Thermal Architecture takes centre stage at European Thermal Heritage Day in Baden-Baden
“Thermal Architecture” will be the subject of the third European Thermal Heritage Day organised by the European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA), on 16th October 2020. It will be a virtual conference hosted in Baden-Baden, and will be streamed through the Association’s social media channels (see below).
EHTTA’s President, José Manuel Baltar Blanco said “European Thermal Heritage Day is one of the main highlights of the EHTTA calendar, and although we are unable to meet in person in Baden-Baden, we are delighted that the event is still being hosted in this wonderful city, and that EHTTA members will still be able to take a virtual tour of the Thermal Architecture in Baden-Baden.”
“Baden-Baden embodies a centuries-old spa tradition, which has its roots in Roman times”, says Margret Mergen, Lord Mayor of the host town, Baden-Baden. “It is the meeting point of a long history and timeless lifestyle connected to the spa town’s thermal heritage. We are looking forward to hosting the first digital European Thermal Heritage Day and to a joint celebration our shared European heritage, as well as to exchanging best practises which raise awareness of the significance of Thermal Architecture.”
Paul Simons, President of EHTTA’s Scientific Committee, which organises European Thermal Heritage Day, and Secretary General of the Great Spas of Europe will be presenting the concept of Thermal Architecture in Europe with the Committee’s Vice President, Mario Crecente. He said “Thermal Architecture is a fascinating subject – it is the collection of buildings that hold and distribute the healing thermal waters that are at the heart of our historic thermal spa towns. It also encompasses the buildings that housed and entertained those who came to ‘take the waters’. Together these buildings make up a very special and distinctive heritage, which is part of a shared European culture, and worthy of more recognition and protection.”
EHTTA is very pleased to welcome several distinguished guests to introduce this special day:
- Margret Mergen, Lord Mayor of Baden-Baden
- Dr. Claus Wolf, Head of State Office for Cultural Heritage Baden-Württemberg
- Birgitta Ringbeck, Member of Board of Directors, European Institute of Cultural Routes and Chair of the Governing Board, Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes (Council of Europe)
- Stefano Dominioni, President, European Institute of Cultural Routes (Council of Europe)
It is also our pleasure to have Dr. Andreas Förderer, World Heritage and Tourism expert, from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Karlsruhe, as an eminent panellist presenting the evolution and significance of thermal architecture in Baden-Baden.
The roundtable discussion, moderated by Prof. Dr. Jörg Haspel (President, ICOMOS Germany) will focus on “Managing Thermal Architecture and Generating Community Support”, and will include panellists with experience of initiating and managing a wide range of thermal architecture projects, including Site Managers of some of the component parts of UNESCO transnational serial World Heritage nomination “Great Spas of Europe (GSE)”.
The panellists are:
- Anke Matthys, GSE WHS Site Manager, Vichy (France)
- Lucie Sochorková, GSE WHS Site Manager, Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic)
- Lisa Poetschki, Head of Department of World Heritage Nomination and Urban Design, Baden-Baden (Germany)
- Hans-Peter Mengele, Chairperson, Friends of the Lichtentaler Allee – Initiative World Cultural Heritage – e.V., Baden-Baden (Germany)
- Anna Baker, Project Director, Cleveland Pools, Bath (UK)
Full details of how to attend European Thermal Heritage Day online are can be found here. It will also be streamed on the Association’s Facebook page, Thermal Travels, and on LinkedIn.