European Heritage Days

The annual programme offers opportunities to visit buildings, monuments and sites, many of which are not normally accessible to the public.

The event began in France in 1984, with La Journée portes ouvertes dans les monuments historiques, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture.

In 1991 these events were united as European Heritage Days at the initiative of the Council of Europe, supported by the EU.

The most recent European Heritage Days event was hosted by Armenia in September 2019.

Participating member states of the European Heritage Days are: This idea is popular outside Europe, too, with similar schemes in Canada since 1974 in Alberta, Australia,[5] and other countries, at various times of year.

Countries participating in the European Heritage Days in 2007
Visitors waiting for a guided tour at the van Nelle Factory , Rotterdam , the Netherlands, on 14 September 2014 during the European Heritage Days. As of 2014, the van Nelle Factory, a World Heritage site, was only open to visitors during the European Heritage Days.