Leiden Open Monument Days

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and we celebrate it by linking the theme "Living Heritage" to Open Monument Day.

We can describe intangible heritage, or living heritage, as the cultural customs, traditions, and artisanal skills that people inherit from their homes, which they have adopted and which they, in turn, want to pass on. Unlike the stones of a monument, this intangible heritage is constantly in motion and changes over time and from practitioner to practitioner.

These crafts, traditions, and customs are often already present in the monuments, but we will make them even more visible this year during Open Monument Day. Consider, for example, the craft of the miller. The miller cannot practice his profession without a well-functioning mill. But conversely, the mill is just a lifeless building without the miller and his work.

The monuments are bursting with liveliness this year. Surprising connections between monuments and living heritage can be explored. From blacksmiths to the Anansi storytelling tradition, from Gregorian chant to brass bands, from Dutch poffertjes to Indonesian rijsttafel; (living) heritage connects us all. To see the program in Leiden, please visit the website.