This is a report of an ICHI (Innovation in Cultural Heritage Interpretation) exchange visit to the Presov Region of Eastern Slovakia in September 2008 under the Leonardo da Vinci Programme. ICHI aims to develop the skills of Scottish professionals who train or coach others in the field of heritage interpretation and tourism. The exchange was facilitated by ARCHnetwork and funded under the Leonardo programme.    more »

"What a great way to understand traditional food – by actually making it yourself. " Emma Stewart   more »

"We were also shown the pantry which was full of preserves and dried mushrooms – again reminiscent of my childhood in the 1950s. The way of life is so much more sustainable than our consumer, throw away lifestyle. An excellent lesson in using resources and skills handed down through the generations carefully. " Rachel Darling   more »

"The people are a proud and fiercely patriotic race. They are apparently a close-nit community and folk/local customs are actively and enthusiastically kept going. This was made particularly evident at the local fair organised at Svidnik skansen   more »

"You learn lots more by doing" by Karen Griffiths    more »

"The highlight of the exchange for me personally was the time that we spent at the Architectural-Ethnographic Museum, Etara. The Architectural-Ethnographic Museum, Etara is home to a Collection of 35,000 objects and fifty relocated and reconstructed vernacular buildings. The Museum aims to illustrate the architecture, lifestyle and economic past of Gabrovo during the Bulgarian National Revival, "    more »

That Latvia has different visitor management issues, there are fewer pressures from the volume of recreation, but some pressure from continued use of sensitive sites. The closer relationship with nature is a clear advantage here, the challenge is to ensure that this is maintained and not lost as the country develops.    more »

The town of Seyðisfjöður is a good example of a group of people working together to promote the area, create jobs for the young people, using the cultural and natural heritage in a ‘friendly way’ and thus also protecting it.    more »

"The exchange was a fantastic opportunity to investigate the manner in which culture is preserved and interpreted abroad and to reappraise the mechanisms we use in Scotland. I was particularly struck by the high level support afforded to the development of traditional craft skills in Turkey – an approach which would be extremely beneficial in the UK and there is certainly a lot that could be learned from Gaziantep’s example."    more »

A week long exchange hosted by Krajina, a small company specialising in cultural tourism headed by Miro Knezo in Eastern Slovakia. An opportunity to discover this country's amazing cultural heritage and history and the skills and traditions that are still very much part of this regions daily life.   more »

Click on the attachment link to play this 24 min audio file (MP3)

     

Annie MacSween tells Petur Sigurdsson that he should come back to Lewis as her slave - to make up for all those Gaels hauled off by Vikings a thousand years ago. He's not keen....

This report is based on an exchange undertaken through ARCH Network’s Innovation in Cultural Heritage Interpretation (ICHI) programme to central Bulgaria in April 2008. The aim of the programme is to provide young people employed within the heritage sector in Scotland with opportunities to learn new skills and experience different approaches to cultural heritage within other European countries. Given my background in public archaeology, I was interested in finding out more about the development of heritage interpretation, in particular the interpretation, presentation and use of archaeological sites for the public in Bulgaria.   more »