Baltic Region Heritage Committee
Baltic Region Heritage Committee promotes sustainable management of cultural heritage resources in the Baltic Sea Region.
The mandate to create an action plan for the common heritage in the Baltic Sea States was included in the Lübeck Declaration adopted by the 3rd Conference of the CBSS Ministers of Culture (Lübeck, 22 Sept. 1997). In accordance with this decision, a working group of senior heritage experts, the Baltic Region Heritage Committee, was established in April 1998. The work is organized in three subgroups under the supervision of BRHC:
- Underwater Heritage – Its aim is to study the implications and possible content of a regional agreement to protect underwater cultural heritage in the Baltic Sea. This includes the prohibition of CBSS nationals and ships flying member-state flags from interfering with historic wrecks and archaeological structures.
- Coastal Culture and Maritime Heritage – The aim is to deepen the cooperation between authorities concerning the coastal culture and its development and to draw the attention to the strategies for sustainable use of coastal areas. Special attention should be given to documentation and presentation of coastal culture in terms of research and exhibitions.
- 20th Century Built Heritage – The aim is to develop a deeper knowledge regarding postwar built heritage, its architecture and how municipal planning in the region can contribute to a better understanding of the various values embedded in this era and facilitates, in extension, necessary mediation to decision makers.
The members of the Baltic Region Heritage Committee on cultural heritage in the Baltic Sea States (BRHC) represent the national bodies in charge of cultural heritage. The involved countries under the umbrella of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) are Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein), Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation and Sweden.
The Swedish National Heritage Board is chairing the BRHC July 2016 – June 2018. During its presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States Sweden focuses on 20th Century Hertitage, Researchers networking and Communication.