Estonian, Swedish museums extend invite to conference on maritime cultural heritage

TALLINN - The Estonian Maritime Museum and the Swedish Vrak - Museum of Wrecks have opened registration for the conference "Popularization of the Maritime Heritage through Museums", which will bring together experts from different countries in Tallinn on Nov. 10-11, 2022.

"We want to find new solutions to arouse greater interest in maritime culture. Through their main and accompanying activities, museums play an important role in its awareness and popularization. Since the Estonian Sea Culture Year in 2016, many good experiences have already been saved, but there are certainly still many untapped opportunities," Urmas Dresen, head of the Estonian Maritime Museum, said.

This is the third international conference that the Estonian Maritime Museum dedicates to maritime heritage. This year it will be held in cooperation with the The Vrak - Museum of Wrecks, which is part of the Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums.

"Wrecks and other objects at the bottom of the Baltic Sea give us the opportunity to acquire knowledge beyond their history. With their help, knowledge and skills can also be shared in biology, physics, environmental protection, sociology, digital technology, and many other areas of the school curriculum. Our museum has a considerable amount of experiences to share. At the same time, we are open to new solutions and broad cooperation," Odd Johansen, head of the Vrak - Museum of Wrecks, said.

On the first day of the conference, participants can listen to presentations that outline the solutions experienced in Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, the United States, and Poland. On the second day of the conference, participants can join two workshops that look for new opportunities to promote maritime heritage through cooperation between museums, educational institutions, and communities.

The conference will take place in Tallinn and its first day can be followed online. The conference will be held in English. Participants can follow the presentations and participate in the workshops free of charge. The dinner scheduled at the end of the first day of the conference can be attended for a fee. In both cases, prior registration is required no later than on Nov. 3, 2022.

Registration for the conference can be done and its program can be found on the website of the Estonian Maritime Museum.