Visitor Experience in royal palaces and their gardens : History – Memories – Nostalgia ?
Part 1

The technical meeting “Visitor experience in royal palaces and their gardens: History – Memories – Nostalgia?” will be in 2 parts.

The first meeting will take place in Potsdam in 2024 to present best-practice examples of historical education projects from different ARRE members. We will share different approaches, case studies and activities in this field. As a basis for our discussion, we will collect and assess available information on expectations of our visitors as well as in the tourism sector.

The second meeting will take place in early 2025 in Fontainebleau. Based on the data and surveys collected during the meeting in Potsdam and in the following months, we will analyze the visitors’ profiles and the different visitor motivation segments in order to have a better understanding of the relationship between the visitors and the palaces and their gardens. These work sessions will enable us to define and compare the different European approaches, past and present, to the palaces’ roles as Lieux de mémoire. 

The meeting in Potsdam will be divided in 3 main sessions:

• Work session 1:on visitor survey data regarding expectations and opinions on the presentation of history in the palaces and gardens
• Work session 2: on educational projects and presentations on the histories of palaces and gardens during the monarchic past until 1918
• Work session 3: on educational projects and presentations on the histories of palaces and gardens after 1918.