| In this latest edition of our quarterly newsletter, we share updates on the international work of the Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) of the Netherlands. This issue features news from the International Heritage Cooperation programme, as well as highlights from a range of other international activities. As always, we look forward to your questions and suggestions. |
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| | | View over Marseille's Vieux-Port, with the Basilique Notre Dame-De La Garde perched on the hill above. Image: Shutterstock |
| | Tomorrow, on Tuesday 29 September, the European Partnership for Resilient
Cultural Heritage (RCH) will officially launch. Over the next ten years, more
than 90 organisations from 30 European countries will work together to
strengthen the resilience of cultural heritage in the face of climate change,
while also exploring how cultural heritage can contribute to climate
adaptation.
The Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) is participating
in this ambitious European partnership on behalf of the Netherlands. The
participating countries are expected to invest at least €130 million in
research and innovation, with additional support from the European Commission.
The official kick-off will take place in Marseille at Mucem, Musée des
civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée, with the event also available
online. | |
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| | | E-RIHS has launched its third call for access. Image: E-RIHS Coordination Office |
| | Do you have a research question about the materials, manufacture or degradation of heritage objects, but lack access to the right facilities? European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS) could help.
E-RIHS offers scholars, researchers and heritage professionals at all career stages from EU Member States, Associated Countries and international locations access to laboratories, reference and archive collections, mobile equipment and specialist expertise across 13 European countries. This infrastructure brings together a wide range of facilities and expertise to support research on cultural heritage, providing access to resources that may not be available at researchers’ home institutions.
Applications can be submitted twice a year to access facilities in another country. The current Call for Access is open until 15 October 2026. | |
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| | | National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka. Image: © RCE, Remco Vermeulen |
| | How are Japanese museums rethinking colonial narratives and collections?
During this networking event, three Japanese museum professionals share
personal experiences, challenges and hopes for the future of the sector.
The event brings
together museum and collection professionals from Japan and the Netherlands to
exchange perspectives on narrative and collection decolonisation and to build
new connections with their counterparts in both countries.
The event takes place during a working visit to the Netherlands in
October 2026, co-organised by Dutch Culture, and builds on the annual programme Sharing
Stories on Contested Histories organised by the RCE and Reinwardt Academy. Wereldmuseum also contributes to the working
visit as part of an advisory trajectory. | |
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| | | | Announcement of the international event Towards Transparency: Access to Collections from Colonial Contexts. Image: © Colonial Collections Consortium |
| | From 19–23 November, the Colonial Collections Consortium will host the international event Towards Transparency: Access to Collections from Colonial Contexts. The event will mark the launch of two new tools developed by the Consortium: the Datahub and the Research Aids.
Transparency around collections from colonial contexts has been central to the Consortium’s work to address historical injustice. The event will bring together participants to explore what transparency means in this context and to exchange ideas and perspectives on how these tools can support access to collections and research.
The programme begins with two days of online exchange on 19 and 20 November, followed by a physical event in Leiden on 23 November.
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| | | Executive Board seated; ENI (Energy, Nature and Infrastructure) organisers standing left; Monuments Council standing right. Image: © Statia Government |
| | Saba and Sint Eustatius have taken an important step in protecting their
cultural heritage with the reinstatement of Monument Councils. Saba’s council
was reinstated on 3 March this year, followed by Sint Eustatius on 6 September.
The councils advise the Executive Councils on monument designations and can
provide both solicited and unsolicited advice on heritage and spatial
development. Buildings, archaeological sites and objects over 50 years old can
qualify as monuments. Protection begins when the monument is included in the
monuments register following a decision by the Executive Council.
By bringing together expertise on heritage and spatial development, the councils help ensure that the islands’ unique cultural heritage is considered in future development. | |
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| | | | Castle of Elmina in Ghana. Image: © RCE, L. Tangel |
| | On 24 July, 17 participants in the Course on Urban Heritage Strategies for African Cities graduated after presenting comprehensive action plans for the revitalisation of their respective case cities. The course is developed by the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) at Erasmus University Rotterdam, in close cooperation with the RCE.
