Welcome to the ERIH February newsletter. On 11 March it will be exactly one year that the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. Since then, the Corona virus has been paralysing entire economic systems. Tourism and cultural enterprises are also heavily affected - a double blow to the industrial heritage sector. Where we go from here depends largely on the success of the ongoing vaccination campaigns.

In last year's ERIH newsletters we addressed the Corona crisis on several occasions. Today's issue is more concise and informs - as far as the given conditions allow for planning - about projects and dates as well as changes with regard to the ERIH network staff.

The topics at a glance:

• ERIH "WORK it OUT": Back again on 12 September 2021
• ERIH Industrial Heritage Barometer: Survey to start in March
• ERIH Website: What's new?
• ERIH Exchange: Twinning of Sites
• ERIH Faces: Board and UK Representative Changes
• ERIH Review: Further important issues
• ERIH Calendar: Save the date

COVID-19 put the "WORK it OUT" planning to the test, but eventually the third edition of the pan-European dance event went ahead. Held on 13 September 2020, which coincides with "Heritage Day" in many countries, it involved dance teams at 29 ERIH sites in nine countries. Our online social media coverage, as usual launched in the run-up to the event, reached more than 3.2 million people and thus almost twice as many as in 2019! A new feature this year was the live broadcast hosted by the German TV presenter Shary Reeves with a total of almost 240,000 viewers. The livestream will be back again in 2021, and along with hopes that widespread vaccinations will render lockdowns in the second half of the year unnecessary, we will be scheduling "WORK it OUT" again for "Heritage Day" on 12 September. Further details (music, choreo, registration) will be communicated as soon as possible by email and on the ERIH website.
ERIH dance event 'WORK it OUT'

As previously indicated, the next ERIH Industrial Heritage Barometer will cover the years 2019 and 2020. In addition to familiar questions, we will also request information on how the sites are dealing with the Corona virus crisis. This helps us to map the impact of the pandemic on a year-to-year basis. As always, the more sites respond to the survey, the more significant will be the results. The invitation to participate will be emailed to all ERIH members in March through our cooperation partner, the Regionalverband Ruhr (Ruhr Regional Association). Sites that are not (yet) ERIH members are also welcome to participate in the survey. If interested, please send your email address to webmaster@erih.net.
ERIH Industrial Heritage Barometer

Link list 'Coronavirus/Covid-19 Crisis. Impact on Museums and Tourism'

In the last newsletter we already mentioned the newly established link list 'Coronavirus/Covid-19 Crisis. Impact on Museums and Tourism'. In the meantime, it has grown considerably and includes comprehensive reports from international organisations such as ICOM, NEMO and Europa Nostra, as well as national studies, guidelines and other assistance for the tourism and culture sectors. If you would like to share relevant sources with the ERIH network, please send the links or PDFs to  webmaster@erih.net.
Link list 'Coronavirus/Covid-19 Crisis. Impact on Museums and Tourism'

Linking Europe

The virtual exhibition Linking Europe also features new content. Recent entries encountering smugglers and industrial spies shed light on technology transfer in the textile industry. The focus is on the "Spinning Mule" and those tulle looms from Nottingham that helped establish Calais' global reputation as the "City of Lace". Currently, ten case studies reveal cross-national correlations in industrial history. Use the link below to find out how each ERIH site can participate and what kind of specific evidence or partner sites are being sought right now. The exhibition is an ongoing project: anyone who knows or would like to suggest object- or person-related links to other sites in Europe, please contact webmaster@erih.net.
Linking Europe - join in
Linking Europe - virtual exhibition

Due to the pandemic, the "twins" selected for 2020 have not yet been able to travel. The pending mutual visits of a total of five ERIH members can be completed by 30 November 2021. Considering the unpredictable travel policy, it remains to be seen whether we will be able to run the exchange programme for our members again this year. Any updates on this issue will be sent by e-mail.
Exchange programme 'Twinning of Sites'

Our Czech board member Karel Malík left the board by the end of last year. This is due to a professional refocus: within the association operating the ERIH Anchor Point Dolní Vítkovice in Ostrava, he has been assigned to new tasks in the field of "heap development" on the extensive Vítkovice grounds. We deeply regret to lose Karel as a board member and thank him sincerely for his dedicated contribution to the ERIH network. We wish him all the best for his professional future, and we gladly accept his offer to stay in touch. Goodbye, Karel!

Another tough farewell was in store for the British Isles: Jonathan Lloyd, a familiar face in the ERIH family for two decades, passed on the baton as ERIH's UK representative to three successors. We say "Thank you so much, Jonathan" with deep gratitude: for your excellent representation and continuous expansion and support of the ERIH network in the UK and Ireland; for your long-standing commitment as an ERIH co-founder and board member; for facilitating and chairing numerous ERIH annual conferences in an expert and sensitive manner; for being a dedicated proofreader of any texts; and, not least, for being a friend for so many years!

This farewell is also a new beginning: we say "Welcome John, Mark and Mike"! John Rodger, deeply involved with the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape World Heritage Site and, like Jonathan, an ERIH enthusiast and board member from the very beginning, will be ERIH's Wales representative with immediate effect. Mark Watson, Deputy Head of Industrial Heritage at Historic Environment Scotland, now represents the network in Scotland. The position of the ERIH coordinator for England has been filled by Dr Mike Nevell. He is an industrial and landscape archaeologist with more than 30 years' experience, helped to set up the first ERIH regional routes in England and today, as Industrial Heritage Support Officer, supports England's industrial heritage sites and the organisations that run them.

Online meeting of national ERIH representatives

In early February, the national ERIH representatives met for their first online meeting. In addition to exchanging information on each country's current situation, the meeting focused on ideas for projects, planned events as well as members' special concerns. The format of the meeting was very well received and is now scheduled to take place regularly once or twice a year. Further volunteer national ERIH representatives are welcome to join. If you are interested, please contact our office at info@erih.net.