Cultural Heritage

Cultural heritage refers to the diverse legacy of tangible and intangible elements inherited from past generations, maintained in the present, and passed on to future generations. It encompasses monuments, buildings, sites, landscapes, and objects, as well as living traditions, practices, knowledge systems, languages, rituals, and forms of expression that communities, groups, and individuals recognize as meaningful to their identity, history, and ways of life.While cultural heritage includes sites formally recognized by UNESCO for their Outstanding Universal Value, defined as “cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries” (UNESCO, 1972), it also extends well beyond the World Heritage List. Many forms of heritage are not officially designated yet hold deep local, national, or regional importance.UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage emphasizes this broader scope, defining intangible cultural heritage as: “The practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills…that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage” (UNESCO, 2003, Art. 2).Similarly, the Council of Europe’s Faro Convention (2005) highlights the right of individuals and communities to engage with the cultural heritage of their choice, framing heritage as a dynamic process shaped by values, identities, and collective memory.This inclusive understanding recognizes that heritage is not limited to formal designations, and that its meaning and value are often defined and sustained by the people who engage with it through memory, care, and daily life.