CAFÉ

Coffees as a European Cultural Heritage

2024 - 2026

Café is a Project co-funded by the EU Creative Europe program: started in November 2024, will end in October 2026.

The project aims to redefine historic Cafes as a unique European cultural heritage as well as their relevance and vibrancy in the 21st century, including as a meeting point for artists and artistic works with the broader public.

The heritage of European café culture defined the period of the Enlightenment, and most “European values” are rooted in its heritage: in fact, the values of equality and social integration all grew out of conversations around café tables in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The project aims to revitalize this culture-now in decline-through the involvement of artists, who were the driving force behind social change until the early 20th century.

The project aims to reconstruct a phenomenon that was once the focus of social cohesion and dialogue.

The three main objectives of the project are:

To develop a comprehensive repository of knowledge and resources tailored for cultural coordinators working within cafes. To achieve this goal, a platform will be created to promote the exchange of methodologies and best practices among café professionals. Based on the platform, a training program will be developed with an accompanying handbook for café cultural organizers.

Create a cohesive community and identity for Cafés, recognizing them as a vital intangible heritage in the 21st century. Work will be done on creating a common identity for the network of Cafes engaged in promoting cultural engagement.

Encourage historic Cafes to transform themselves into innovative channels for the cultural and creative sectors by facilitating unique and engaging ways to connect with audiences. The project will experiment with cultural activities through the involvement of contemporary artists and promote transnational exchange and connection of cultural programs among the Cafes.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Complete the online form by entering your details and uploading the required materials:

A short personal text answering one or more of the questions below (maximum 300-350 words).
At least one photo, image, illustration, audio or video (historical or contemporary) Images: JPG or PNG, maximum 5 MB
Audio or Video: MP4, maximum 100 MB, maximum duration 2 minutes

The collected contributions will be included in the Map of European Cafes, published on the project website and disseminated on our channels, and will be a source of inspiration for the work the artists will do.

Partners