Slovenia opens EU-backed GreenHer hub for cultural preservation
A major new research hub dedicated to making cultural heritage fit for a sustainable future has opened in Ljubljana, positioning Slovenia at the cutting edge of Europe's drive to align preservation with sustainability goals.
The GreenHer Centre of Excellence for Green Heritage Science, established as an autonomous unit of the University of Ljubljana, is the country's first interdisciplinary institution devoted to environmentally responsible research and innovation in cultural heritage, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.
Backed by nearly EUR 27 million in EU and national funds, the six-year initiative aims to overhaul how historic buildings, landscapes and archaeological sites are preserved, managed and used in the context of climate change and the green transition.
The centre head Matija Strlič said that the facility will soon be equipped for "top interdisciplinary research," developing advanced technologies and environmentally friendly conservation methods in close cooperation with museums, conservators, industry and local communities.
Bringing disciplines together
GreenHer unites archaeologists, chemists, engineers, computer scientists and conservator-restorers from across Slovenia in a bid to overcome fragmentation in the heritage sector and accelerate both green and digital transformation.
Created under the EU's Horizon Europe programme, it is the first centre among more than 50 similar projects in the EU to focus specifically on cultural heritage.
Research will range from sustainable conservation materials to data-driven heritage management. New laboratories are being established at partner institutions such as the National and University Library and the Cultural Heritage Protection Institute.
Living laboratories on the coast and marshes
Two "living laboratories" will test solutions in real environments: one at Simon Bay on the Adriatic coast and another in the Ljubljana Marshes. Researchers will work directly with local communities to develop new protection strategies and sustainable heritage-tourism models.
Heritage tourism accounts for roughly 40% of all tourism in the European Union, underscoring both the sector's economic weight and its vulnerability to environmental pressures.
Photo: Boštjan Podlogar/STA
