Historical Heritage and Its Future Perspectives
From 9 to 16 November 2026, Lithuania is hosting the International Heritage Residency, bringing together professionals from Lithuania and abroad working in cultural heritage, architecture, restoration, museology and cultural management.
The residency brings together five specialists from Lithuania, Finland, Latvia, Côte d’Ivoire and the United States, each contributing diverse professional experience and perspectives on heritage preservation, interpretation and adaptive reuse.
The participants include Nina Robbins (Finland), an expert in museology and conservation; Maija Krasna (Latvia), cultural manager and owner of Ārdava Manor; N’Goran Lessa Daniel (Côte d’Ivoire), cultural heritage manager and museum curator; Jean Day (USA), specialising in cultural heritage and preservation; and Deimantė Meilutė-Ganusauskienė (Lithuania), PhD researcher in environmental engineering and owner of Lokinė Manor.
Throughout the week, the participants visit historic castles and manors across Lithuania, exploring their architectural, historical and cultural significance, examining different heritage management approaches and discussing opportunities for their adaptive reuse and sustainable development. The selected case studies include Zamkaus Manor (the former estate complex of Panemunė Castle), Raudondvaris Manor, Žemoji Panemunė Manor, Kaunas Castle, A. Freda Manor, Kiduliai Manor and Zypliai Manor.
The residency programme addresses a range of interconnected themes, including cultural routes and landscapes, the social role of heritage sites, historical narratives, accessibility, sustainable management and new opportunities for the contemporary use of historic properties.
During the final presentation, the international expert team will share the outcomes of their work throughout the week, presenting case studies, key observations and recommendations for the heritage sites visited. The discussion will explore how to balance the preservation of historical authenticity with contemporary needs, community engagement and the sustainable use of historic properties.
We warmly invite manor and castle owners, heritage site managers, cultural heritage professionals and everyone interested in the future of Lithuania’s historic heritage to join us for the final presentation and discussion.
Together, let us explore new ways to preserve, revitalise and bring Lithuania’s historic castles and manors to life.
Funded by the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.