On June 27, a symposium on conservation and development of castles, country houses and landed estates, was held in Arnhem together with stakeholders from Gelderland. The report summarizing the symposium is out now and can be accessed here.
After the official opening, an introduction by Paul Thissen of Provincie Gelderland explored the extensive collection of historic castles, manors and estates in the region. Elyze Storms-Smeets, country house expert of Gelders Genootschap, then held a presentation on historic country houses and landed estates as a regional quality.
Credits: Rob Kleering / Provincie Gelderland
The afternoon had 6 parallel work sessions on different themes of great relevance for the Innocastle project:
- Climate adaptation and landscape design (workshop by TU Delft);
- Heritage tourism and spatial quality (workshop by Gelderland Trust);
- Spatial fragmentation and multiple-ownership (workshop by Gelderland Society);
- Policy and the role of governments (workshop by Gelderland Society);
- Tourism and events at Sonsbeek estate (walk by Municipality of Arnhem);
- Public country estates in Arnhem (walk by Advisory Group Sonsbeek, Zypendaal and Gulden Bodem estates).
The symposium ended with a plenary discussion, a reflection of Catherine Leonard of National Trust and INTO, and an endnote by Eric Luiten, professor Landscape Architecture at TU Delft, who introduced an innovative heritage framework that he developed together with other academics.
"You seem to have stumbled on a winning formula here in Gelderland: A catalytic and supportive provincial government; a willingness to collaborate and a magnificent historic and natural environment."
(Catherine Leonard, National Trust and INTO)
Read more about the lessons from the symposium in the new report.
