Discovering European Heritage in Royal Residences (DEHRR) – An educational project at European scale

Discovering European Heritage in Royal Residences (DEHRR) is the first collective educational and cultural project undertaken by the members of the Network of European Royal Residences and cofinanced by the programme « Culture » of the European Commission.

From October 2009 to September 2011, staff of the Education Departments working in Royal Residences member of the Network met to develop, together, an original programme of events on the theme: ‘The Impact of Royal Residences on their Environment, from Past to Present’. Exchanges between the several European teams for two years allowed to develop a rich new cultural programme aimed at young people in 13 royal residences participating to this project.

This project have also been marked by three key-moments, common to all the members participating to this unprecedented initiative :

• European Heritage Classes (spring 2010)
  Discovery, via various interactive workshops, of history, architecture and life through the ages in several European royal residences during intensive weeks organized for young people. These programmes aimed to inform and enlighten young people about European heritage, introduce them to architecture, the built environment and its surroundings, and also teach them how to interpret images and film, and how to use their critical judgement, in order to educate them about citizenship.
  
• European Heritage Days (September 2010)
  Organization of special tours, events, and multimedia exhibitions to discover royal residences. These exhibitions group together photographic and audiovisual documentation produced by young people in each of the residences, and highlight their different perceptions of the theme of the environment. A brochure listing the different programmes is also available in twelve languages here
  
• Spring Day for Europe (spring 2011)
  Discovery, by underprivileged youngsters with fewer educational opportunities, of the royal residences and their environment through educational games and activities. These activities aim to arouse a sense of responsibility for their national cultural heritage, and in doing so, encourage their cultural citizenship. This event will enable these youngsters to learn about places they would never otherwise have had access to and contribute to the fight against inequality, educational failure and exclusion.

The objectives of this European project particularly have two targets : the European Royal Residences and the young public, far from places of culture. Indeed, this project allowed to :

• Encourage mobility and interaction between staff members of the European Royal Residences, and cooperation between the Education Departments
• ‘Europeanise’ the cultural programme designed for young visitors to the institutions of the European Royal Residences Network
• Promote our European cultural heritage to young people and the general public, drawing their attention to its wealth and diversity

13 Institutions participated in the DEHRR project, coordinated by the Network of European Royal Residences :

• Schloss Schönbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.m.b.H, Austria: (Co-organiser)
• Former Palace of Brussels–Coudenberg asbl, Belgium: (Co-organiser)
  
• Patrimonio Nacional, Spain: (Co-organiser)
• The Public Establishment of the National Estate of Chambord, France: (Co-organiser)
• The Public Establishment of the National Estate and Museum of Versailles, France: (Co-organiser)
• Wilanow Palace Museum, Poland: (Co-organiser)
• Royal Palace of Gödöllö, Hungary : (Associated Partner)
• Reggia di Caserta, Italy : (Associated Partner)
• Reggia di Venaria Reale & Castello Reale di Racconigi, Italy : (Associated Partner)
• Mafra National Palace, Portugal : (Associated Partner)
• Peterhof State Museum, Russia : (Associated Partner)
• Historic Royal Palaces, United Kingdom : (Associated Partner)