ERIH ANNUAL CONFERENCES
The ERIH Conference has been held annually since 2005 at different industrial heritage sites across Europe. Each conference focuses on a topical issue in industrial heritage tourism. They also provide a platform for people from different European countries and regions to share experiences, expertise and get to know each other.
The speakers and participants are experts from industrial heritage sites and organisations, museums, tourism institutions, heritage authorities, development agencies, academia and people interested in the topic.
SAVE THE DATE:
The 21st ERIH Annual Conference will take place from 22-25 October 2025 in Chemnitz, Germany.

20TH ERIH CONFERENCE 2024 ŁÓDŹ (PL)
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY - HOW TO COME FROM BUZZWORD TO ACTION
Sustainability or sustainable action means satisfying the needs of the present without curtailing or restricting the opportunities of future generations.
23 - 25 October 2024 in Łódź, Poland
Climate change is now the greatest threat to our cultural heritage. Numerous concepts and framework agreements such as the European Green Deal or the Cultural Heritage Green Paper call for CO2 neutrality by 2050 (already 50% by 2030). There are also targets, benchmarks, demands and concepts at national level. The United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals provide a framework for many activities. Countless working groups on the topic of "sustainability" are looking for participants. Various labels and certifications for culture, tourism, events etc. are in competition. A large protest movement has started. Young people prefer to demonstrate on Fridays, climate activists like to get stuck in and a general malaise against "green washing" is spreading. Sustainability at all levels is seen as a cross-cutting issue and is increasingly expected by guests, visitors and employees as a basic requirement. Sustainability labels will have an even greater influence on future travel decisions. In view of these challenges, it is crucial to go beyond mere rhetoric and develop concrete strategies that lead to genuine environmental sustainability.
As one of the biggest contributors to the climate crisis, industrialisation has a difficult role to play. From today's perspective, the negative effects on the climate and environment outweigh the achievements of the industrial revolution. This also poses new challenges and tasks for communication and interpretation.
Whereas "sustainability" used to be more of a buzzword, it is now a permanent task and a basic prerequisite for any action. Questioning established norms and familiar behaviour patterns and developing new habits is a demanding, sometimes exhausting, but indispensable process.
What does all this mean for industrial heritage sites? How can the major framework concepts be broken down into manageable local or regional solutions? What can the sites achieve with their often limited personnel and resources? What (architectural) possibilities or obstacles are there? How can visitors, employees and partners be involved in the change processes? What contribution can industrial heritage sites make as high-quality educational centres for sustainable development? What opportunities and new potentials open up when we initiate and implement sustainability processes?
The speakers' presentations and workshops at the ERIH Annual Conference 2024 explored these questions. You can download the detailed programme below. You will soon find the presentations given at the conference here.
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Conference programme
Conference programme
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Presentations held on the conference
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• Peter Backes: Keynote "Ecological sustainability - how to come from buzzword to action"
• Peter Backes: Keynote "Ecological sustainability - how to come from buzzword to action"
In his introduction to the conference theme ‘Ecological sustainability - how to come from buzzword to action’, Peter BACKES (DE), a long-standing member of the ERIH Board, argued in favour of making sustainable action the norm for all aspects of life, particularly for the sake of future generations. He cited the 17 sustainable development goals agreed on by global leaders in Paris in 2015 as a guideline and identified six of them as being of direct relevance to the industrial heritage sector. The topic of the ERIH conference, Backes said, was an important first step. •
Power Point presentation of the lecture -
• Teresa Ferreira: "Certifications, labels and common standards in the Portuguese industrial tourism network"
• Teresa Ferreira: "Certifications, labels and common standards in the Portuguese industrial tourism network"
‘Certifications, labels and common standards in the Portuguese industrial tourism network’ was the subject of Teresa FERREIRA (PT) from the Portuguese Tourism Organisation. She began by explaining the structure of the 220-member network, with industrial museums accounting for 37 percent and active companies for 55 percent, while the remaining 8 percent share both characteristics. In line with the national approach to sustainable tourism development, the network's primary objective is to increase the attractiveness of sparsely populated regions by providing unique, year-round locally based tourism products as part of a nationwide ecosystem. To highlight the work of the network, she presented a number of best practice cases in terms of accessibility and sustainability: from a factory that transforms cork into decorative objects to the National Railway Museum, one of the flagships of Portuguese industrial heritage.
