Culture Guiding & Heritage Interpretation

In this course, tour guides and prospective tour guides will explore the importance and principles of cultural heritage interpretation. You will further understand the different types of cultural heritage such as archaeological sites, religious and sacred buidlings, urban heritage as well as intangible cultural heritage such as performance arts or traditional crafts.

Who is this course for? 

The course is intended for tour guides and prospective tour guides and anyone interested in the topic.

What will you learn? 

• You will get an overview of the importance and the principles of cultural heritage interpretation
• You will understand the difference between tangible and intangible cultural heritage
• You will learn about the different objects of cultural heritage interpretation

Keywords: Tour guiding, cultural heritage, interpretation, tangible cultural heritage, intangible cultural heritage

Introduction to Cultural Heritage Interpretation

Lesson 1: Introduction

Introduction

It’s really good to see you again in this, the 7th learning unit of our tour guiding course. Today I’d like to talk about culture guiding and heritage interpretation. Two very important topics that often come up in guided tours.

Although often challenging for me as a tour guide, the interpretation of a country’s cultural heritage is often a highlight of the tour for my guests. I know what you’re thinking. It always depends on the guests, of course. 

On the other hand, assuming we’ve done our homework, such relaying of information is often a great way to draw our guests in and welcome them to the host country by introducing them to its history and culture. The emphasis there is on doing our homework. By that I mean preparation work. However, there are so many different tools available for heritage interpretation that it can sometimes be quite difficult to decide which one to use. That’s something we’ll look at. And I’ll also present the very basic ideas and principles of interpreting cultural heritage. 

I’m really pleased to have you with me in this learning unit on a topic that’s very important to me personally. So let’s get started.

Cultural Heritage Interpretation

Lesson 1: What is cultural heritage interpretation?

What is cultural heritage?

Heritage is a broad concept and includes the natural as well as the cultural environment. It encompasses landscapes, historic places, sites and built environments, as well as biodiversity, collections, past and continuing cultural practices, knowledge and living experiences. It records and expresses the long processes of historic development, forming the essence of diverse national, regional, indigenous and local identities and is an integral part of modern life. It is a dynamic reference point and positive instrument for growth and change.

Cultural Heritage is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community and passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions and values. Cultural Heritage is often expressed as either Intangible or Tangible Cultural Heritage. Cultural heritage is fragile and needs protection and safeguarding.  This is the reason why special training is essential for tourist guides in this area.

Why is cultural heritage interpretation important?

ICOMOS Charter for the Interpretation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage Sites

In recognizing that interpretation and presentation are part of the overall process of cultural heritage conservation and management, the ICOMOS Charter for the Interpretation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage Sites establishes seven principles:

Step 1: Facilitate understanding and appreciation

Facilitate understanding and appreciation of cultural heritage sites and foster public awareness and engagement in the need for their protection and conservation. 

Step 2: Communicate the meaning

Communicate the meaning of cultural heritage sites to a range of audiences through careful, documented recognition of significance, through accepted scientific and scholarly methods as well as from living cultural traditions. 

Step 3: Safeguard the values

Safeguard the tangible and intangible values of cultural heritage sites in their natural and cultural settings and social contexts. 

Step 4: Respect the authenticity

Respect the authenticity of cultural heritage sites, by communicating the significance of their historic fabric and cultural values and protecting them from the adverse impact of intrusive interpretive infrastructure, visitor pressure, inaccurate or inappropriate interpretation. 

Step 5: Contribute to the sustainable conservation

Contribute to the sustainable conservation of cultural heritage sites, through promoting public understanding of, and participation in, ongoing conservation efforts, ensuring long-term maintenance of the interpretive infrastructure and regular review of its interpretive contents. 

Step 6: Encourage inclusiveness

Encourage inclusiveness in the interpretation of cultural heritage sites, by facilitating the involvement of stakeholders and associated communities in the development and implementation of interpretive programmes.

Step 7: Develop guidelines

Develop technical and professional guidelines for heritage interpretation and presentation, including technologies, research, and training. Such guidelines must be appropriate and sustainable in their social contexts.

I would like to share with you an interview with Peter Debrine. He is a project manager at UNESCO and an expert in cultural heritage interpretation.

Interview

[Presenter] Welcome to another expert interview. I’m really excited to have Peter Debrine from UNESCO with us today to talk about cultural heritage interpretation. Hi, Peter. Thank you very much for joining us. And without further ado, let’s get straight to my first question. What is cultural heritage interpretation and how can it foster human values as defined by UNESCO?

[Peter Debrine] Well, cultural heritage in general, when we think of it, we often think of the preservation and the conservation of old things and old buildings. But of course it’s much, much more than that. It’s our songs, our dances, our music, our food that really shape us into who we are. And it’s this interpretation of these traditional practises that make tourism more meaningful and more rich. 

