View source for European Heritage Days

{{Short description|Annual programme}}
[[Image:European Heritage Days map.svg|thumb|Countries participating in the European Heritage Days in 2007]]

'''European Heritage Days''' ('''EHD''') is a joint action of the [[Council of Europe]] and the [[European Commission]] involving all 50 signatory states of the [[European Cultural Convention]] under the motto, ''Europe: a common heritage''. The annual programme offers opportunities to visit buildings, monuments and sites, many of which are not normally accessible to the public. It aims to widen access and foster care for architectural and [[environmental heritage]]. These events are also known as [[Doors Open Days]] and Open Doors Days in English-speaking countries.

The event began in [[France]] in 1984, with ''La Journée portes ouvertes dans les monuments historiques'', sponsored by the [[Ministry of Culture (France)|Ministry of Culture]]. In 1985, in [[Granada]], at the 2nd European Conference of Ministers responsible for Architectural Heritage, the French Minister of Culture proposed that the project be internationalised under the Council of Europe. The Netherlands held their first ''Open Monumentendag'' in 1987. Sweden and Ireland joined in 1989, as well as Belgium and Scotland in 1990.

In 1991 these events were united as European Heritage Days at the initiative of the Council of Europe, supported by the [[EU]]. By 2010, 50 signatory states of the European Cultural Convention had joined the EHDs. The most recent European Heritage Days event was hosted by [[Armenia]] in September 2019.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://en.armradio.am/2019/09/27/armenia-to-host-european-heritage-days/| title = Armenia to host European Heritage Days – Public Radio of Armenia}} </ref>

The Directorate General IV – Education, Culture and Heritage, Youth and Sport of the [[Council of Europe]], in close cooperation with the Directorate General for Education and Culture of the [[European Commission]], ensures the general orientation, definition and execution of the tasks to be achieved within the framework of the EHD. The Secretariat of the EHD is carried out by the Directorate of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage, under the responsibility of the Council of Europe's Steering Committee for Cultural Heritage.

==Member states==
Participating member states of the European Heritage Days are:
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*{{flagcountry|Albania}}
*{{flagcountry|Andorra}}
*{{flagcountry|Armenia}}
*{{flagcountry|Austria}}
*{{flagcountry|Azerbaijan}}
*{{flagcountry|Belarus}}
*{{flagcountry|Belgium}}
*{{flagcountry|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}
*{{flagcountry|Bulgaria}}
*{{flagcountry|Croatia}}
*{{flagcountry|Cyprus}}
*{{flagcountry|Czech Republic}}
*{{flagcountry|Denmark}}
*{{flagcountry|Estonia}}
*{{flagcountry|Finland}}
*{{flagcountry|France}}
*{{flagcountry|Georgia (country)}}
*{{flagcountry|Germany}}
*{{flagcountry|Greece}}
*{{flagcountry|Hungary}}
*{{flagcountry|Iceland}}
*{{flagcountry|Ireland}}
*{{flagcountry|Italy}}
*{{flagcountry|Latvia}}
*{{flagcountry|Liechtenstein}}
*{{flagcountry|Lithuania}}
*{{flagcountry|Luxembourg}}
*{{flagcountry|Malta}}
*{{flagcountry|Moldova}}
*{{flagcountry|Monaco}}
*{{flagcountry|Montenegro}}
*{{flagcountry|Netherlands}}
*{{flagcountry|North Macedonia}}
*{{flagcountry|Norway}}
*{{flagcountry|Poland}}
*{{flagcountry|Portugal}}
*{{flagcountry|Romania}}
*{{flagcountry|Russia}}
*{{flagcountry|San Marino}}
*{{flagcountry|Serbia}}
*{{flagcountry|Slovakia}}
*{{flagcountry|Slovenia}}
*{{flagcountry|Spain}}
*{{flagcountry|Sweden}}
*{{flagcountry|Switzerland}}
*{{flagcountry|Turkey}}
*{{flagcountry|Ukraine}}
*{{flagcountry|United Kingdom}}
{{div col end}}

