Who are we?

When discussing heritage we mean more than just the care of old buildings, monuments, landscapes and archaeological relics or the preservation of old traditions.   Especially the way in which heritage – and the knowledge and stories connected with it – links people and communities with the past and the way in which this relation with the past influences daily life in today’s world are important aspects that the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation wants to study.

On a local level the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation is one of the pioneers in Flanders focusing on an integrated approach of opening-up heritage.  By paying attention to what makes sites and monuments important for people, to the stories attached or to the specific cultural setting and context, we transcend the borderline between the material and the immaterial heritage.

On a global level the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation has built up a solid reputation by creating an international platform that brings people together from all over the world to exchange knowledge and expertise on heritage themes and to put these into practice.

Thanks to its experience of many years in Flanders as well as elsewhere in the world the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation became the driving force behind the ICOMOS Charter for the Interpretation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage Sites, known world-wide as the ICOMOS Ename Charter.

This charter – the first international document of its kind – establishes a number of principles to open up, interpret and present heritage and was ratified by the General Assembly of ICOMOS (the International Council for Monuments and Sites) in Quebec on 4 October 2008.