Cultural Heritage

Culture news

European Heritage Awards: Conservation champions receive top honours

Dozens of cultural heritage workers have been hailed as heroes in Brussels this week for their work preserving a broad range of projects, from a glacier archaeology programme in Norway to the restoration of Antwerp City Hall in Belgium and the Puerta de Alcalá in Madrid.

16/10/2025

Art

More repair required for Columbus painting attacked at Madrid museum

The work Primer homenaje a Cristóbal Colón (First Homage to Christopher Columbus) in the Naval Museum in Madrid will need further restoration after two activists threw red paint at it last Sunday in protest against Spain's Columbus Day national celebrations.

14/10/2025

Culture news

'America's original hero': Trump makes Columbus Day a national holiday

The US president has reinstated Columbus Day as a national holiday to honour the explorer's legacy but the move has also reignited the debate about the origins of Columbus and the importance of Indigenous Peoples' Day.

13/10/2025

Culture news

Egyptian police seek rare pharaonic painting stolen from Saqqara tomb

The incident comes weeks after another incident that shook the archaeological community: the disappearance of a gold bracelet from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir that dates back to the era of the Third Transition.

12/10/2025

Culture Series

New photography show uncovers the secrets of Soviet criminal tattoos

Through black-and-white portraits, Belgian artist and filmmaker Nicolas Wieërs reveals the faces and tattoos of men whose bodies became coded maps of rank and defiance within the gulag system.

10/10/2025

Culture news

Gloria Estefan makes Madrid move to mark Hispanic heritage days

In Spain, thousands of people filled Madrid's Plaza de Colón to celebrate 50 years of the Cuban-American artist's career, in one of the biggest events of the Hispanidad 2025 celebrations.

06/10/2025

Culture news

Mondiacult 2025: Sharing culture as a means of peace and resistance

This week Barcelona played host to Mondiacult, UNESCO's World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development. AI, climate change and commitments to peace were top talking points...

02/10/2025

Food and Drink

Oktoberfest worldwide: German culture celebrations go global

This year's Oktoberfest is well underway in Germany but the celebrations are no longer only limited to Munich. The annual parade of Bavarian heritage has found numerous international offshoots: from golf courses in Mallorca to luxury resorts in the Maldives and even virtual beer tents.

25/09/2025

Culture news

Taste the intangibles: Italy launches bid to protect its cuisine

The Italian government and the Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI) have promoted the candidature of Italian cuisine as a Unesco Intangible Heritage Site. Italy already has 61 World Heritage Sites and 19 Intangible Heritage Sites

22/09/2025

Culture news

Artefacts recovered from Titanic’s sister ship after 109 years

Items including the ship’s bell, navigation light and luxury fittings were retrieved in a week-long operation.

17/09/2025

Design

RIBA reveals Sterling Prize shortlist for best British architecture

The Royal Institute of British Architects has announced six nominees for its prestigious Stirling Prize, the UK's highest honour recognising top design.

05/09/2025

Culture news

Portuguese bullfighter's death sparks row over social media hate

There's always heated debate about bullfighting in Portugal. Supporters claim its celebration of tradition and culture, while animal welfare activists say it's an outdated practice. But the tone of such arguments have changed dramatically this week following the death of a young bullfighter.

30/08/2025

Travel News

How Dubrovnik is using tourists to protect its cultural heritage

As record numbers of tourists continue to visit Dubrovnik this year, the city is looking for positive ways to use tourism revenue to protect fragile monuments.

22/08/2025

Lifestyle

Mexico accuses Adidas of cultural appropriation over shoe design

The "Oaxaca Slip-On" was created as part of a collaboration between Adidas Originals and US designer Willy Chavarria. Oaxaca state authorities said the company did not acknowledge the design's indigenous origins.

07/08/2025

Culture news

German courts convicts trio for stealing ancient Celtic gold coins

A German court has convicted three men of stealing hundreds of coins from a Celtic and Roman museum that are considered to be part of the biggest trove of Celtic gold found in the 20th century.

29/07/2025

Art

Bukhara Biennial: A ten-week exploration of food, art, craft and music

In the heart of Bukhara, where caravans once traded silk and spices under the desert sun, something new is simmering, and it all begins with a recipe.

27/07/2025

Europe News

EU vows to protect Ukrainian culture as Russia targets over 500 sites

Moscow has destroyed or damaged more than 500 cultural sites in Ukraine, according to UNESCO. The EU has allocated an additional €2 million to support the cultural sector.

11/07/2025

Culture news

Can-can celebrations as iconic Moulin Rouge windmills turn again

Traffic was blocked in Paris' famous Montmarte district as dancers from the legendary Moulin Rouge performed outside the venue to celebrate the wheels turning again on its iconic windmill, more than a year after it accidentally dropped to the ground.

11/07/2025

Culture news

Thousands celebrate traditional Estonian song and dance in Tallinn

The voices of tens of thousands of choir singers echoed across Estonia this weekend to unite in folk song and dance, much to the delight of huge crowds of spectators unfazed by gloomy weather in Tallinn.

07/07/2025

Culture news

Spain's San Fermin kicks off with a chupinazo that looks to Palestine

The nine-day festival is famed for its “encierros,” or bull runs, which, starting on Monday, will see thousands of people sprint to avoid six bulls charging along a winding cobblestoned route to the city’s bullring.

06/07/2025