Azerbaijan to mark European Heritage Days

By Nigar Orujova

Baku will host a series of cultural events as part of the "European Heritage Days" project.

The events will be held during Azerbaijan's presidency over the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

As part of the days, Azerbaijan's most prominent historical places will be open free for public on October 11-12.

The list of museums open for visitors will include National History Museum, Nizami Ganjavi Literature Museum, Gobustan Reserve, Art Museum, Carpet Museum, Icherisheher Reserve, Gala Reserve, Yanar Dag Reserve, Ateshkah Temple, Yuxari Bash Reserve in Shaki, Gabala and Kish Reserves.

The project, which is celebrated every year in late September and early October in the member countries of the Council of Europe and the European Union, is organized in the form of awareness campaigns, open days, folklore nights, ethnographic celebrations and official openings.

The project aims to provide free access for local and foreign visitors to cultural heritage, to draw public attention to the conservation of historical and cultural monuments, as well as to promote the national cultural heritage.

The most important of the envisaged events is the "European Heritage Days: Baku 2014", which will be held with the participation of national coordinators of all the member countries of the project on October 10-17.

During one of these events, with the theme of "Local communities are forming European format of heritage" it is envisaged to hold the final meeting of the project for the current year in Europe, the annual meeting of the national coordinators, as well as trainings for them.

"European Heritage Days" is one of the cultural initiatives, which is celebrated on a massive scale in the context of cooperation between the citizens of Europe. This initiative, launched in 1985 by the Council of Europe, was joined by the European Commission in 1999. Both structure together continue this program at present.

Every year, this project is implemented in 50 European countries, and on certain days visitors are provided with free access to thousands of historical sites and attractions.

By this, the Europeans are actively involved in efforts to preserve and improve the cultural heritage for present and future generations. Every year, this initiative attracts about 20 million people.

Open Doors Days in museums of Baku is gaining popularity among local and foreign visitors. Recently held project in Carpet Museum gathered over 2,000 people.

/AzerNews/