Heritage sites, museum objects, and cultural landscapes across Europe tell countless stories about our past, our values, and our shared identity. But how can we ensure that stakeholders can actively shape these stories, and that they reach visitors and communities in ways that truly resonate? This is where heritage interpretation (HI) plays a crucial role. It is the art and science of facilitating meaningful connections between people and the cultural or natural heritage they encounter and experience.
TEHIC (Towards a Heritage Interpretation Curriculum) is an Erasmus+ project dedicated to strengthening this field by developing a coherent, high-quality curriculum for training interpreters – the professionals who bridge the gap between heritage and people. From 2021 to 2024, universities, training providers, and heritage organisations from Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Germany, and Croatia worked together to advance the professionalisation of heritage interpretation in Europe.
Why was TEHIC needed?
Across Europe, there is growing recognition that high-quality heritage interpretation is essential for effective heritage management, inclusive education, sustainable tourism, and community engagement. However, training opportunities for heritage interpretation have long varied between countries, and there was no widely recognised curriculum defining the competencies needed for interpreters to carry out their roles effectively.
TEHIC addressed this need by designing a flexible, modular curriculum that can be adopted or adapted by universities, vocational education providers, and heritage organisations in different national contexts. Building on this foundation, the partnership also developed a free online course (MOOC) to offer an accessible introduction to heritage interpretation theory and practice, supporting wider capacity building across the sector.
What did the project achieve?
TEHIC produced a set of tangible results to strengthen knowledge and skills in heritage interpretation:
Identifying skills and good practices
The project started by mapping key competencies for interpreters through surveys, interviews, and workshops with educators and practitioners across partner countries. This resulted in a detailed overview of knowledge, practical skills, and attitudes relevant for heritage interpreters today. This work is presented in the Handbook of Best Practices in Heritage Interpretation: Read the Handbook
Designing a European curriculum
Building on this research, the partnership developed a curriculum framework covering topics such as storytelling techniques, audience engagement, ethics and critical approaches, sustainability, and practical skills for planning and delivering interpretive activities. The curriculum is modular and flexible: institutions can implement it fully or integrate selected parts into existing study programmes. Download the Curriculum
Developing supporting teaching resources
To make implementation easier, the team created lesson plans, unit outlines and exercises that help teachers and trainers combine theoretical learning with practical exercises on-site or in museums. Access the Learning Unit Sheets
Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)
To test the curriculum in practice and reach a wider audience, TEHIC launched the MOOC Heritage Interpretation: A View from Europe. Open to anyone interested, this free course aims to help professionals and students gain insights into interpretation’s principles and methods. Explore the MOOC
Building a network for continued collaboration
Equally important, TEHIC strengthened cooperation between higher education, vocational training providers, and the heritage sector. This network lays the groundwork for ongoing development and exchange of good practices in heritage interpretation across Europe.
Critical reflections and lessons learned
While TEHIC has taken important steps towards a shared European framework for heritage interpretation, the project also revealed persistent challenges. Partners found that despite a common educational basis, the concept of heritage interpretation can be understood and applied quite differently across professional contexts and languages. Using consistent terminology for modules, courses, and programmes proved more difficult than expected, highlighting the complexity of harmonising interpretation education in a multilingual and diverse heritage landscape.
These challenges suggest that there is still a need for a stronger theoretical foundation for heritage interpretation as an interdisciplinary field. The TEHIC partnership argues for more academic and practical exploration of how interpretation can be used not only in museum or heritage site contexts, but also as a versatile tool in broader heritage planning, community development, and policy-making. Strengthening the conceptual clarity and disciplinary recognition of heritage interpretation remains an important goal for educators and practitioners alike.
Impact and future outlook
TEHIC demonstrates how European collaboration can help professionalise a field by developing shared standards while respecting local contexts and traditions. By supporting high-quality interpretation, the project contributes to:
- More engaging and meaningful visitor experiences at museums, heritage sites, and cultural landscapes.
- Better understanding of the significance of cultural and natural heritage among visitors, stakeholders, and decision-makers.
- Stronger employability and career pathways for guides, educators, and heritage professionals.
- Closer links between education, heritage management, and sustainable cultural tourism.
All curriculum materials and resources developed by TEHIC are freely available for educators, heritage managers, and policy-makers who wish to strengthen interpretation as a strategic tool for education, sustainable development, and community wellbeing.
Celebrating results and looking ahead
The TEHIC partnership presented its results and shared insights at the project’s final conference ”Training and Professionalisation in Heritage Interpretation: Challenges and Future Directions”, hosted by University of Gothenburg 26-27th of May 2025. The conference brought together educators, heritage professionals and students to discuss next steps and future collaboration. The outcomes and reflections from TEHIC provide a strong foundation for continued dialogue and joint development of high-quality, inclusive, and theoretically grounded heritage interpretation practice across Europe.
If you would like more information about the TEHIC project or opportunities to build on this work, please visit our website or get in touch.
We’ll also continue to be active on our social media for a while after the project officially ends — follow us on Instagram, Facebook and X to stay connected!