[Peter Debrine] Article Four of the World Heritage Convention in fact states that to ensure the identification and protection, the conservation and presentation and transmission of cultural heritage. And it’s this presentation and transmission where interpretation plays a key role. Article Five of the Convention focuses on communities to adopt a general policy to give cultural natural heritage a meaningful function in the life of the community. Again, this is where cultural interpretation is very, very important and cultural heritage interpretation facilitates an understanding and appreciation of cultural heritage, again enriching the visitor experience and making the communities more resilient.

[Presenter] And how can cultural heritage interpretation lead to more sustainable tourism after the crisis?

[Peter Debrine] Fundamentally, I think the cultural heritage interpretation can, by encouraging a more meaningful experience, lead to a greater understanding and mindfulness amongst the visitors and the local communities. And by encouraging heritage interpretation, we can reshape tourism success at a destination and a visitor level which can lead to more resiliency within communities and different approaches for sustainable tourism.

[Presenter] In your view, how can cultural heritage interpretation be used to make visitors and local communities more aware of our common future? 

[Peter Debrine] Interpretation adds meaning to experiences, whether this comes from feelings or thoughts or emotions, and how we interpret heritage is critical for the way we shape our common future. 

[Peter Debrine] By increasing the capacity of local communities to participate in the planning and management of tourism has a huge potential to really encourage widespread community participation. And this helps in raising awareness across borders. When established on cultural and social principles, tourism represents a resource for innovation, creativity and job creation. And this is then reflected in the tourism products and service development, which is fundamental to cultural heritage interpretation. And by engaging and empowering people to interpret on their own, we can offer paths to a deeper meaning and stimulate participation and promote stewardship for all heritage.

 [Presenter] Thank you very much for your insights and for taking the time to talk to us. And of course, many thanks to our viewers too.

The aim of cultural heritage interpretation

Cultural heritage interpretation does not only mean the transmission of information. It rather aims at provoking interest and learning about historical, natural and cultural resources, objects and places, understanding its origin and relationships. To be effective, cultural heritage interpretation must develop a “sense of identity” of a community.

Role of the tour guide as an interpreter

Professional tour guides identify and consider different objects of cultural heritage interpretation in their tour guiding practice. They apply principles and tools of cultural heritage interpretation with confidence, creating a sense of belonging to citizens and forming a part of their identity with the aim to protect and conserve cultural heritage and sites of their country.

The role of the tour guide as an interpreter is:

• to connect people with the land (historical, natural, cultural place or object),
• to create experiences which stimulate learning, understanding and a deeper meaning of places, 
• to provoke a resonance and participation of the audience,
• to develop a “sense of identity” of a community,
• to raise awareness and foster preservation of cultural heritage.

Lesson 2: Principles of cultural heritage interpretation

In recent years, a set of principles for cultural heritage interpretation – the Ename Charter – has been adopted by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). This checklist provides helpful guidance when planning and preparing interpretation, aiming to encourage to think more critically about interpretation.

I have written down the principles for you on these flashcards.

1. Access and Understanding 

Interpretation and presentation should facilitate physical and intellectual access by the public to cultural heritage sites. 

2. Information Sources

Interpretation and presentation should be based on evidence gathered through accepted scientific and scholarly methods as well as from living cultural traditions.

3. Context and Setting

The interpretation and presentation of cultural heritage sites should relate to their wider social, cultural, historical and natural contexts and settings.

4. Authenticity

The interpretation and presentation of cultural heritage sites must respect basic tenets of authenticity.

5. Sustainability

The interpretive plan for a cultural heritage site must be sensitive to its natural and cultural environment, with social, financial and environmental sustainability among its central goals.

6. Inclusiveness

The interpretation and presentation of cultural heritage sites must be the result of meaningful collaboration between heritage professionals, host and associated communities, and other stakeholders.

7. Research, Training and Evaluation

Continuing research, training, and evaluation are essential components of the interpretation of a cultural heritage site.

Apply principles in tour guiding

Tour guides can and should apply these principles. We have summarised some of my notes on this here.

Help

Tour guides should help guests to understand and appreciate cultural heritage sites. Raise awareness and engagement for protection and conservation of cultural heritage sites.

Communicate

Tour guides should communicate the meaning of cultural heritage sites to guests. This should be done through accepted scientific and scholarly methods as well as from living cultural traditions, recognising the site’s significance

Safeguard

Tour guides should safeguard the tangible and intangible values of cultural heritage sites in their natural and cultural settings and social contexts.

Create

Tour guides should create respect for the authenticity of cultural heritage sites. Communicate the significance of their historic and cultural values to the guests. Provide accurate and appropriate interpretation. Protect sites from the impact of intrusive interpretive infrastructure and visitor pressure.

Contribute

Tour guides should contribute to the sustainable conservation of cultural heritage sites. Promote guests understanding of ongoing conservation efforts. Ensure long-term maintenance of the interpretive infrastructure and regular review of its interpretive contents.

Encourage

Tour guides should encourage inclusiveness in the interpretation of cultural heritage sites. Facilitate the involvement of stakeholders and associated communities in the interpretive programmes.

Develop

Tour guides should develop technical and professional guidelines for heritage interpretation and presentation, including technologies, research, and training. Such guidelines must be appropriate and sustainable in their social contexts.

