Thinking about the future, but dealing with the past

Four main pillars construct HeritageLab blueprint: the extensive research of heritage possibilities in local environments, the mentor triangle, the pilot setting for quick testing of ideas and the community of members where everybody benefits. Since the heritage sector is quite closed and rigid, mostly focusing on conservation instead of innovation, there is often a lack of people with hybrid skill-set that merges contemporary business skills and a deep understanding of cultural heritage. With HeritageLab model, all parties could learn from each other and gain valuable knowledge.

"Idrija 2020 association worked on several projects regarding Idrija's cultural heritage in the past eight years," says Straus. "The EU Commission competition was the perfect incentive for us to structure our thoughts and ideas that emerged quite spontaneously, but...