Experts on eco-cultural heritage from all over Europe will gather at the University of South Bohemia

The University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice will host the international conference Eco-Cultural Heritage: Research & Education from 2 to 6 November 2026. Researchers, educators and cultural heritage experts will gather in the USBB Aula to discuss how landscape, cultural identity and education are interconnected.

The conference is organised by the University of South Bohemia together with Trnava University as part of the KreativEU European University Alliance. It is held under the patronage of the Mayor of České Budějovice, Assoc. Prof. Dagmar Škodová Parmová. The opening lectures will be delivered by Mauro Agnoletti, who focuses on historical landscapes and the relationship between nature and culture, and by Caitlin DeSilvey and Martin Michette, who will present an interdisciplinary approach to eco-cultural heritage education.

The programme features dozens of papers by authors from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Austria, Portugal, Sweden and other countries. Topics will include landscape memory and abandoned places, sustainable tourism, literature and art in the context of the environment, and the thousand-year tradition of pond fish farming. Many of the topics are directly related to the South Bohemian region: the talks will cover the South Bohemian pond landscape as a space for teaching natural sciences, carp pond farming in the Waldviertel and its path to FAO recognition, and České Budějovice's preparations for the title of European Capital of Culture 2028. The conference will conclude on Friday with a professional excursion around České Budějovice.

"South Bohemia is a prime example of how nature and human culture have shaped each other over the centuries. Pond systems, cultural landscapes and historic towns are not just monuments, but living heritage from which we can learn. I am glad that we can discuss this right here, with colleagues from all over Europe, and look for ways to bring this topic into research and into schools," says the conference's main organiser, Dr. Vojtěch Blažek.

"The conference is a tangible result of cooperation within the KreativEU alliance. It shows that a European university is not just a strategic document, but a real place where people, disciplines and ideas meet. For the University of South Bohemia, it is also an opportunity to present itself as an open, international institution," adds Vice-Rector for International Relations Prof. Vladimír Žlábek.