I have been thinking for some time about how we can prepare for our guided tours in relation to the seven principles. The following tasks came to mind:

• Describe in your own words what cultural heritage interpretation is
• Describe all seven principles of cultural heritage interpretation.
• Principle 7 “Research, Training and Evaluation”: Identify professional development and training opportunities for interpretation practice in your region. Describe how you would share good interpretation practice within your community.

Tools for heritage interpretation

There is a variety of different tools and interpretative media available for presenting cultural heritage interpretation, including printed material, guided tours, digital formats etc.

Once we as tour guides have determined what story we want to tell (e.g. about which object, historical, natural or cultural resource, place or intangible element etc.), we utilise personal and non-personal methods for cultural heritage interpretation.

Personalized Tools and Methods

• Personalised interpretation consisting of face-to-face guiding
• Help visitors connect emotionally with a resource, e.g. to feel pride, empathy, or even anger, sadness and frustration 
• Personalised interpretation includes activities such as guided tours, factory tours, craft demonstrations, storytelling, first-person interpretation, re-enactments and participatory learning, performing arts etc.

Non-personalized Tools and Methods

• Use of informative material, trails, brochures and displays etc.
• Printed materials e.g. brochures, leaflets, printed images etc.
• Interpretative displays 
• Multimedia (e.g. > audio visual like slide shows film, video > computer based like interactive sites > Roving like handheld audio or video tours on CD, DVD or podcast > Visitor controls like podcasts, mobile phone delivery)
• Web based interpretation > web sites can be a valuable interpretation tool

Choosing Interpretative Media

• Personalised interpretation consisting of face-to-face guiding
• Help visitors connect emotionally with a resource, e.g. to feel pride, empathy, or even anger, sadness and frustration 
• Personalised interpretation includes activities such as guided tours, factory tours, craft demonstrations, storytelling, first-person interpretation, re-enactments and participatory learning, performing arts etc.

Determining the right tools in advance can be crucial for the success of the guided tour. To help you prepare, here are two tasks for you.

• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of personal and non-personal methods of cultural heritage interpretation.
• Choose an object for cultural heritage interpretation in your region. Identify and describe personal and non-personal tools you would utilise to interpret the object.

Objects of Cultural Heritage Interpretation

Lesson 1: Tangible and intangible cultural heritage

Cultural heritage does not end at monuments and collections of objects. It also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants. Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations.

Tangible: something which is real, has an exact value. Comprehensible by the mind and understandable, exhibiting physical and touchable form and can be perceived by sight or touch. 

• Monuments, including architectural works, works of sculpture and painting, elements or structures of archaeological nature, cave dwellings, etc.
• Groups of buildings
• Urban sites
• Archeological sites
• Cultural landscapes

Intangible: While fragile, intangible cultural heritage or living heritage is an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of growing globalization. An understanding of the intangible cultural heritage of different communities helps with intercultural dialogue, and encourages mutual respect for other ways of life. The importance of intangible cultural heritage is not the cultural manifestation itself but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills that is transmitted through it from one generation to the next, for example:

• Oral traditions
• Performing arts
• Social practices 
• Rituals
• Festive events
• Expressions
• Knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts

What is UNESCO?

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture. 

UNESCO’s cultural conventions endeavour to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage such as ancient archaeological sites, intangible and underwater heritage, museum collections, oral traditions and other forms of heritage

1972 World Heritage Convention

The World Heritage Convention is a global conservation legal instrument that combines culture and nature to promote dialogue between peoples. Adopted by UNESCO in 1972, it is the only international treaty dedicated to both the preservation of cultural properties and the protection of nature. 

It is based on the principle that some cultural and natural sites are of such importance that their significance transcends national boundaries and holds the same inestimable worth for the whole of humankind. To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of ‘outstanding universal value’.

2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

The 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage aims at safeguarding intangible cultural heritage that is in step with international agreements on human rights and that meets requirements of mutual respect among communities and of sustainable development. 

It is the first International treaty to provide a legal, administrative and financial framework to safeguard this heritage.

Tours guides play an important role in promoting the safeguarding of cultural heritage, and promoting cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. What is it like in your country?

• Name 3 tangible and 3 intangible cultural heritage elements from your country and describe them.  
• Name UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites in your country or in neighbouring countries.

Lesson 2: Interpreting different types of Cultural Heritage

Cultural Landscapes 

UNESCO defines cultural landscapes as cultural properties that represent the ‘combined works of nature and of man’. They are illustrative of the evolution of human society and settlement over time, and testify to the creative genius, social development and the imaginative and spiritual vitality of humanity. 

Some sites reflect specific techniques of land use that guarantee and sustain biological diversity. Others embody an exceptional spiritual relationship of people with nature. There are over 100 cultural landscapes inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Colonial heritage

Colonial heritage sites are often important tourism drawcards, and it’s not uncommon for destinations to renew colonial era constructions for tourism. You can find many World Heritage sites inscribed on the List for their colonial heritage across Africa, Asia, North America and Latin America.

