On 13 April 2026, the UNESCO Chair on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Public and Global Governance at the University of Warsaw contributed to the World Cities Culture Forum Leadership Exchange Programme held in Warsaw. The programme, titled “How to Rethink Commemoration in Urban Spaces”, brought together representatives from several cities, including Amsterdam, Kyiv, London, New York, and Warsaw, to exchange perspectives on contemporary approaches to commemoration in urban contexts.
It was organised by the Culture Office of the City of Warsaw (Biuro Kultury m.st. Warszawy), within which operates the Warsaw Intangible Cultural Heritage Team (Zespół ds. Niematerialnego Dziedzictwa Kulturowego Warszawy), responsible for coordinating activities related to intangible cultural heritage at the city level.
Contribution of the UNESCO Chair
As part of the first day of the programme, Professor Hanna Schreiber, UNESCO Chairholder, delivered a lecture titled: Rethinking Commemoration in Urban Space through Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Case of Warsaw.
The lecture was part of the expert session held at the History Meeting House in Warsaw and contributed to the broader discussion on contemporary approaches to commemoration in urban contexts.
Programme Overview
The three-day exchange combined lectures, city presentations, site visits, and facilitated discussions. The opening day featured a sequence of expert lectures followed by visits to selected commemorative sites in Warsaw, including the Old Town area and the Warsaw Uprising Mound.
Subsequent days focused on presentations from participating cities and workshop-based discussions, providing a platform for sharing experiences and approaches to urban commemoration.
International Exchange on Urban Memory
The programme created space for dialogue between cities and institutions working in the field of culture and heritage. Through a combination of presentations and on-site activities, participants engaged with different ways in which memory is represented and interpreted in urban environments.
The participation of the UNESCO Chair on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Public and Global Governance reflects its ongoing engagement in international discussions on cultural heritage and governance, particularly in relation to contemporary societal challenges.
More information about the programme can be found on the official websites of the World Cities Culture Forum and the Culture Office of the City of Warsaw.