The four cases presented concerned, respectively, Forts and Castles and their urban surroundings (Ghana), Constitution Hill in Johannesburg (South Africa), the historic quarter of Cairo (Egypt) and the Medina of Rabat (Morocco).
Four participants from this year's course tell how international peer exchange shifted their professional perspectives on managing these historic spaces.
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| | | Report handover at the RCE. Image: © RCE |
| | Once a bustling harbour area in the fashionable city of Medan, Labuan Deli is now in a state of disrepair.
The Sumatra Heritage Trust is exploring how this important heritage site can regain relevance in today’s society, together with local communities and Indonesian and Dutch partners.
The RCE has been involved since a workshop in 2023. On 25 September, the partners gathered at the RCE to discuss progress, present the report Rediscovering Laboean Deli, and explore how the Trust can involve local communities in the revitalisation process.
The report advises local government on using heritage to revitalise the area. The report is available digitally through the Sumatra Heritage Trust. | |
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| | | Dragon Stabbing. Image: © Gemeente Beesel |
| | Last summer, the international
network of Dragon municipalities and cities submitted an application to have the
centuries-old legend of Saint George and the Dragon recognised as a European
Cultural Route by the Council of Europe.
The RCE coordinates Dutch national participation and membership in
the European Institute of Cultural Routes (ECR) and is supporting this
initiative managed by the Dutch Dragon-municipality of Beesel. The Route links
historic sites, annual festivities, museography displays and living traditions
to promote intercultural dialogue, civic values and community-led heritage
safeguarding.
The decision on whether the European jury will approve the
application is expected in May 2027. | |
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| | | | Students swim in line. Image: © RCE, Martijn Manders |
| | From 1 to 15 June, eight students from Leiden University participated in an underwater archaeology field school in Almería, organised in collaboration with the University of Cádiz and financially supported by the RCE.
In the Cabo de Gata-Níjar UNESCO Global Geopark, they investigated Roman coastal sites, including evidence of purple dye production, and recovered artefacts from different periods. They also documented an unidentified 19th-century shipwreck near Roquetas del Mar.
By combining academic expertise with hands-on experience, the field school not only contributes to research and the future preservation of maritime cultural heritage, but also enables the RCE to invest in the next generation of maritime archaeologists. | |
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| | | Urabe’s famous Kokusai hotel in Kurashiki, Japan. Image: © Jean-Paul Corten, RCE |
| | Hilversum in the Netherlands and Kurashiki in Japan have both been shaped by remarkable architects: Willem Dudok in Hilversum and Shizutaro Urabe in Kurashiki.
Their shared architectural legacy is explored in Reciprocities, an exhibition initiated by the Dudok Architecture Centre. After its presentation in Hilversum, the exhibition will travel to Japan in November, accompanied by a book of the same name.
At the opening in August, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) met with Japanese colleagues and Dutch partners to discuss Kurashiki’s ongoing revitalisation programme. | |
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| | | Museo Civico in Modena, Italy: collection integrated in architecture. Image: © S. Naldini |
| | How can city museums respond to the changing needs and expectations of their communities? And how can collections create meaningful connections with the city and its residents?
These questions are central to a knowledge exchange between Italy and the Netherlands, together with the Museo Civico di Modena in Italy.
The partners first met last June to define the assignment and direction. At the end of September, they will meet again in Modena to develop an integrated vision and explore new narratives for the museum and its collections. This exchange offers an opportunity to learn from different perspectives, share practices, and rethink how museums can connect their collections more closely to the people and places they serve. | |
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| | | The International Heritage Cooperation programme of the Cultural Heritage Agency of
the Netherlands follows from the International Cultural Policy
Framework of the Dutch government. Other organisations executing the
national International Heritage Cooperation programme are DutchCulture, the
National Archives of the Netherlands, KIEN and the Embassies of the Netherlands
in the partner countries. For more information on their activities, see their
respective websites.
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