As explained by the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICRROM), in past years, a growing number of cultural institutions, archives, museums across Europe, Northern America, Australia, are trying to address the challenge of decolonizing their institutions. From street names and statues that glorify people responsible for massacre and genocide, to objects in museums taken from their original owners, to the human remains of unidentified people held as collection artefacts- it’s important to be educate guests about the complexities and sensitivities around the colonial heritage you are interpreting. 

Caribbean, Central and South America

Buildings of the Spaniards and Portuguese in the Caribbean, Central and South America show few original stylistic features. In the 16th and 17th centuries, they were often in pure baroque style, built in a strict Renaissance style, with traces of the Mudehjar style at the beginning. 

In the 18th century, churriguerism (a kind of Hispanic Rococo) prevailed, which has developed particularly lavishly in Mexico. It is sometimes characterized by the contrast between the simple, solid construction required by the new environment and the baroque ornamentation exported from Spain.

North America and India

Colonial style from the 17th to the middle of the 19th century still preserved, utilizing contemporary architectural motifs, especially classicism, with the possibilities of the country. 

Special feature of the buildings of wealthy planters and traders is the use of local materials such as wood instead of marble for columns and pillars. Entrances often copy ancient entrance hall with portico or attic, as in English country estates.

Africa

The 19th century architectural style of the continental European powers is still present in Southwest East and South Africa. Famous examples of Wilhelmine architecture can be found in Windhoek, Lüderitz or Swakopmund. 

Europeans settled early on Gold Coast in Ghana (Portuguese from 1470). Dutch settled east of Cape Coast Castle and elsewhere and drove out the Portuguese in 1637. English also settled, but their forts, with the exception of Cape Coast Castle, were taken by the Dutch in 1667. Subsequently, the Royal African Company of merchants was formed in 1672, British dominated.

Among the forts there are UNESCO world heritage sites, such as Fort Amsterdam and Fort Saint Anthony, both in Ghana, Fort Jesus in Mombasa (Kenya) and Castle of Good Hope Cape Town (South Africa). This famous castle was erected by the Dutch East India Company in 1666 and is the oldest colonial structure in South Africa

You can help by avoiding inaccurate or inappropriate interpretations of colonial heritage. Approach the topic by in a balanced manner, mindful of the complexities of the topic while engaging guests to help promote awareness and intercultural dialogue.

Guests are often very interested in local colonial heritage and architecture. I have therefore prepared the following task for you.

• Name 3 examples of colonial architecture and write a short commentary. 

Lesson 3: Urban Heritage and Tourism

Urban Heritage

According to UNESCO, urban heritage, including its tangible and intangible components, constitutes a key resource in enhancing the liveability of urban areas, and fosters economic development and social cohesion in a changing global environment.

Cities are today home to more than half the world’s population. According to UNWTO, urban tourism constitutes an essential driver to the socio-economic development of many cities and their surroundings rural areas. Urban tourism contributes significantly to innovation and the conservation and promotion of natural and cultural resources. There are over 300 cities inscribed on the World Heritage List across the globe.

Popular types of urban tourism destinations 

Ancient city

Forum, “town hall”, thermal baths, temple, fortifications, irrigation and drainage (cloaca), aqueduct, fortifications. 

Roman cities often emerged from a castrum with a rectangular floor plan in the street layout, some of which are still visible today. According to the plans of Hippodamus of Miletus, the Greek cities were also often laid out with right-angled streets, which was again reflected in urban planning in the 19th century.

Coastal cities

There are two types of seaside cities:

• Built on the hill, whereby the residents were forced by the lack of space to build higher and higher up the mountain slopes, narrow, low residential areas in the harbor area, spacious, more elegant buildings the higher one climbs up.
• Other type of seaside city in which the ships could dock directly in front of the department stores and residential buildings by means of canals or rivers. Trading centers with tall, narrow buildings (size only fully unfolds backwards).

Many maritime cities have in common that they endeavored to acquire possessions and rights across the seas and to establish colonies, branches or at least bases abroad. This orientation towards other countries implies great openness to the new and the foreign.

Residential cities

While sacred buildings dominate in the episcopal cities, it is the courtyard buildings in royal cities: 

Residence, chancelleries, ministries assigned to it, court churches and court theatres, diverse buildings for stables and guards, monastery foundations and votive churches, special church buildings that served as burial place of the princes, villas and castles in the country.

Capital cities

Capitals are the largest cities in country and have always been the spiritual centre of the culture of the respective state. What distinguishes capitals from residential cities is: 

• Political power and task
• The special position of population, economic power and intellectual production
•  Their opposition to the province

UNESCO Creative cities

Urban areas are hubs for culture and creativity, and driving forces for sustainable development and urban regeneration.  

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. The 200+ cities which currently make up this network work together towards a common objective: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level.

Creative city themes include:

• Crafts and Folk Art 
• Design 
• Film 
• Gastronomy 
• Literature 
• Media 
• Arts 
• Music

If you’re visiting a UNESCO Creative City, familiarize yourself on the city’s creative attributes, as well as the related attractions or events that may be of interest to your guests.

