Sandra UIJLENBROEK | Karen JENESON
(Municipality, Heerlen, The Netherlands)
Keywords: urban heritage, making heritage visible in the city, heritage as urban identity
Abstract:
The Roman heritage of Heerlen is unique and special. We intend making it visible in the city’s Roman Quarter. The Roman baths, a national monument, are the major showpiece of Heerlen’s Roman collection. The restoration that is currently underway will allow us to preserve this unique monument for future generations. But there is much more of the city’s Roman past to view: the Roman collection, markers in public areas, and remains underground. New archaeological investigations are providing additional insights into the history of our city. With these new excavations, we are literally digging down into our past. But we don’t only want to make the story of Roman Heerlen visible – above all we want to enable people to experience it. When you walk through this part of Heerlen in 2020, you’ll really feel the city’s Roman past. It’s urban heritage that Heerlen can be proud of!
In the project ‘Roman Quarter’ we are looking for new ways to present our heritage. A 3D shooting of our Roman Bathshas been made and we’re now exploring good ways for using it in restoration and presentations for visitors of the museum.