Power Point presentation of the lecture -
• Dr Susanne Richter, Jürgen Kabus: "Sustainability comes when museum teams move from talk to action"
• Dr Susanne Richter, Jürgen Kabus: "Sustainability comes when museum teams move from talk to action"
In their presentation ‘Sustainability comes when museum teams move from talk to action’, Dr Susanne RICHTER and Jürgen KABUS (DE) from the ERIH Anchor Point Chemnitz Museum of Industry focused on the practical implementation of sustainability concepts. They referred to the four sites of the Cooperation Association of Saxon Industrial Museums, consisting of Industry Museum Chemnitz (next year's host of the ERIH conference as European Capital of Culture 2025), Pfau Brothers Textile Factory, Ehrenfriedersdorf Tin Mine and Knappenrode Energy Factory. All four have practised sustainability - partly initiated by the museum teams - such as by repeatedly reusing exhibition displays, through waste collection campaigns, the conversion of lockers into interactive media units or the travelling exhibition ‘Power2Change. The energy transformation’. To mark the year of the European Capital of Culture, the Chemnitz Industrial Museum will be organising an exhibition illustrating five examples of structural transformation - in close cooperation with the five partner cities and industrial centres of Gabrovo (BG), Manchester (GB), Mulhouse (FR), Łódź (PL) and Tampere (FI).
Power Point presentation of the lecture -
• Łucja Zawaszka: "Ecological dimension and sustainability vs. Industrial heritage - the case of Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze"
• Łucja Zawaszka: "Ecological dimension and sustainability vs. Industrial heritage - the case of Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze"
Approximately 100 million euros, according to Łucja ZAWADZKA (PL), Deputy Director of the Coal Mining Museum and ERIH Anchor Point in Zabrze, Poland, and newly elected member of the ERIH Board, have been spent on the site's refurbishment and revitalisation over the last 15 years. 45 per cent of this figure came from EU funding, whose Green Deal also commits museums to sustainability measures. Some of these, however, are in conflict with the requirements of heritage conservation, especially in the case of industrial heritage. In her presentation ‘Ecological dimension and sustainability vs. Industrial heritage - the case of Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze’, Łucja Zawadzka cited a steam engine from 1915 as one of many examples. To be able to show it in operation, the museum installed a highly efficient, low-emission steam boiler fuelled by natural gas, which also generates heat for central heating and domestic hot water in historic buildings in the area. However, this is always at the expense of authenticity and also incurs high costs. Her conclusion: sustainability management in the industrial heritage sector is always a delicate compromise between faithful preservation and modern requirements.
Power Point presentation of the lecture -
• Eilis Scott: "Waterpower: Harnessing sustainable heritage and innovation at Cromford Mills, Derbyshire"
• Eilis Scott: "Waterpower: Harnessing sustainable heritage and innovation at Cromford Mills, Derbyshire"
A sustainable masterplan for the reintroduction of water as a power source was at the centre of the presentation ‚Waterpower: Harnessing sustainable heritage and innovation at Cromford Mills, Derbyshire‘ by Eilis SCOTT (UK), CEO of the Arkwright Society, which operates the ERIH World Heritage Site Cromford Mills, among others. The project was prompted by the rapid rise in energy costs and the decision to find a low carbon solution in harmony with the history of the site. As part of a project costing around £500,000, implemented thanks to an extensive crowdfunding campaign with multiple donations from businesses and private supporters, a modern waterwheel was designed, assembled by local craftsmen and installed in a historic basin. New materials and installations are clearly labelled to distinguish them from the historic structure. In addition, display boards document in detail all the facets and historical references of the project. Another outcome is a strategic partnership with the University of Derby to integrate sustainable practices into curricula and adult education. Meanwhile, the site is moving ahead with the next project: the conversion of a building next to the waterwheel for public events and as an additional source of income, sustainably renovated and equipped with eco-friendly heat pumps.