Themes and topics about…

City Plan: Which elements formed the city (e.g. castle, market, bridge, shipment point, settlement of a largely commercial population)? How did the city grow?

• Road network, development of districts, arrangement and design of the houses, manor and poor areas, slums?
• Which trades dominate; how did people work then and how they work today? Trade promotion, department stores etc.
• Hospitals, social care and security
• Environmental pollution (noise, water supply, waste disposal, urban measures to keep water clean and for disposal)

Society:

• Special rights for parts of the urban population, freedoms etc.
• Urban upper class, middle class and lower class (prestige and moral code of the individual classes e.g. dress codes, lifestyle, worldview etc.) 
• Marginalized groups (beggars, strangers) and minorities
• Faith and manifestations of piety

Planning a city tour

• Planning a city tour requires intensive preparation due to a large number of monuments following subsequently and possible changes of the prepared route (through construction sites, one-way streets, obstacles, etc.). Tour guides have to balance complications on tour through good city knowledge, flexibility and imagination.

Function of the city tour

• Introduction to the history and heritage of the city.
• Offer initial opportunities for orientation.
• Explain and show monuments/buildings which entrance fees are not included in the visit.
• Suggestions for free time

Selection of sights

• Selection of sights according to travel brochure and degree of awareness, combine aspects of local proximity and historical links.
• Consider historically significant places (e.g. founding of the city, important historical, political and cultural events etc.).
• Describe the landmarks and monuments as you drive past and have information available regarding opening times.
• Prepare general information in event of traffic jam or “idle times”, e.g. anecdotes about the city and its personalities; industrial focus; climate; culinary specialties; shopping etc

Planning the route

• Determine hotel location and street through which the bus will drive into the city.
• Draw route, including sights, one-way streets, bus routes and parking, get on/drop off points, distances to be covered by coach and on foot, discuss with coach driver (e.g. print map).
• Be informed about significant traffic changes (e.g. construction sites, pedestrian zones and one-way streets).
• Time planning e.g. off/on coach, entrances, walks by foot, meeting points etc.
• Plan rest breaks such as coffee and lunch breaks.

City walks

Planning a city walk is similar to a city tour. City walks are a great way to let guests experience the city and its heritage first-hand. The benefit of city walks is that tour guides can focus on a special topic or theme and present interesting places or buildings. Although physically more strenuous, there are more options to engage participants and help famliarise them with the city.

• Number of participants should not exceed 20-25 people.
• Consider use of audio/wireless tour guide systems to support guests and minimise noise/disruption.
• Get off coach at one side of city, arrange meeting point with coach at other end, saving time and energy.
• If larger group or sights are further apart, chose bridging further distances by coach or split up group, using local guides.
• Plan for breaks and short explanations and standing times to avoid exhaustion.
• Use coach driving times for city walk preparation and follow-up, e.g. historical explanations so that you can focus on sights whilst on city tour.
• Prepare for different weather conditions.
• Prepare participants, explain route (copied city map) > orientation for participants.        

City tours can be planned well in advance. I have prepared three tasks for you.

• Describe how you would characterize the cities in your region in terms of culture and heritage.
• Prepare a city tour with a list of the places, the main topics that you cover and the time you calculate for each section (using the example of the city in which you live).
• How would you modify this city tour for rainy weather?

Lesson 4: Museums, palaces, religious and sacred sites

Visiting Museums

Visit to museums and exhibitions form an important part of educational tours. Tour guides should plan and prepare visits thoroughly, applying tools and principles of heritage interpretation.

Special Exhibition:

• Title/theme of overall conception, mostly belonging to an artist, a political personality or a personal historical or art-historical epoch for this main theme.
• Tour guide chooses exhibits to deliver sub-themes of the art, putting them into context to the main topic.

Permanent Collection:

• More difficult to follow an overall concept, a “red thread” in large collections as major works are to be of different epochs and origins.
• Selection of exhibits/objects (around 6-8 larger and 8-10 smaller/less important objects).
  
  
• Not possible to follow a topic over the whole tour to a > try to compare exhibits and to set them into relation, finding a “red thread”.

Leadership Guidelines:

Different methods to establish connections between museum objects:

• by temporal connection (e.g. at the same time, an age earlier, only few years later)
• by comparison
• by contrasting “This statue of saints was for the private chapel of the prince behaviour, this battle painting in the reception rooms had a completely different function …”)
• by recalling already prepared topics in order re-connect in front of the new object
• by asking questions in order to reinforce “red thread” again

Anna and Elias also talk about what is important when planning a museum tour in their podcast series. I am making the podcast episode available to you here.

Conversation

[Elias] Welcome to the museum, my fellow tour guides. Today Anna and I would like to talk about how we can plan museum visits and also how we can carry them out. And needless to say, there are a few things to keep in mind.

[Anna] Long standing times, extensive boring lectures, poor visibility of the exhibits. These are the things we should avoid at all costs.

