Religious heritage: Lund (Sweden), conference by “Future for Religious Heritage” network on 20 and 21 April

Religious heritage in Europe and sustainability - these are the two focal points that will be addressed during the Conference organised by the Future for Religious Heritage (FRH) network in Lund, Sweden, on 20 and 21 April. The FRH is a non-profit organization that has been working since 2008 to raise awareness about heritage and engage European citizens, local authorities and institutions in this area. This year’s Biennial Conference will have a special focus on sustainability, “an issue of utmost relevance for cultural heritage” and “a priority objective on the political and cultural agenda of the European Union as reflected in the recent report ‘Strengthening Cultural Heritage Resilience for Climate Change’”, the organisers explained. The theme will be analysed from four different angles – economic, ecological, social and cultural –, each of which will be introduced by a background report and informed by experiences and good practices from all corners of Europe: from rural cultural heritage, to cemeteries, museums, churches and mosques. The conference will end with a visit to the Eastern Cemetery in Malmö, which is a burial site for different religions and an example of Swedish architecture designed by Sigurd Lewerentz. During the conference, the “Innovator of the Year” award will also be presented to the Dutch project “Orgelkids”, an initiative aimed at introducing children to organ music in order to ensure that “organs and their music are safeguarded in the future despite the closure of churches and the declining number of organists”.
Sarah Numico