Interview
Jacek Purchla
World Heritage Convention
Jacek is a Polish architectural historian and economist. After completing his studies at the Krakow University of Economics (UEK), he obtained a doctorate in art history from the Jagiellonian University in 1983.
He is now a professor in both institutions. He heads the Department of Economic and Social History and the Department of Cultural Heritage and Urban Studies of UEK, as well as the Department of European Heritage at the Jagiellonian University. Member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences, he is the founder of the Krakow International Cultural Center, of which he was the director until 2018. From 2000 to 2016, he chaired the Council for the Protection of Monuments of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
Jacek Purchla is also a member of several associations and international organizations related to heritage, including Europa Nostra, the International Committee of Art History and the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on the theory and philosophy of conservation and restoration. He is the author of several publications in Polish on Krakow's architecture and heritage. Since 2015, Jacek Purchla has been President of the Polish National Commission for UNESCO. In 2017, he chaired the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee in Krakow.
Interview with
Jacek Purchla
10 May 2018, Krakow, Poland
The following audio excerpts come from an interview with Jacek Purchla by Christina Cameron the 10 May 2018 in Krakow. The interviewee recounts his experience as Chair of the World Heritage Committee, his efforts to promote a return to the original purpose of the Convention and his willingness to promote the voice of civil society in the discussions.
- 1. The World Heritage Convention
- 1a. Involvement of Jacek Purchla in World Heritage
- 1b. Key objectives of the World Heritage Convention
- 1c. Synergy with other UNESCO cultural conventions
- 1d. Potential of the Convention
- 2. The World Heritage Committee
- 3. The Advisory Bodies
- 4. The secretariat of the Convention : World Heritage Centre
- 5. Conservation efforts of States Parties
- 6. Deliberate destruction of World Heritage sites
- 7. Involvement of civil society in World Heritage
Oral Archives of the
World Heritage Convention
Under the leadership of the Canada Research Chair on Built Heritage at the University of Montreal, an international team of researchers conducts interviews with pioneers of World Heritage to capture memories of important moments in the history of UNESCO Convention.
Launched in 2006, this initiative is part of the UNESCO History project that celebrated the 60th anniversary of the creation of UNESCO. The Oral Archives project records the precious witness of people closely associated with the creation and implementation of the Convention. Their recollections and views have greatly enriched the book by Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler, Many Voices, One Vision: The Early Years of the World Heritage Convention (Ashgate/Routledge, 2013).