[Elias] Exactly, and that means one thing above all, good preparation work. I would recommend setting a theme for the guided tour and then choosing the exhibits based on that. You can work out which order to view the objects in according to the layout of the museum’s rooms. No one wants to walk back and forth all the time. 

[Anna] My tip is to hone your time management skills and put them to good use. It’s wise to undertake some research before you go so that you are familiar with the museum’s current opening hours and whether it closes over the lunch break too. 

[Elias] That’s true. In some countries you may find yourself standing in front of a closed door at lunchtime. I also really recommend making sure it doesn’t get too crowded in front of the objects you want to see, so that your guests have enough space. I often visit the museum before a tour and check how the exhibits are arranged and how much space there is for visitors. 

[Anna] Yes, and that leads us to the museum tour itself. When standing in front of an object with our group, we need to make sure everyone can hear us, that we’re not inadvertently speaking to the exhibit itself. 

[Elias] Yes, marble statues and the like are not very good listeners, to be honest. No. All joking aside, we also have to take care of our guests a bit. We have to make sure that they can hear what we’re saying and that we place them well and plan in regular breaks. 

[Anna] Exactly. So that it’s a pleasant experience for our group. 

[Elias] Yes, it’s as simple as that. What I’d also recommend is giving a short overview of the museum itself at the beginning of the tour, and maybe even handing out a map. Most museums now offer that free of charge.

[Anna] Often the museum building has an interesting story to tell, or the history of the collection. 

[Elias] Absolutely. Right at the end of a guided tour, I like to give my guests some time to enjoy the exhibition on their own. I arrange a meeting point and time. This is not only nice for those who want to take a closer look at the exhibition, but also for those who want to buy something in the museum shop. 

[Anna] That’s always a good end to a museum tour. Anyway, I hope these suggestions have been helpful. As always, thanks for listening, and wherever you are, enjoy your next museum visit.

[Elias] Bye guys.

I think Anna and Elias have already given a good impression of all the things that need to be considered when planning and carrying out a museum tour. Now it’s your turn with the following tasks.

• Which important museums are in your region? List typical exhibits. What are the main topics? 
• Name the selection of the objects and how you would design the connections from one to the next location.

Palaces, castles and manor houses

Palaces: Palaces are forming the official residence of past/present rulers (e.g. king/queen) or chief of state (president), archbishops or pope etc. Deriving from Latin Palatium, the name of the Palatine hill in Rome, where the house of the emperor was situated. Some palaces are open to the public and host museums and exhibits

Castles: Castles have been used as residence as well as for defence in warfare. They have been built during the Middle Ages as fortified structures to protect royalties or nobility predominantly across Europe. With over 900 years building history, main characteristics of the fortified castle against attack remain the same: thick walls, battlements, towers, and often a moat.

Forts and Fortress: Established as a military dwelling to defend territories or towns from attacks in warfare, forts and fortresses exist since early history. Distinction to castles as they form not part of residence of a monarch or noble.

Manor Houses: Residence of a lord, the manor house hosted the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system. Architectural characteristic includes a great hall where lord held manorial courts. Some manor houses were fortified.

Visiting palaces, castles, fortresses and manor houses

Heritage interpretation of palaces, castles fortresses and manor house follow principles of cultural heritage interpretation. It’s important to cover a variety of different themes, such as the buildings and structures, to its specific functions and related intangible elements. Ranging from the building and its structure itself, to its specific function and use in former and present days to related themes and intangible elements, such as cultural traditions and customs, poetry and festivals etc.

Introduction

Locate viewpoint for introduction of building, alternatively during coach journey.
Example: The medieval castle

• Development of castle as building: forms and building elements

Information

Provide information about building’s history and function.

Example: The medieval castle

• Military function, peacekeeping, economic function for securing customs revenue on roads, rivers and bridges, economic and administrative centre, secular rule, symbol of aristocratic representation

Different themes

Provide a selection of different themes connected with building and type of building, draw cross-connections and/or comparisons.

Example: The medieval castle

• Medieval warfare, heraldry, chemical, biological, psychological weapons
• Crusades, religious rights, orders of knights

I personally always find castles and manor houses very exciting. How is that for you? A guided tour on this topic can be prepared well using examples. Try it and see for yourself!

• Research and prepare an introduction to a castle in your region.
• Research information about Cape Coat Castle in Ghana, prepare a lecture on the castle and include the theme “Slave trade in Africa”.

Heritage of Religious Interest

The visit of sacred buildings, such as temples, mosques, synagogues, churches and monasteries are also an important part of educational tours. These days, some of them have discontinued their religious function and are open to visitors as museums. Approximately 20 percent of the properties inscribed on the World Heritage List have some sort of religious or spiritual connection. Tour guides plan and prepare visits thoroughly, applying tools and principles of heritage interpretation.

According to ICCROM, living religious heritage has characteristics that distinguish it from other forms of heritage. Sacred sites, which, according to UNESCO “are indeed the oldest protected areas of the planet”, and “have a vital importance for safeguarding cultural and biological diversity for present and future generations.” Collectively, the religious and sacred properties capture a range of cultural and natural diversity, and each can singularly demonstrate the spirit of a particular place.