Power Point presentation of the lecture -
• Frauke Stengel: "Into the deep - Facts and numbers on a carbon neutral exhibition"
• Frauke Stengel: "Into the deep - Facts and numbers on a carbon neutral exhibition"
Frauke STENGEL (DE), Sustainability Officer at the ERIH Anchor Point Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen, gave an informative overview of the museum programme launched in 2021 to reduce its ecological footprint in her presentation ‘Into the deep - Facts and numbers on a carbon neutral exhibition’. She illustrated the practical implementation in detail citing the example of the exhibition ‘Into the deep. Mine of the future’ (2023). The measures ranged from fruit crates and pallets as exhibition walls and seating to biodegradable catalogues with life hacks for improved sustainability as part of everyday life and a 10 percent climate ticket discount for visitors who travelled to the museum by public transport, bike or on foot. In the end, detailed documentation revealed an eco-balance of 204,000 tonnes of CO2. This, according to the speaker, corresponds to a third of the Zeppelin Museum's regular exhibitions. The findings are now to be incorporated into a practical guide for other museums and organisations. The challenges of the project - including frequent changes of staff, outdated building structure and limited financial resources - will also be taken into account.
Power Point presentation of the lecture
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• Peter Backes: Keynote "Ecological sustainability - how to come from buzzword to action"
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Photo gallery of the conference
Photo gallery of the conference
Video of the ERIH Conference 2024

A LOOK BACK AT PREVIOUS CONFERENCES
19TH CONFERENCE 2023 BILBAO (E)

IINDUSTRIAL HERITAGE AS AN ENGINE FOR SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC COMMUNITY REGENERATION
The New European Bauhaus: Beautiful – Sustainable – Together
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Conference programme
To shape our future the European Commission has formulated "The New European Bauhaus" (NEB) as framework that aims to be a bridge between the world of science and technology, the world of art and culture and community engagement. The NEB is an interdisciplinary initiative that demonstrates how sustainable innovation brings tangible and positive experiences to our daily lives. It calls on all of us to imagine and build together an enriching, sustainable and inclusive future. Industrial heritage provides an ideal opportunity for communities to realize this. On the 2023 ERIH Annual Conference the speakers are going to present inspiring projects that showcase these connections.
Conference programme -
Presentations held on the conference
Presentations held on the conference
0 J. Puertas - New European Bauhaus.pdf
1 M. Spada - Industrial Hertage as a driving force.pdf
2 K. Kanus-Sieber - ZEWIKA. A real world laboratory.pdf
3 H. Alcock - Global legacies.pdf
4 M Golosz - Industrial Heritage in the process of transition.pdf
5 A. Theil - Pfefferberg. Industrial monument meets commitment.pdf
6 I. Haugroning - My Jeans.pdf
7 S. Carretti -Not like a museum.pdf
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Photo gallery and video of the conference
Photo gallery and video of the conference
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Conference programme
The first steps are done: Industrial heritage owes its existence to the structural changes in industry in the last third of the 20th century. Abandoned factories were transformed into venues of culture, preserving the memory of the lives and achievements of engineers and entrepreneurs as well as, and especially, of the workers. These sites convey the legacy of industrial heritage that - despite its many crises - enabled large parts of Europe to experience an era of mass prosperity.
Today, industrial societies are facing another transformation that calls its very foundations into question. “Protecting, linking and promoting Europe's industrial heritage in a changing world” is the title for our new Creative Europe programme 2022-24. This "changing world" is the generic term for challenges and new developments such as climate change, digitalisation, pandemic, gender equality, inclusion and new values - the world is in a state of transformation and this naturally also has an impact on industrial heritage.
This transformation can be considered as the next “Industrial Revolution”. With climate crisis, it has become obvious that the way we produce and use things has to change fundamentally. This transformation is not only aiming at a new industry. It changes the way we look back at the industrial age. Especially younger people value it much more critically, not only in terms of its ecological consequences, but also of the intertwining of the industrial age with colonialism.
