EUCULTURE Study Trip to Paris: 31 March to 3 April 2025

Our Joint Master in European Cultural Governance (EUCULTURE) students set out for a study trip to the French capital (a first for CIFE students!) to understand the role of cultural governance between conservation and innovation and study the intrinsic connection of cultural heritage, sustainable development and the digital transition.

The study trip started with a visit of the UNESCO Headquarters. At the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, the students had the immense privilege of meeting again with Head Curator Paz Núñez-Regueiro and Research Officer Leandro Varison, who shared their wealth of knowledge about the culture of indigenous peoples - introducing the students to their work as museum curators and the gifts and challenges of acting as a mediator between cultures.

With a lot of concrete examples they introduced the students to legal aspects of indigenous property and new relational ethics concerning conservation and restitution. On the second day, they discussed how to relink nature and culture by integrating local perspectives into local and global responses to environmental issues. Two full days of intensive courses concluded with a visit to the fantastic permanent collection of the museum and a visit to the Musée National de l'Histoire de l'Immigration in the Palais de la Porte Dorée.

On the final day, the students had the opportunity to discover the just recently reopened Notre Dame de Paris cathedral with Olivier Lerude, Head of the Architecture and Heritage Spaces Department at the Regional Department of Cultural Affairs (DRAC) of Île de France. They then visited DRAC Île-de-France where they were welcomed by Deputy Director Olivier Peyratout. Stéphane Deschamps, Head of the Regional Archaeology Service, introduced them to the restoration of the cathedral and tackled questions of protection and conservation of national cultural heritage.

The day concluded with a visit to the Palais de Chaillot where Anne Delaunay Vernhes introduced the students to her work as curator of this magnificent heritage site and offered them the unique chance to see the Parisian skyline from the rooftop.

We thank all the contributing partners for making this first Paris trip such a special and enriching experience!