Heirlooms. European Stories

UNESCO’s central objective is to draw attention to the value cultural heritage and work to preserve it. The world’s cultural heritage sites are intended to be places of learning that raise awareness of cultural identity. The undesired flipside of this recognition can be destruction by mass tourism and cultural vandalism. 

One of the most valuable spices in the world: saffron is popular in Europe and an ingredient of many traditional dishes. The plant gives its colour and aroma to the Spanish paella, the French fish soup bouillabaisse and Greek pastries; its history in Europe goes back thousands of years.

James Bond’s champagne brand bears the name of a German: when Jacob Bollinger settled down in Champagne, he could not suspect that his wine would one day be imbibed by the Queen and her secret agent. A Franco-British-German cooperation of a very special kind. 

Constitutional monarchy in Europe has a long history; the one in Norway is comparatively young. While the Norwegian royal family is very different from other European royal families, it is at the same time strongly linked to those of Great Britain, Sweden and Denmark, both historically and genetically.

Coffee houses – you think of Vienna, of hours buried in thought in the midst of great minds. But in Greece, the coffee house, there called “kafenio”, was a place for not only intellectual encounters but also a hairdressing salon, post office and greengrocer.

Contracts, love letters, school essays – ink blots have ruined many a written document over the years. Happily though, in Europe the simple quill pen developed into a sophisticated writing instrument: the fountain pen.

The Athens Trilogy, three buildings in the heart of the Greek capital, is not only a beautiful sight; it is also a symbol of the inspiration of the still-young state of the nineteenth century. A financier from Vienna, a painter from Poland and architects from Denmark and Germany contributed to its creation.

Romanes is the language of the Roma. Most of their words come from India. But on the Roma's way to Europe, Romanes came into contact with many European languages - influenced them and was influenced by them. In Bulgaria, Greece and Sweden, for example.

In Datschitz in the Czech Republic is a monument that shows a sugar cube. Why? Because Jacob Christoph Rad invented it here. Later a Frenchman, then a Belgian, perfected his idea – which had been brought about by a coincidence. Or rather, an accident.

Roughly one in four Germans is a member of a cooperative, which might make it seem like they are quintessentially German. Not really, as it turns out: the idea first originated in France before becoming a movement in England. And Spain is currently home to the largest cooperative in the world.

Even the ancient Romans placed their trust in the healing powers of water, and spas would latest establish a firm foothold throughout Europe. The well-heeled travelled to England, Germany, and the Czech Republic to “take the waters”. Spa in Belgium was also a popular resort town – and British tourists imported its name into English.

Pilsner beer comes, of course, from the Czech Republic. Yet it’s not so matter-of-course as that. The citizens of the city of Pilsen were once so dissatisfied with their beer that they even spilled it out in protest in front of the town hall. Then they had a brilliant idea.

Did you know that the first postcard in the world came from Vienna? It was not yet illustrated. That someday people would be able to send postcards with pictures of their vacation spots we owe to inventions from France and Germany.

What is cultural heritage exactly? How does it impact our culture, and why are we invested in preserving it? We answer the most important questions in brief.