Heritage Goes Digital: Inside EHL’s Initiatives
Have you ever noticed how heritage is going digital, just like so much else in our lives? Today, centuries-old stories from ancient castles to Baroque halls and historic battlefields can be explored with just a click. This raises an interesting question: how are EHL sites embracing the digital world?
As a young heritage professional, I found myself asking the same. To better understand this transformation, I reached out to Miguel Senra Hermana, Culture and Citizenship Manager at the EHL Bureau, who shared his insights on the network’s digital initiatives.
Click, Tap, Explore
Digital exhibitions are like tiny portals that fit in your pocket. With a click or a tap, anyone can wander through a centuries-old site, explore collections or watch immersive content from home. According to Miguel Senra Hermana, “Developing digital initiatives has been a priority of the Bureau since the very beginning.” The EHL Call for Projects supports collaboration and experimentation, encouraging sites to turn their collections into interactive stories that reach wider audiences.
“We want sites to try new ways of presenting heritage online and to learn from each other along the way,” Hermana explained. Digital exhibitions are more than just websites; they’re an entry point to heritage, offering access and engagement to audiences who may never set foot on-site. “The ultimate goal is to build the capacities of site managers and teach them how to digitize cultural heritage representations” he added, emphasizing the training and skill-building behind these initiatives.
Learning Together Across Borders
One project that truly stands out is Digital Together, a collaboration between five EHL sites to create online exhibitions using a shared platform. But the project is about more than the final product; it’s about building knowledge and skills across the network. He highlighted that “It’s about developing a system that could be used by all sites, from design to implementation.”
Some sites are digital veterans, while others are just beginning their journey. Watching them collaborate is like witnessing a behind-the-scenes workshop that spans Europe, full of experimentation, creative sparks and shared learning. Hermana pointed out that “Because of the growing importance of the digital environment, it’s vital that sites without expertise upgrade their skills, otherwise they will fall behind.” These collaborations aim to strengthen the network, ensuring that all sites grow together rather than working in isolation.
Where the Audience Already Is
One of the biggest lessons in digital heritage is understanding where the audience actually is. Audiences aren’t waiting at the museum door instead they are scrolling, clicking, watching and sharing online. Hermana likened this to putting a billboard about a car repair shop on the side of a highway: “Highways are where drivers are.”
Digital exhibitions meet people where they already spend their time: social media and digital classrooms. For younger audiences, this approach is particularly effective. Hermana explained that digital initiatives can engage students because “Nowadays many classrooms have digital blackboards with internet connection and many professors use laptops and projectors… they can access online materials, maybe exhibitions about nearby EHL sites that they will visit in the future.”
In this sense, digital exhibitions don’t replace the physical experience but they act as an appetizer that makes you crave the full meal: a real visit to the site.
Challenges and Growth
Of course, not every site is at the same level when it comes to digital expertise. As he noted that “Some sites have a lot of expertise, normally because the digital environment has been in their focus for many years and others which do not have so much expertise, just because this environment has never been an actual priority in their management strategies.”
The EHL Bureau supports sites with guidance, training and collaborative projects, helping bridge these gaps. The goal isn’t competition; it’s collective growth. Digital exhibitions are as much about learning and connecting as they are about technology. As Hermana put it, “Digital exhibitions must not be the only but one tool of the many we have in our toolbox to communicate the European significance of the EHL Sites.”
A New Dimension of Heritage
Ultimately, digital exhibitions add a new layer to heritage. Hermana clearly explained that, “They allow sites to have not only a physical presence but also a digital one. Being in the digital environment will allow sites to potentially disseminate their significance further than ever, from their corner of the world up until the other.”
For audiences, this means that Europe’s cultural stories are no longer confined to a single location. They can explore, engage and interact from anywhere in the world and hopefully be inspired to step into the physical space to experience the full story. Digital exhibitions aren’t replacements; they’re extensions, enriching the way we connect with Europe’s shared heritage.
And yet, as digital storytelling grows, I can’t help but wonder: what will heritage look like in ten or twenty years, when physical and digital experiences are fully intertwined? Will online exhibitions become a standard expectation for every heritage site or will the magic of being there in person always hold the ultimate appeal? For now, we’re only scratching the surface of what digital heritage can offer and the future promises discoveries as rich and layered as the history itself.