Cultural Heritage in Digital Era forum
![Cultural Heritage Should Be Inseparable Part of Europe's Future - Europeana Foundation Head Verwayen]()
![Cultural Heritage Should Be Inseparable Part of Europe's Future - Europeana Foundation Head Verwayen]()
Harry Verwayen, General Director of the Europeana Foundation, speaking at the conference on "Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age" in Sofia, July 30, 2025 (BTA Photo/Nikola Kolev)
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
![Научна конференция „Културното наследство в дигиталната ера“]()
site.btaCultural Heritage Should Be Inseparable Part of Europe's Future - Europeana Foundation Head Verwayen
Cultural heritage should be an inseparable part of Europe's future. Bulgaria has rich and valuable history, and the efforts to digitize and share this heritage continue, said here on Wednesday Harry Verwayen, General Director of the Europeana Foundation. There is a lot of work left to do but also huge potential, he added. He was speaking at an international scientific conference on "Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age", unveiled at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences on Wednesday.
The Europeana Foundation's mission is to democratise access to culture, he explained. This means making cultural content accessible, usable and protected with clear and open licences – mainly through Creative Commons. The Foundation collaborates with teachers, scholars, and creators to ensure its widespread use.
He pointed out that currently, around 160,000 digital items from various institutions are presented in Bulgaria, but there is room for many more. According to him, practical challenges remain – technical limitations, lack of resources and sometimes uncertainty about the next steps. However, these can be overcome with combined efforts, Verwayen said.
According to him, another important direction is 3D digitization. Europeana invests in 3D competence centres and developing standards for creating, sharing, and storing 3D cultural content. Artificial intelligence is also becoming an essential part of this field. It can help manage and analyse huge amounts of cultural data, create new content responsibly and improve accessibility. However, caution should be exercised to ensure that AI is developed and used in an ethical and transparent manner, he added.
Participants in Wednesday's discussions included Prof. Roumiana Preshlenova, Director of the Prof. Alexander Fol Institute of Balkan Studies with Centre for Thracology, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, who presented the digitization of the BTA archives, scientists from the Institute of Balkan Studies with Centre for Thracology, the Institute of Physical Chemistry, the National Archaeological Institute with Museum, and St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia.
/RY/
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