Summary of the International Workshop on Military Heritage, Riga – 10 January 2025 / Integrating Military Heritage into Tourism and History Education
13.01.2025
The conference "Integrating Military Heritage into Tourism and Education," held on 10 January 2025 in Riga, brought together historians, educators, and military heritage tourism professionals from the Baltic countries and across Europe. The event fostered a spirit of collaboration among these sectors on international scale, aiming to make history education more engaging and accessible for younger audiences, especially school-aged children, by incorporating military heritage site visits and programmes into school curricula. By sharing experiences and building connections, participants laid the groundwork for fresh, creative approaches to teaching history, with a focus on broadening perspectives beyond national borders. We hope that the conference has inspired new standards in history education, supported by the integration of military heritage tourism and international approach.
This event was organized by Baltic Country Holidays and supported by the European Union Interreg VI-A Estonia–Latvia Programme. It served as a platform to exchange ideas and strengthen international cooperation in military heritage tourism.
>>> Photos
Presentations:
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Military Heritage Project in the Baltics / >>> VIDEO |
Asnate Ziemele LLTA "Lauku ceļotājs", Latvia |
| Transforming Military Sites and Sharing Their Stories with Diverse Audiences / >>> VIDEO But who is the storyteller of the personal narrative? How can one ensure a credible personal story that is also historically balanced? And how do you make the stories relevant to a modern and international audience with no personal memories of the periode? |
Thomas Tram Pedersen Historian, founder of the Cold War Museum at Stevnsfort, Denmark |
| Times They Are A-Changin'. Learning from the Cold War / >>> VIDEO Education, visits of school classes, and re-enactments of the Cold War in the Netherlands. |
Ben de Vries Historian and Programme Manager of Military Heritage at the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency, Ministry of Culture, the Netherlands |
| Cold War in the School Curriculum in the UK / >>> VIDEO The practices around education and audience engagement through annual events and educational offerings aligned with the school curriculum to promote the Cold War heritage awareness and visitor engagement. |
Milka Blagoeva Ivanova The Cold War Network, UK |
The Winter War Museum at the Battlefield Site: Sustaining Visitor Interest / >>> VIDEO
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Reima Haapoja, Minna Torkkola Winter War Museum Raatteen Portti, Finland |
| Remembrance Tourism in Flanders Fields: a Meaningful Experience for Young People / >>> VIDEO Remembrance Tourism is a key focus at Visit Flanders, with Flanders Fields attracting international visitors to its battlefields and war memorials. |
Katrien Timmermans Visit Flanders, Belgium |
Expeditions Retracing Some of the Most Famous Operations of WW2.
Company overview, upcoming expeditions, combining military expertise and history and tracing the paths of the brave men and women of the SOE, OSS, and WW2 Special Forces, covering Europe, North Africa, and Asia. |
Matthew Smith Primal Adventures, UK |