Without an understanding of this history and legacies of industrial heritage, the upcoming transformation of industrial society won’t be successful. But when the smoking chimney of the steam engine becomes a portent of the climate crisis and the miner in the coal mine is no longer a working hero but also a symbol of a "fossil" patriarchy, the image of industrial heritage is questioned, as well as the way we communicate with the public.
These are important, justified insights. They force us to play a more active role in this transformation, to rethink our own operations and make them more sustainable. And in order to reach people, we have to tell our stories differently. We need to address also critical issues inextricably linked to industry. This requires new ways of storytelling at the venues of European industrial heritage.
Conference programme -
Presentations held on the conference
Presentations held on the conference
- 00 Programme Conference 2022.pdf
- 01 Dr. Walter Hauser Key Note Introduction to the topic.pdf
- 02 Yann Logelin and others L On a journey through the Minett region.pdf
- 03 Sebastian Nicolai Zeitz DE Telling the story of structural change.pdf
- 04 Kirsten Baumann LWL Industriemuseen Looking back to the future.pdf
- 07 Gabriele Bosi I Prato Industrial City.pdf
- 08 A. Chabiera - A taste for new life.pdf
- Xtra Peter Backes Greening ERIH.pdf
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Photo gallery of the conference
Photo gallery of the conference
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Conference programme
The topic of the conference was “Resilience”. The event explored how industrial heritage sites have survived the Covid-19 pandemic and developed interesting and imaginative ideas for ongoing development in a post-pandemic world.
Resilience is defined as “being able to recover quickly from difficulty or distress”. The conference provided a timely opportunity to share experience on how sites and attractions are recovering from the impact of Covid and extended periods of closure. The conference also explored ways to mitigate against wider and long-term impacts on the protection and promotion of our industrial heritage.
Conference programme -
Presentations held on the conference
Presentations held on the conference
- 00 Conference Programme.pdf
- 01 Christiane Baum. What is new in ERIH.pdf
- 02 Julia Pagel. Museums during Covid-19.pdf
- 03 Dr Michael Nevell. Restarting Industrial Tourism in England. Impact of COVID-19.pdf
- 04 Maria José Teixeira. Portuguese National Railway Museum Visitors - Far away but never so close.pdf
- 05 Christelle Dethy. Former Walloon Coal Mine faced to Covid-19.pdf
- 07 Sascha Keil. Aranka Haneke. Daniel Sturm. The new digital underground podcasts radio guided tours .pdf
- 08 Invitation to ERIH Conf 2022 Luxembourg.pdf
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Recording of the conference
Recording of the conference
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Photo gallery of the conference
Photo gallery of the conference
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Conference programme
Industrial Heritage is more than just industrial buildings and machinery, that is, the “tangible” remnants of industry. Industrial Heritage also includes the complex knowledge of running and maintaining machines, of numerous techniques and skills as well as of sector-specific social routines and intangible heritage. But this knowledge is in danger of being lost with the passage of time. Today heritage organisations are increasingly facing the retirement of their first generation professionals and volunteers – staff who experienced at first-hand life within these industrial communities. Against this background effective methods are needed for transferring and sharing knowledge with new staff and volunteers that engage in the field.
Most heritage institutions are facing these problems in a more or less similar ways. Therefore the presentations held at the conference introduced excamples how we can protect industrial heritage by ensuring that skills and knowledge are passed on to future generations. It also provided a platform for exchange and critical debate of experiences in the field of knowledge transfer and succession planning.
Conference programme -
Presentations held on the conference
Presentations held on the conference
- 00 Programme ERIH Conference 2020.pdf
- 01 Jaap Nieweg FEDECRAIL PPP Keep the wheel turning.pdf
- 02 Thorsten Dette VIRAL Projekt.pdf
- 03 Ashleigh Taylor World Heritage Youth Ambassadors.pdf
- 04a Piecha-van Schagen Carrying on the story.pdf
- 04b Adam Kowalski To keep the wheels turning. Chorzow’s case.pdf
- 05 Susanne Richter Printing Museum Leipzig.pdf
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Photo gallery of the conference
Photo gallery of the conference