The planned conference „European Steel and Coal Heritage” will continue the discussions initiated in 2023 on the protection and preservation of industrial heritage in Europe. Participants at the conference titled “Industrial Heritage in the Heart of Green Europe” discussed directions for protecting industrial heritage, particularly related to the use of fossil fuels. At the end of the conference, important recommendations for the preservation of industrial heritage in Europe were announced. This year’s conference aims to be a platform to specify topics crucial for the practical protection of fossil-fuel heritage, including coal.
Key topics for discussion include the preservation and continued use of mining heritage as a vital means of documenting and presenting coal’s central and historic role during the “Industrial Revolution.” Planned presentations and discussions will focus on priorities for the protection of working industrial heritage, particularly in the context of the need for continued but limited fossil-fuel extraction to meet the needs of museums and organisations that protect, present and operate industrial sites with historic vehicles, machinery, and equipment using fossil fuels.
Another important topic of the conference will be the adaptive re-use of former industrial sites, including examples across the world where industrial heritage has been at the centre of sustainable regeneration, and where the carbon already embodied within existing buildings and structures has been saved and given a new life. A separate session for experts will present the status of efforts to inscribe Polish sites related to industrial heritage on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The outcome of the conference will be the identification of goals and methods of protection, as well as pathways for implementation, thereby ensuring that the rich achievements of European technology and industry can be properly and meaningfully preserved and made accessible to future generations. In the interests of furthering the effective care of technical heritage in Europe, a new organization, TICCIH Europe, will be established in Poland during the conference.
Issues to be discussed and goals of the conference
- Preservation and further use of mining monuments as documents of the achievements of the industrial revolution period.
- Reducing the carbon footprint in the reuse of former industrial sites.
- Preservation of limited mining fuels to meet the needs of museums and organizations that protect and display industrial objects (e.g., historic vehicles, machinery and equipment) that use mining fuels.
- Clarification of preservation goals and methods, and ways to achieve them, so that the rich heritage of European technology and industry can be properly protected and made accessible.
- Establish a new organization, TICCIH Europa, with headquarters in Poland, to effectively care for technical monuments.
Participation in the conference is chargeable PLN 280.00 (65 EURO) / person
Detailed information about the conference: biuro@muzeatechniki.pl