Interpreting at sacred sites

When visiting sacred buildings, a number of things should be taken into account, not only when planning in advance, but also during the guided tour.  

Step 1: Method

• Provide comprehensive historical introduction during coach journey, keep explanation of building history during tour as brief as possible (e.g. start of construction, intended function etc.).
• Before entering, choose a point from which the building can be seen, provide description of the building, its importance in the landscape (e.g. on the top of a hill) or in the urban area (as the end of a large road).
• Start from the west side, i.e. from the main entrance, tour around the church only if e.g. the apse or side portals and the decoration of the longitudinal fronts are particularly interesting.
• Describe the main lines of a building in the horizontal and vertical arrangement. Do not just present history, but describe components to acquire architecture-specific vocabulary (e.g. using a dictionary of architectural terms).

Step 2: Organisation

• Find out opening times or arrange an entrance with rectory or key bearers (sexton, custodian).
• Clarify whether a service is being held during visit.
• In some places of worship there are automatic lighting devices into which coins have to be inserted, ask where you can find a custodian or sacristan to illuminate the room.
• Increase the experience by e.g. including an organ concert or a church service in the visit.
• After the tour, time should be given to buy information material such as postcards or souvenirs and to take a toilet break.

Step 3: Interior visit

• Set up the church in such a way that the participants can sit in the site if a longer explanation is given.
• Inside tour to begin on the inside of the west façade (good overall view of the interior of the church and feeling for the size of the building).
• Describe structural elements related to certain styles and to intellectual-historical framework.
• Explain construction, statics and building materials, later changes and reconstructions of the room.
• Most important pieces of equipment. Start in south aisle, to the east and return via north aisle. 
• Point out basic iconographic types that re-appear in the entire Catholic world.
• If religion is less known to guests, explain the function of individual parts of the interior and exterior architecture in relation to the rite.

Step 4: Comparison

• Different types of construction, e.g. to a mosque (cross-axis four-iwan courtyard, central building with dome)
• Different elements for interpretation, e. g. to a mosque (the minaret, fountain for the ablution in the courtyard of the mosque, the sermon chair, the prayer niche, carpets)

Especially in the area of sacred buildings and sites, we can address so many different topics. I have thought of these three examples for you.

• Create a sacred site tour in your region with the selection of objects and topics, include order and time planning.
• Are there any special Christian cults in your region that do not exist in America or Europe (e.g. death cults)? Describe these.
• Islamic religious buildings: Create a small general lecture about the mosque. 

Lesson 5: Archaeological sites and UNESCO World Heritage sites

Transcript
The historical monuments of Mtskheta are located in the cultural landscape at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers in central eastern Georgia, some 20 kilometres northwest of Tbilisi in the city of Mtskheta. They bear testimony to the high level of art and culture of the vanished Kingdom of Georgia, which played an outstanding role in the mediaeval history of this region.

They express the introduction and diffusion of Christianity to the Caucasian Mountain region and reflect the social, political and economic evolution of the region since the late 3rd Millennium BC. The property consists of the Jvari Monastery, the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and the Samtavro Monastery.

Mtskheta was the ancient capital of Kartli, the east Georgian Kingdom from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD, and was also the location where Christianity was proclaimed as the official religion of Georgia in 337.

To date, it still remains the headquarters of the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church. The favourable natural conditions, its strategic location at the intersection of trade routes and its close relations with the Roman Empire, the Persian Empire, Syria, Palestine and Byzantium generated and stimulated the development of Mtskheta and led to the integration of different cultural influences with the local cultural traditions After the 6th century AD, when the capital was transferred to Tbilisi, Mtskheta continued to retain its leading role as one of the important cultural and spiritual centres of the country.

The Holy Cross Monastery of Jvari, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Samtavro Monastery are key monuments of Mediaeval Georgia. The present churches include the remains of early buildings on the same sites as well as the remains of ancient wall paintings. The complex of the Svetitskhoveli cathedral in the centre of the town includes the cathedral church, the palace and the gates of the katolikos Melchisedek. They date from the 11th century. Built on the site of earlier churches dating back to the 5th century, the cruciform cathedral is crowned with a high coupler over the crossing, and there are remains of important wall paintings in the interior. The rich sculpted decoration of the elevations dates from various periods over its long history.

The small Dome Church of the Samtavro Monastery was originally built in the 4th century and has since been subject to various restorations. The main Church of the monastery was built in the early 11th century. It contains the grave of Mirian the Third, the King of Iberia, who established Christianity as the official religion in Georgia. The historical monuments of Mtskheta contain archaeological remains of great significance, that testify to the high culture in the art of building, masonry crafts, pottery, as well as metal casting and processing and the social, political and economic evolution of this mountain Kingdom for some 4 millennia.

They also represent associative values with religious figures such as St Nino, whose deeds are documented by Georgian, Armenian, Greek and Roman historians, and the 6th century church Jvari monastery remains the most sacred place in Georgia. Mtskheta has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. In 2016, the World Heritage Committee removed historical monuments of Mtskheta site from the list of World Heritage in Danger. The decision reflected recognition of Georgia’s efforts to improve the safeguarding and management of the site.

