In 2003, the UNESCO General Conference in Paris adopted a convention for the preservation of intangible cultural heritage. Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is extremely broad in this context and includes customs, festivals, traditional craft techniques, as well as music and natural sciences. Since joining in 2013, the Federal Republic of Germany has also committed itself to this task under the motto “Knowledge. Skills. Passing on.” Museum institutions can play a key role in this, as they can cover a particularly wide range of areas at the intersection of the public, research, and education. Many of the crafts practiced there are already recognized as intangible cultural heritage, and many other techniques that have already been lost are waiting to be rediscovered through comprehensive research. At the same time, numerous collaborations and international networking beyond national borders can be used by museums to highlight connections, similarities, and differences between individual traditions.

As part of the International Congress of Agricultural Museums (CIMA), the Saturday conference section “Intangible Cultural Heritage in a Museum Context. The Role of Agricultural Museums, Living History Sites and Archaeological Open-Air Museums ” wants to bring together both museum professionals as well as practitioners to talk about:

• Best Practice Examples for ICH documentation, preservation and research

• New initiatives for the recognition of ICH both on a national and international level

• Development of strategies to strengthen the role of museum institutions in the context of ICH

• Creation of networking possibilities and synergy effects for associations and institutions

Lauren Muney will be presenting a paper at this conference, and participating in all activities.