75 years at the service of Belgian heritage

"With the Second World War still fresh in everyone's mind, KIK-IRPA was founded by Coremans, following a unique interdisciplinary model in which research in the heritage field was brought together in a specific location. The Institute soon became a model and a reference point for cultural heritage worldwide. Today, 75 years later, the synergy between the different disciplines is still the key to the success of the Institute. However, the context in which we work has changed radically, both in Belgium and worldwide. The challenges we face were almost unimaginable 75 years ago: climate change, digital transformation, migration, the global energy and economic crises and the growing need to consider the social impact. The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage strives to be flexible in responding to these international dynamics."

"The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage plays an essential role in the inventorying, studying and preservation of our heritage. Together with its management, we wanted the Institute to respond to the field's needs, to make its data accessible to all, in short, to become even better rooted in society. Through the diffusion of knowledge via open access, a project such as "Chrisis", which responds to the needs in terms of disaster management for the whole country, or an event such as the "Heritage Challenge", which questions Belgians about the heritage that is meaningful to them, all contribute to this anchoring. I hope that KIK-IRPA's excellent work will continue with the same success in order to promote our heritage for our contemporaries and safeguard it for future generations."