World Heritage properties, especially living, religious and sacred sites require specific policies for protection and management that take into account their distinct spiritual nature as a key factor in their conservation. These properties, to be found in most countries around the world, constitute the largest single category on the list. Links between nature and culture are evidenced in spiritual sights. It is no coincidence that many religious locations are within landscapes that have significant natural values. Christian sanctuaries are places of a unique contact between man and God. Such churches have long been meeting places for people on a pilgrimage of faith. This tradition still exists today, even if many sanctuary visitors primarily want to explore the cultural heritage or discover the sources of spirituality.

As you have seen and heard in the film, there are a lot of things to consider when planning guided tours in Archaeological Cities and UNESCO World Heritage sites. Let’s delve a little deeper into the topic.

Archaeological sites

An archaeological site or group of sites show preserved evidence of past activity: either prehistoric, historic or contemporary. Sites range from only a few or no remains to remains above ground to buildings and structures which form part of an archaeological record. 

Planning a visit to an archaeological site 

Planning and preparation of a visit to an archaeological zone comprises of challenges as monuments are often preserved in fragments and unmarked, demanding high imagination of tour guides and visitors.

Preparation:

• Retrieve maps and floor plans of the temples and buildings as well as photographs of the most important buildings, selection of the most important sights, model of the reconstructed system on display in the museum, etc.
• Time planning: the tour should not be longer than 1 1/2 to 2 hours, so as not to overload participants’ capacity. Exception for very large sites (Examples e.g. the gigantic excavation site of Leptis Magna in Libya) Prepare for longer tour duration with breaks (and seating). 
• Note and plan ahead for areas that are particularly difficult to walk on > for health and safety reason but also bearing in mind that physical exhaustion affects the mental receptiveness.

The Visit:

• Consider the importance of the visit within the overall program (e.g. if a Roman theatre is the most beautiful, the first or perhaps even the only one visited on the trip, a longer explanation should be included).
• Create a relaxing visit to an archaeological zone: the sights usually follow one another loosely, are in an inner context, the visitor moves in nature and in the fresh air.
• If possible, avoid the midday heat and visit the excavation site in the late afternoon when the light is particularly beautiful (photographers!) and often forms wonderful golden hues on the ruins.
• If there is enough time, arrange an evening visit as purely atmospheric and adventure-oriented. 
• If the archaeological zone is affiliated to a museum, it should be visited at the end of the tour, Objects can now be placed within the local context.

Tools for Interpretation:

• Reconstructions of buildings, e.g. in form of sketches, photographs of models, photos of the current state, film with reconstruction animation.
• Explanation of excavation methods e.g. field inspection, aerial photography, underwater archaeology, work with probes for electronic measurement of earth resistance or with metal detectors.
• Research methods e.g. pollen analysis, radiocarbon dating etc.
• Use of images of e.g. daily life, clothing, hairstyles, armour, etc.
• Comparative photographic material e.g. similar work created at the same time, models and architectures influenced by the viewing object.
• Utilise important archaeological-art-historical technical terms e.g. column, capital, fluting, architrave, cornice, metope, triglyph, cella.
• Reference to the present e.g. authoritarian rule has often been represented by classic forms.
• Topicality of history e.g. based on a Roman triumphal arch > triumphal arch in the Christian church, and in classicism.
• Quotes from old travel reports highlights very special charm of an archaeological zone. 

Guidelines/tips for visiting archeological sites 

• Only guide people where there are established pathways for visitors
• Never allow people to climb or walk over ruins; they can often easily collapse or be damaged by visitors overtime, destroying valuable information and lessening the experience for others
• Never pick up, take or disturb archaeological objects on the ground, whether parts of the buildings, objects or pottery fragments strewn around the site; every object – large or small- contributes to our knowledge of the site and the people who lived there and should be left in situ to future generations  
• Do not touch inscriptions or sculptures or similar parts of a site that will erode overtime and gradually destroy the object
• As a rule, do not touch or disturb anything in the site as important information on the archaeological context may be inadvertently destroyed for future scientific research
• It is illegal to remove any archaeological object from a site, even seemingly insignificant pieces

UNESCO world heritage sites

A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by the World Heritage Convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). They have cultural, historical, scientific, natural or other outstanding value to humanity and contain ancient ruins, buildings, monuments, cities or natural sites like deserts, lakes, mountains of great natural beauty. 

Due to the variety and diversity of UNESCO World Heritage sites, the selection and use of interpretation tools needs to be carefully considered and adapted to each individual site.

To give you a good start, I have thought of the following tasks for you.

• Describe the tools to use for interpreting an archaeological site.
• Plan and prepare a visit to an archaeological site/zone in your region. Discuss with a colleague or friend.
• Research UNESCO World Heritage sites. Select 3 sites you would like to visit in person and describe why. 

You have successfully completed the seventh learning unit of the course “Digital Tour Guiding”. I look forward to seeing you again in the next learning unit.