European Cultural Heritage Information Network – HEREIN

European Cultural Heritage Information Network – HEREIN is an information system developed by the Council of Europe and established in 1999 with the purpose of bringing together public administrations in European countries dedicated to cultural heritage in order to form a unique cooperation network.


Photo: Gordana Jerabek

The HEREIN network aims to facilitate easier access to cultural heritage and its supporting information using contemporary information technology, and to secure a permanent interactive system dedicated to cultural heritage to be used by administrative bodies, experts and further stakeholders in heritage-related activities, as well as by wider public.

Participation is open to each country – signatory of the European Cultural Convention. The Republic of Croatia is a member of the HEREIN network since 2001.

HEREIN is a part of the CDCPP (Steering Committee for Culture, Heritage and Landscape), within the Directorate General of Democracy (DG II) of the Council of Europe.
 
Until 2014, HEREIN was present in different formats as a project of limited duration, and in 2014 it took its more complete form following the launch of the official website and the establishment of the two main project components:
  1. the network of national coordinators from countries signatories of the European Cultural Convention, using advanced technologies to share and analyze information on cultural heritage and its funding, legislature and practical implementation: https://www.coe.int/en/web/herein-system
 
  1. a database populated by national coordinators and gathering:
 
  1. an inventory of cultural heritage protection policies in 38 countries – networks members, presented through categories Country Profile and National Reports (Croatia (coe.int))
     
  2. a terminology base of natural and cultural heritage available in 14 European languages, including Croatian, and consisting of a specialized glossary and a thesaurus (Glossary (coe.int))


Photo: Gordana Jerabek 

Croatian national coordinator: Zrinka Stepanić Hofer, MA in Art History and Ethnology
 
For more information on the development of HEREIN: Europska mreža o baštini (pdf, 654 Kb), Lana Križaj
 
The HEREIN network enables its members to involve coordinators in the research of certain topics from the field of cultural heritage (Participative survey). The topic of historic gardens is an example of a topic affirmed through the project Encounter in the Gardens / Rendez-vous aux jardins.