Amadej Petan & Tara Sergeja Kadunc
We met while studying international relations in Ljubljana but it wasn’t until we were discovering the UNESCO World Heritage Site of San Marino together, that something sparked between us. We found our common passion for exploring locations pivotal for the world today, discovering meanings behind the ostensibly unassuming, with a wish to understand the world better.
We will do the same within our OWHC travels, following our basic principles:
- Being as culturally immersed as possible – Using Couchsurfing, hitchhiking, talking with people, trying to live the local life as fully as possible.
- Travelling sustainably – Using public transportation, sharing rides, avoiding unnecessary plane rides, etc.
- Respecting the local culture – travelling with the goal of understanding and discovering, not checking off a list of must-see sights and photography locations.
Through this, we often find ourselves at world heritage sites without intention, being drawn to locations significant to our civilisation, as well as places important to communities we know little about.
For us, world heritage is not just people’s culture, buildings and objects, it’s all of it combined. It’s the experience of entering a foreign country with no clue about your surroundings and then slowly unearthing the characteristics of local life.
Travel Route:
Augsburg – Regensburg – Istanbul – Safranbolu – Bam
Social Media:
Instagram: @tarassskadunc & @amadejpetan
Ana Carolina Helena
Carolina is a young portuguese enthusiast of cities as well as their material and immaterial heritage. Having studied both in Lisbon and Milan, she graduated with a Master’s degree in Architecture, after completing a thesis focused on post-war reconstruction and conservation.
With the OWHC Young Travelling Scholarship 2022, she will be travelling through several World Heritage Cities, from Berlin to Warsaw, led by her interest in the recent history of this part of Europe. Under the theme “Cities at War: Heritage Lessons from the 20th Century”, she aims to learn more and report on how different cities responded to the destruction left by armed conflict in the last century and discover the role their safeguarded heritage has on the promotion of vibrant communities and urban settlements today.
Travel Route:
Berlin – Potsdam – Dresden – Prague – Vienna – Kraków – Warsaw
Social Media:
Instagram: @cities_at_war
Gloria Maria Cavalieri & Allegra Grillo
Gloria:
Gloria Maria Cavalieri is a young cultural leader and activist; Research Master’s candidate in Cultural Leadership from the University of Groningen and a sustainability research trainee at the Pan-African Creative Exchange. Her research interest and expertise cover the cooperation between local communities and cultural centres in fostering sustainability, and sustainable management of cultural, industrial, and digital heritage.
She has a longstanding experience with NGO management and youth involvement from her ongoing leadership action in the European Youth Parliament as sustainability promoter in the Italian National Committee. She is a Member of the Steering Group of Europeana Climate Action Community and an European Climate Pact Ambassador.
Allegra:
After an Integrated Master of Arts in Law at Bocconi University and an Erasmus experience in Goteborg focused on international law, Allegra is going to defend her master dissertation on philosophy of law. The working experience in the public law team of Gitti & Partners Law Firm enhanced her interest in decision making-process and welfare policies. Her greatest aspiration is to join the professional legal skills with the passion for theatre and writing. She has spent her life developing her fondness such as reading novels, acting, writing poetry and monologues.
Allegra has extensive experience with NGOs in caring for children both in Italy and in Benin, where she has worked as tutor, activity leader and volleyball coach.
Elena and Allegra are excited to be able to travel through the Netherlands and Belgium thanks to the OWHC Young Travelling Scholarship 2022. For them, the protection and enhancement of heritage is a personal priority, and they recognise the importance of communicating it with and to society. Elena and Gloria believe that tomorrow’s World Heritage will increasingly value sites that foster positive relations between man and nature and will progressively include more intangible heritage, such as local culture and practices. This is why they chose to take a different approach to the creative output and the travel to and between World Heritage Cities. Indeed, they plan to navigate Dutch and Belgian canals by sailboat and revitalize the watercolour and embroidery techniques while having active conversations on the sustainability of cultural heritage with the communities they meet.
Travel Route:
Wadden Sea – Leeuwarden – Harlingen – Afsluitdijk Wadden Centre – Hoorn – Beemster – Amsterdam – Den Haag – Bruges – Brussels
Social Media:
Instagram: @navigatura
Kyra Kaisla
Kyra Kaisla, born in Canada, lives in Vienna. She studies at the Academy of Fine Arts there under the documentary film makers Thomas Heise and Tizza Covi. In her spare time, she writes and produces a radio program with poetry in translation.
Beginning in September, she will drive through Central Europe and the Balkans, visiting areas which she has been drawn to through the writings of Czeslaw Milosz, Andrej Stasiuk, John Berger, and Isaac Bashevis Singer. She is grateful for the opportunity to take this journey: to witness, document and learn more about the rich, overlapping histories of the area.
