We are delighted to be part of HeritageCIRCLE, a new Horizon Europe project exploring how we understand, engage with and transform dissonant heritage.

Heritage does not always tell a comfortable or shared story. Places, monuments and buildings can carry conflicting memories and meanings, particularly when connected to war, authoritarian regimes, political violence, exclusion or contested interpretations of the past. What one community considers worth preserving may represent oppression, trauma or injustice to another.

Dissonant heritage can therefore be divisive, but engaging with it critically can also create opportunities to acknowledge difficult histories, bring different perspectives into conversation and rethink how heritage contributes to contemporary democratic life. Research and European heritage policy increasingly approach such heritage as a possible space for participation, intercultural dialogue and conversation around divergent interpretations of the past.

The project brings together 13 partners from 10 countries, including Eutropian, and will work across research, practice, policy and community engagement over the next 42 months.

Project kick off in Budapest

From 13 to 15 September, the consortium gathered in Budapest for the project kick-off, hosted at the CEU Budapest Campus.

We started by exploring contested heritage first-hand. A guided walk through the Buda Castle District looked at how historical narratives intersect with recent contentious government interventions, ending at the Turul Monument, where we discussed its contested meanings today. It was a direct introduction to the questions we will be working on together throughout the project.

The kick-off also included a Careful Dialogues training, the framework at the heart of HeritageCIRCLE. In an interactive session led by experts in ethical heritage interpretation and trauma-informed engagement, we began building shared values and a common language for engaging responsibly with difficult and sensitive heritage.

Over the following two days, we unpacked the project’s Work Packages — from mapping and research to turning research into practice through pilots and case studies, building professional networks around dissonant heritage, developing policies, and communication and coordination.

We also focused on the project’s first-year priorities, including the development of a Community of Practice (#CoP): a cross-sectoral space where researchers, policymakers, heritage practitioners and civic actors can co-create and test solutions. Alongside this, the wider Community of Interest (#CoI) will be open to everyone interested in following and using the project’s work. The communication workshop also gave us the opportunity to start developing ideas for the project’s visual identity.

The work will lead into pilot activities in Malta, Germany and Ukraine, where HeritageCIRCLE will explore how these approaches can work in different contexts.

For Eutropian, we are particularly excited to bring our experience in participatory governance, community engagement and collaborative approaches to cultural heritage into Heritage CIRCLE, and to work with this wonderful consortium over the coming years.

A great start to the 42-month HeritageCIRCLE journey, and many conversations ahead!

The project brings together 13 partners from 10 countries:

• Metropolitan Research Institute/MRI (Hungary)

• KEA European Affairs (Belgium)

• Trans Europe Halles (Sweden)

• Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna (Malta)

• ICLEI European Secretariat (Germany)

• Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (Malta)

• Technische Universität Wien (Austria)

• Ro3kvit Urban Coalition for Ukraine (Ukraine)

• University of Newcastle Upon Tyne (United Kingdom)

• Zentralwerk e.V. (Germany)

• Internationales Kulturcentrum UFA-Fabrik (Germany)

• Eutropian (Italy)

• Zalet (Serbia)