NEWS & EVENTS

Bucharest, 08.06.2023 – The National Forum of UNESCO Geoparks in Romania and the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The document is among the major documents that underpin UNESCO’s cultural activities.

To mark this anniversary, the most important elements of the intangible heritage preserved in the communities on the geopark territories in Romania are promoted within the international event European Geoparks Week, held from June 5-12. The initiative appeared taking into account the fact that, along with geological and natural heritage, the promotion and preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage is one of the basic pillars of the construction and existence of an internationally recognized geopark.

In this sense, the two international UNESCO geoparks – Geopark Ţara Hațegului and Geopark Șinutul Buzăului, as well as the aspiring geoparks Oltenia de sub Munte, Carpaterra and Dobrogea Chimerică, are currently carrying out joint activities aimed at promoting the invaluable cultural values of the communities on their territories .

One of the joint initiatives is the creation of posters, in English, with the aim of presenting symbolic themes, representative of each area. It will thus be possible to admire elements of national or international heritage, such as Sânzienele, accompanied by Sântoader, the arts sewn by the skilled hands of the ladies from the Hațegana Cooperative, from the Ţara Hațegului Geopark, the stories of salt, amber and ancestral life imbued with beliefs about fantastic beings from the Buzăului Geopark, Horezu pottery, Oltene barks, Stoenești silk and the stories of trovans from the territory of the Oltenia sub Munte Geopark, Lăzărelul and Mosoaiele, from the Dobrogea Chimerica Geopark or the virginal game, the martișor and caroling in the men’s group, from the Geopark Carpaterra. The role of the event is also to help local communities to be aware of the important role they have in preserving and passing on these values to the next generations.

In each Geopark, the initiative is complemented by educational activities, exhibitions, guided tours and other local events.

According to Law 410/2005, intangible cultural heritage is “the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – together with the tools, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated with them – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals, recognize as part of integral part of their cultural heritage”.

The National Forum of UNESCO Geoparks in Romania is an informal body, formed by a partnership between the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO, the UNESCO International Geoparks in Romania, the University of Bucharest and other entities that can support the development of UNESCO International Geoparks on the territory of Romania. According to the UNESCO Program for Geosciences and Geoparks, national forums are established in countries where there are UNESCO International Geoparks. Currently, internationally there are 195 geopark territories in 48 countries.