Andorra Launches European Heritage Days on Sites at Risk

The Andorran Department of Cultural Heritage, part of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, has launched this year’s European Heritage Days from September 10 to 20. The initiative, promoted by the Council of Europe and the European Commission, unites activities across the continent under the theme ‘Heritage at Risk: Revive, Resist, Reimagine’.

The six events focus on threats to Andorra’s tangible and intangible heritage from social, technological and environmental changes, as well as measures to identify, safeguard and transmit it. Attendees can explore vulnerable sites and restoration projects.

Activities begin on September 10 from 6pm to 7.30pm with the colloquium ‘The Genesis of the Meritxell Sanctuary’ at the Basilica Sanctuary of Our Lady of Meritxell. This ties into the 50th anniversary of the New Sanctuary’s construction following the fire that destroyed the original building and its contents—an illustration of heritage risks and recovery efforts.

On September 11 from 6pm to 7pm, the National Library hosts ‘The Godmother’s Attic’, a session for children led by Olga Armengol and Mercè Canals, introducing oral traditions through popular Andorran legends.

September 18 features a fresco painting workshop from 4pm to 6pm at the Cultural Heritage restoration workshop in the former Hotel Rosaleda, where participants learn the traditional technique used in local churches and create their own murals.

On September 19 from 10.30am to 1pm, ‘Resist and Reimagine: Dry Stone as an Element of Identity’ takes place at the Sabater barn near the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley entrance in Escaldes-Engordany, emphasising the technique’s role in landscape and cultural continuity.

That evening from 7pm to 8.30pm, Casa Rossell’s large threshing floor hosts the concert ‘Dry Crumbs: Reinventing Andorra’s Popular Songbook’, followed by a visit to the dovecote, celebrating oral memory and folk music revival.

The schedule ends on September 20 from 9am to 1pm with ‘The Transhumance Path: Past, Present and Future’, a guided walk in Incles Valley organised with the Department of Agriculture.

Museums will offer open days, and Andorra Televisió will broadcast related programming.

Alongside the events, the Department of Cultural Heritage and the Department of Equality and Citizen Participation have started a public vote to prioritise restoration of one movable heritage item: Ricard Bofill’s original plans for the New Meritxell Sanctuary, a 19th-century grandfather clock from Casa Rossell, or 18th- and 19th-century liturgical books from Sant Miquel de Prats church. Voting is open from September 10 to October 25 on the government’s citizen participation portal at processos.visc.ad.