REliHE

Religious heritage is a vital part of Europe’s cultural landscape. Despite its historical and artistic significance, many religious buildings are losing their original purpose due to secularization and demographic changes. Consequently, these sites often become underused, vacant, or even ruined, with their once-remarkable features falling into disrepair. This issue is particularly acute in rural areas, where additional challenges—such as limited resources and competing development priorities—further complicate the situation.

The combination of these factors means that the potential of religious heritage to contribute positively to local development is frequently overlooked. This is due to:

• Complex management issues
• Ownership problems
• Lack of sustainable reuse ideas beyond mere conservation

The reuse of religious heritage is deeply tied to collective memory, which must be considered when defining new uses for these buildings. Effective reuse requires a thoughtful approach to both the material and immaterial values of these sites, ensuring that their historical and cultural significance is preserved while adapting them for contemporary needs.

Interreg Europe addresses this challenge through a partnership led by the Politecnico di Torino (Italy), renowned for its strategic rethinking of religious heritage. The partnership includes:

• Province of Overijssel (Netherlands)
• Province of Zaragoza (Spain)
• Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship (Poland)
• Upper Palatinate (Germany)
• South Bohemia (Czech Republic)
• Zemgale (Latvia)

These regions aim to explore and unlock the potential of their religious heritage, which has often been sidelined in development plans due to historical factors.

REliHE seeks to enhance partners' knowledge and capacity by:

• Developing new strategies for strategic reuse
• Improving governance
• Enabling structural change

By focusing on these areas, REliHE aims to improve regional policy instruments and foster innovative approaches to the sustainable reuse of religious heritage.