==Responsible institutions per European country== 
[[File:2014 Monument Day van Nelle Factory.jpg|right|thumb|Visitors waiting for a guided tour at the [[van Nelle Factory]], [[Rotterdam]], the Netherlands, on 14 September 2014 during the European Heritage Days. As of 2014, the van Nelle Factory, a World Heritage site, was only open to visitors during the European Heritage Days.]]
* {{flag|Andorra}}: "Jornades europees del patrimoni" by [[Patrimoni Cultural]]
* {{flag|Austria}}: [[:de:Tag des Denkmals|Tag Des Denkmals]] by [[Bundesdenkmalamt]]
* {{flag|Belgium}}: 
** {{flag|Brussels}}: [http://www.monument.irisnet.be/fr/sensibi/newsjdp.htm Journées du patrimoine à Bruxelles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414064355/http://www.monument.irisnet.be/fr/sensibi/newsjdp.htm |date=2015-04-14 }} / [http://www.monument.irisnet.be/nl/sensibi/newsomd.htm Open Monumentendagen in Brussel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414084114/http://www.monument.irisnet.be/nl/sensibi/newsomd.htm |date=2015-04-14 }}
** {{flag|Flanders}}: [http://www.openmonumenten.be/ Open Monumentendag Vlaanderen]
** {{flag|Wallonia}}: [http://www.journeesdupatrimoine.be/ Journées du patrimoine en Wallonie]
* {{flag|France}}: [http://www.journeesdupatrimoine.culture.fr "Journées européennes du patrimoine" ] under the auspices of the [[Ministry of Culture (France)|Ministry of Culture]] 
* {{flag|Germany}}: [[Tag des offenen Denkmals]] by the [[Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz]]
* {{flag|Ireland}}: [[Heritage Week]] by the [[Heritage Council]]
* {{flag|Italy}}: "Giornate Europee del Patrimonio" by [[Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali]]
* {{flag|Latvia}}: "Eiropas kultūras mantojuma dienas" by National Heritage Board of Latvia<ref>[http://www.mantojums.lv/?cat=715&lang=en National Heritage Board of Latvia]</ref>
* {{flag|Netherlands}}: "Open Monumentendag" by Stichting Open Monumentendag<ref>[http://www.openmonumentendag.nl Stichting Open Monumentendag]</ref>
* {{flag|Poland}}: "Europejskie Dni Dziedzictwa" ("European Heritage Days") by [[National Heritage Board of Poland]]<ref>[http://www.edd.com.pl/ European Heritage Days in Poland]</ref>
* {{flag|Portugal}}: [http://www.patrimoniocultural.pt/en/recursos/projectos-de-divulgacao/ "Jornadas Europeias do Património"] by Direção Geral do Património Cultural
* {{flag|Russia}}: [http://www.heritage-institute.ru/vn/the-draft-heritage-institute/item/3140-o-evropejskikh-dnyakh-naslediya "Европейские дни наследия"] by Russian Scientific Research Institute for Natural and Cultural Heritage
* {{flag|Spain}}: "Las Jornadas Europeas de Patrimonio" by Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de España ([[Ministry of Culture and Sport (Spain)|Ministry of Culture and Sport]])
** {{flag|Catalonia}}: "Les Jornades Europees de Patrimoni" by [[Patrimoni Cultural]]
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}:
**{{flag|England}}: [[Heritage Open Days]] by the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]].  London has a separate event, [[Open House London]].
** {{flag|Scotland}}: [[Doors Open Days]] by [[Scottish Civic Trust]]
** {{flag|Wales}}: Open Doors Days ([[Welsh language|Welsh]]: ''Drysau Agored'') by [[Civic Trust for Wales]]
** {{flag|Northern Ireland|union}}: European Heritage Open Days
* {{flag|Switzerland}}: "Europäischer Tag des Denkmals - Journées européennes du patrimoine - Giornate europee del patrimonio" by the [[Swiss Information Centre for Cultural Heritage Conservation]]

==Similar concepts==
This idea is popular outside Europe, too, with similar schemes in [[Canada]] since 1974 [[Heritage Day (Alberta)|in Alberta]], [[Australia]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://heritage-week.govspace.gov.au/ |title=Australian Heritage Week |publisher=Australian Government, Department of the Environment |access-date=2015-09-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908090615/http://heritage-week.govspace.gov.au/ |archive-date=2015-09-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and other countries, at various times of year. In [[Argentina]] and [[Uruguay]] the corresponding ''Día del Patrimonio'' is held on the last weekend of September, while in [[Chile]] the same event is held on the last Sunday of May.

==See also==
*[[Culture of Europe]]
*[[European Integration]]
*[[European Year of Cultural Heritage]] (2018)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|European Heritage Days}}
* [http://www.ehd.coe.int/ European Heritage Days] — includes links to the national sites of all participants
* [http://www.europeanheritagedays.com/Home.aspx Home page]
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[[Category:Recurring events established in 1984]]
[[Category:Doors Open Days]]
[[Category:Culture of Europe]]
[[Category:Cultural heritage of Europe]]
[[Category:European integration| ]]
[[Category:Pan-Europeanism]]