe-funded project and part of the wider European Cultural Heritage Cloud ecosystem being developed through the ECHOES initiative. Bringing together experts in cultural heritage, musicology, conservation, artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and immersive experiences, MusicSphere seeks to transform the way traditional musical instruments are documented, studied, preserved, and experienced.

The project focuses particularly on traditional musical organs and other historically significant instruments, combining advanced 3D technologies, acoustic analysis, artificial intelligence, digital twins, and immersive virtual and augmented reality experiences. By capturing not only the physical form of these instruments, but also their internal structure, mechanical behaviour, sound production, craftsmanship, and interaction with their architectural environment, MusicSphere aims to preserve both the tangible and intangible dimensions of Europe’s rich musical heritage.

On 2–3 June 2026, representatives of the MusicSphere consortium gathered in Thessaloniki, Greece, for the project’s first Use Case Meeting. Hosted by the International Hellenic University (IHU) and LUTHIEROS, the event brought together project partners to review progress, strengthen collaboration, and explore the cultural heritage that lies at the heart of MusicSphere’s research and innovation activities.

HERITΛGE was represented by Dr Aris Anagnostopoulos, who joined fellow consortium members for two days of discussions, cultural visits, and technical exchanges.

Exploring Organ Heritage: From Ancient Innovation to Living Traditions

The first day focused on cultural visits connected to MusicSphere’s first use case, which examines the Hydraulis of Dion within the broader context of Europe’s organ heritage.

Partners travelled to Katerini to visit the Greek Evangelical Church, home to the largest pipe organ installed in a church in Greece. Built by Weigle and installed in 1980, the instrument features 22 registers and a fully mechanical action system. The visit offered valuable insights into the preservation, operation, and cultural significance of pipe organs, which represent one of the project’s primary areas of focus.

The consortium then visited the Archaeological Museum of Dion, where participants explored the remains of the Hydraulis of Dion, the oldest surviving pipe organ ever discovered and the earliest known keyboard instrument in history. Invented in Alexandria during the 3rd century BCE, the Hydraulis is widely regarded as the technological ancestor of the modern pipe organ and an important milestone in the development of musical instruments.

Although only fragments of the original instrument survive, the Hydraulis provides a fascinating opportunity to investigate the origins of organ technology. As part of MusicSphere’s first use case, partners are exploring how advanced digital technologies can help reconstruct and better understand this remarkable instrument.

The day concluded with a visit to the SEIKILO Museum of Ancient Music in Thessaloniki, including a guided tour and live concert. Managed by MusicSphere partner LUTHIEROS, SEIKILO is the world’s first interactive museum dedicated to ancient music. Visitors can hear, touch, and play reconstructed ancient Greek instruments while exploring the sounds and musical traditions of the ancient world. 

Developing Digital Twins for Musical Heritage

A central objective of MusicSphere is the creation of advanced digital representations of traditional musical instruments that capture far more than their physical appearance.

Through the integration of 3D scanning, digital reconstruction, acoustic modelling, artificial intelligence, and immersive technologies, the project seeks to recreate not only the instruments themselves but also their soundscapes, performance characteristics, and cultural contexts. These digital twins will help researchers, conservators, musicians, and the wider public explore and experience instruments that may be fragile, inaccessible, or partially lost.

For the Hydraulis of Dion, this approach offers a way to reconstruct missing components and explore how the instrument may originally have functioned and sounded, despite the fragmented nature of the surviving remains.

Reviewing Progress Across the Project

The second day was dedicated to consortium meetings hosted by the International Hellenic University.

Partners reviewed progress across multiple work packages and discussed upcoming milestones, deliverables, and technical developments. Discussions focused on artificial intelligence algorithms, toolkit architecture, digitisation activities, dataset preparation, acoustic analysis methodologies, and the development of the project’s advanced technological infrastructure.

The International Hellenic University also presented the latest 3D reconstruction of the Hydraulis of Dion, demonstrating ongoing work towards its digital restoration and integration into the project’s Digital Twin framework.

Dedicated technical sessions allowed partners to align requirements, exchange expertise, and coordinate future implementation activities.

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