Travel Route:
Warsaw – Kraków – Banská Štiavnica – Budapest – Mostar – Dubrovnik – Vienna
Social Media:
Instagram: @smallriverbanya
Lena Eisenreich
“Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations” reminds us of the rationale of preserving world heritage and youth’s role in taking an active lead.
I am Lena Eisenreich (24 yr), originally from the heart of Bavaria (Plattling). I have developed my cultural curiosity since I was a child with the dream of travelling to every country in the world and evolving myself in as many cultures as possible. I obtained a BA in European Business from OTH Regensburg and a MA in European Politics (Strasbourg-Kraków).
I consider myself a joyful, reflective world citizen and travel enthusiast. Travelling to over 60 countries has taught me invaluable life lessons, I always wish to explore one’s culture and country through not only its cultural sites but being involved within local communities.
Within 1 month (September) en route to Amsterdam, Beemster, Brussels, Bruges, Fontainebleau, and Bordeaux, I am most curious to explore the feelings of youth in and within the concept of a World Heritage city. Furthermore, I am intrigued by bringing the OWHC closer to its people.
Travel Route:
Amsterdam – Beemster – Brussels – Bruges – Fontainebleau – Bordeaux
Social Media:
Instagram: @lenaeisenreich
Philipp Strasser
Hello, my name is Philipp, I am 27 years old and I live in the amazing city of Salzburg which is also a world heritage city. I studied Geography and Geoinformatics and was therefore always curious about foreign countries and I really enjoy traveling. Besides that, I am also interested in culture, ecology and history.
My motivation to take part in the OWHC Young Travelling Scholarship is to explore and present cities that belonged to Hanseatic League, which was one of the first economic and also political union across national borders. I would like to find out how these cities in different countries with a common heritage look today and have developed.
Travel Route:
Vienna – Riga – Helsinki – Visby – Stralsund – Wismar – Naumburg
Social Media:
Instagram: @blau_und_schlau
Facebook: Philipp Strasser
Stefan Župan
Born and raised in Ohrid where I deeply reveal my interests in photography, nature, and above all, architecture. Studied at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Ljubljana, and one of the founding members of Archrid- collective from Ohrid, exploring the architectural legacy and expansion throughout education, digitalization and promotion.
As an Archrid and Europa Nostra member, my interests collided with the vision and values of OWHC and their scholarship for young travelers that lets young people like myself explore and promote connectivity throughout the vastly diverse regions in Europe (and Northeast America).
The concept behind this project is a “bridge” that connects world heritage centers starting from Southeastern Europe, channeling throughout central and finishing in northwest Europe, such as Ohrid, Ljubljana, Vienna, Brussels… In a form of a publication enriched with architectural photography and vivid communication with both academic and non-professional locals.
The end product shall consist of the OWHC values, be a stimulant and promotor for the young people to threaten and respect the cultural heritage and one day be thankful for it in the future, as a famous quote says “Knowing our history is knowing ourselves”.
Travel Route:
Ohrid – Berat – Ljubljana – Vienna – Brussels – Amsterdam
Social Media:
Instagram: @zupsan.pdf
Facebook: Stefan Župan
Project page (Instagram): @archrid_project
Verena Schottenloher
I’m Verena, 25 years old, born in Regensburg. After finishing school, I decided to work in the tourism business and had the chance to promote my beautiful hometown as UNESCO World Heritage city. During my studies I worked for the German National Tourist Board in Copenhagen and represented Germany as a travel destination in Scandinavia.
UNESCO has always been an important topic in my professional career, and I have mainly promoted the World Heritage Sites in Germany. With the OWHC Young Travelling Scholarship finally dreams come true and I’ve got the chance to visit the US.
I am very excited about my trip and look forward to exploring the UNESCO sites on the east coast of America. Among other things, I would like to pursue my interest in art and architecture, but also visit various historical monuments – and especially compare this experience to the two small German World Heritage cities Regensburg and Bamberg. Let’s go!
Travel Route:
Bamberg – Regensburg – Philadelphia – New York
Social Media:
Instagram: @libertyid_owhc
Zoë Vandenhende
My name is Zoë, I am a Belgian student studying a master degree in International Cooperation on Intercultural Heritage in Italy. My passion for heritage and sustainability was sparked by growing up in Bruges, which is in my completely unbiased opinion one of the most magical World Heritage Cities.
During my studies, this interest evolved into an active advocacy for the importance of World Heritage and its preservation.
Going into my last year of studying, I am starting work on my master’s thesis relating to cultural heritage and climate change. Specifically, I want to research how the European Nordic countries have adapted to climate change in relation to their cultural and natural heritage, and whether other countries should implement their approach.
I look forward to traveling to several World Heritage Cities in the Nordic countries; visiting their heritage sites, meeting new people and learning more about local programs for the preservation of cultural heritage.
Travel Route:
Bruges – Stockholm – Visby – Oslo – Notodden – Bergen
Social Media:
Instagram: @adaptingheritage