UNESCO Chair for Heritage

and Urban Studies

Cracow University of Economics

Rakowicka 27, 31-510 Kraków, Poland

+ 48 12 2937527, khgis@uek.krakow.pl

UNESCO Chair for Heritage and Urban Studies at the Faculty of Public Economics and Public Administration, Cracow University of Economics is the first department of this kind in Poland established in 2008. Its main aims are to:

• create possibilities to students majoring in economics and related fields, employees of public administration and heritage managers to become acquainted with latest trends, processes and tendencies in the field of heritage management with a special focus on the management of UNESCO world heritage sites through lectures, tutorials and supervising master, bachelor and postgraduate theses;
• conduct research on topics linked with heritage and heritage management seen from a multidisciplinary perspective including art and architectural history, cultural management, cultural economics, sociology and geography as well as urban studies with a special focus on issues of heritage management in Poland, Central and Eastern Europe;
• disseminate research results in the form of lectures, tutorials, summer schools and workshops as well as national and international conference presentations, publications and exhibitions;
• strengthen international cooperation by offering scholarships to students from developing countries (Thesaurus Poloniae programme), cooperation with international institutions (UNESCO, Europa Nostra, European Heritage Label, ICOMOS), other UNESCO chairs and other educational and research institutions in Europe, the United States and Asia;
• cooperate and provide scientific support to national agencies and bodies responsible for heritage such as the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, National Heritage Board of Poland, National Institute for Museums and Public collections and the International Cultural Centre in Krakow.

Accordingly, the activities of the Chair focus on research and education on cultural heritage management, economic and social contexts of heritage protection and regeneration of cultural landscapes, sustainable development and spatial planning, with a special focus on the region of Central and Eastern Europe as well as sites and urban complexes listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Chair takes part in development of new curricula at the Cracow University of Economics including the issues of culture, heritage, cultural economics and culture management. It conducts, in cooperation with the International Cultural Centre in Cracow, a postgraduate studies programme on heritage management –“Heritage Academy” organized since 2001. Other programmes and lectures conducted by the Chair’s employees at the university at undergraduate and graduate level are addressed to students of majors such as: European Studies; Eastern Studies; Public Economics and Administration; Public Administration; Real Estate Management; Spatial Planning; Tourism Management as well as foreign students participating in ERASMUS exchange programme and in various other international programmes. They include, among others, following courses taught in Polish and English: Cultural heritage management, Cultural economics, History of architecture and urban planning, Cities in the European civilisation, Urban regeneration.

Since 2015 the chair holder and the head of the department prof. Jacek Purchla holds the function of the president of the Polish National Commission for UNESCO. In 2016 he was also elected the chairperson of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.