In September, within the framework of the European Heritage Days program, residents and guests of fifty European countries have the opportunity to visit cultural monuments that are inaccessible to the general public on ordinary days. In Belgium, the events of this program are distributed across all three regions of the country: Brussels, Flemish and Walloon.
The European Heritage Days are a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission, which is held in countries that have joined the European Cultural Convention. The beginning of this event was laid in 1984 in France, and the next year the idea appeared to make the project international. As part of this action, open days are held on September weekends, allowing the general public to get acquainted with the monuments of history and culture, which are closed to the public the rest of the time. Museums, whose expositions are available for viewing on ordinary days, participate in the event by organizing thematic excursions, exhibitions and lectures. As conceived by the organizers of the action, held under the motto "Europe: Common Heritage", Heritage Days demonstrate both the richness and diversity of European culture and the need to respect its monuments.
Since 1990, European Heritage Days have been held in all regions of Belgium. Each year, the organizers choose a new theme for the event. In the Brussels-Capital Region, Heritage Days take place on the third weekend of September. Ideas that unite events within the framework of a pan-European action, as a rule, are associated in this area of Belgium with construction, architectural and landscape styles, and trends in art. In 2012, guests and residents of Brussels had the opportunity to visit facilities that were built using innovative engineering solutions. The list of such structures includes defenses, exhibition centers, cathedrals, bridges and office buildings.
In the Walloon region, which unites the southern provinces of Belgium, Heritage Days are held on the second weekend of September. The theme of the 2012 events was famous personalities whose names are associated with Wallonia: artists, scientists, athletes and musicians. Thematic excursions and lectures organized within the framework of the project were held in places associated with the life and work of the Belgian artist Rene Margitte and inventor Zenob Gramm, the program participants visited the buildings erected by one of the founders of the Art Nouveau style, Victor Horta.
Heritage Days, taking place on the second weekend of September in the northern provinces of Belgium, in 2012 focused on the theme of art. Participants of the program had the opportunity to visit places that inspired artists and musicians, open the doors of studios, private libraries and salons, and see from the inside the buildings of old theaters and cinemas, converted for other purposes.
