Eşrefpaşa St. No:132 Konak
35260 İzmir/
Turkey
- Democracy and community development
- Heritage
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- International/Cultural relations
- Research
- Youth and education
HERITAGE-IZ was established in 2012 to protect, to develop, and to raise awareness of tangible and intangible cultural heritage of İzmir. The heritage projects and strategies contributing safeguarding, capacity building, community engagement, sustainable tourism and innovation are developed and implemented through the international (European Union, Goethe Institute, German International Cooperation Agency etc.) and national funded programs, also collaborations with relevant CSOs, local municipalities and public institutions.
HERITAGE-IZ has 7 full time professionals, an advisory board with 27 members as well as approximately 200 volunteers. The main working areas are: (1) Developing projects to renovate derelict historical buildings and re-introduce them to urban life with innovative functions which is compatible to its prior function, (2) Conducting inventory and research studies to reveal the city’s cultural heritage, (3) Organizing projects/events to reinforce a sense of belonging.
The mission of HERITAGE-IZ is to protect, to develop and to sustain the urban values of İzmir.
Among the goals of the association: (1) Documenting and preserving the existing cultural heritage by conducting inventories, research, and strategies; (2) Developing and implementing projects that enable the restoration and functionalization of historical buildings; (3) Keeping cultural heritage on the city's agenda and creating public awareness about it; (4) Strengthening the sense of belonging of the city's residents to their heritage; (5) Creating a sustainable cultural and tourism economy.
The main working areas are: (1) Developing projects to renovate derelict historical buildings and re-introduce them to urban life with innovative functions which is compatible to its prior function, (2) Conducting inventory and research studies to reveal the city’s cultural heritage, (3) Organizing projects/events to reinforce a sense of belonging.
HERITAGE-IZ has two social enterprises: İzmirShop collaborates with traditional craftspeople, designers, women’s cooperatives for the design and production of the souvenirs unique to İzmir.
KONTAK Innovative Learning Lab is where children and youngsters who came to Izmir through internal and international migration and have poor access to quality education, benefit from free-of-charge workshops including 3D design, ecological literacy, astronomy, robotics, cultural heritage etc, aiming to encourage disadvantaged groups within the region to participate in scientific and cultural activities.
HERITAGE-IZ also acts as a capacity building hub, and provides a living cultural space through İzmir Cultural Heritage Platform, of which members are culture operators including NGOs, heritage professionals, researchers, university students and local enthusiasts.
(1) A Stronger Civil Society to Conserve Cultural Heritage" project (01.04.2021-30.06.2022) aims to improve the capacity of our association and to create a sustainable network in order to raise the awareness about cultural heritage and conservation and becoming more effective both in local and national cultural heritage decision-making and implementation processes. (Source of funding: European Union)
(2)"Heritage Alive" project (01.04.2021-30.06.2022) focuses on the conservation, promotion and development of a deeper understanding of the cultural heritage and archaeological site of the Agora of Smyrna, with the aim of widening the public of visitors, increasing their awareness and stimulating the development of new tools for heritage interpretation. (Source of funding: European Union)
(3) "Innovative Learning Center" project (26.10.2018 – 26.04.2021) provided a 100-year-old historical school building, located at the historical city center of İzmir is restored under the concept of "Innovative Learning Center". (Source of funding: Izmir Development Agency)
(4) "Cultural Tourism Promotion and Brand Strategy of İzmir Historical City Centre" project (19/02/2021-21/12/2021) aims to carry out a holistic study to make İzmir Historical City Center a cultural tourism destination in parallel with the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Strategic Plan (2020-2024), İzmir Tourism Strategy, UNESCO World Heritage List process and Historical İzmir Routes. (Source of funding: İzmir Metropolitan Municipality)
(5) İzmir History Communication Project I-II" (22/05/2017-31/12/2020) Izmir History Project has been initiated by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality to preserve and revitalize the historical city centre spanning over 252 hectares of area. HERITAGE-IZ managed the communication part of the project on behalf of the Municipality in order to promote the project, to raise awareness and public support, and to achieve the project goals by fostering a sense of urban citizenship. (Source of funding: İzmir Metropolitan Municipality)
(6) "Submission of The Historical Port City of İzmir to UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List" (01/03/2019 – 31.12.2019). Coordination and preparation of the application file of Historical City Center of İzmir for the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. The area which has a history of 2,500 years has been included in the tentative list by 14.04.2020. (Source of funding: İzmir Development Agency)
(7) "Cultural Wealth of İzmir -Sustaining Jewish Heritage" (01.08.2020-31.01.2024). The Project, in which HERITAGE-IZ the project partner, aims to develop a new network and platform of CSOs led by İzmir Jewish Community Foundation (IJCF) for sustaining the Jewish Heritage within the cultural wealth of İzmir. (Source of funding: European Commission)
We, as an association dedicated to safeguarding and promoting cultural heritage, envision a synergy between our mission and the goals of the Network. By joining the Network, we commit to actively contribute to the network through our expertise. Our local and international collaborative projects, experience in community engagement, capacity building and youth empowerment align with the Network's objectives, promising to enrich the dialogue on intercultural understanding and civil society development. We aim to facilitate knowledge exchange, share best practices, and participate in technical programs that advance the future of information networking and interdisciplinary cooperation.
We’d like to become a part of the ALF Network because of the shared values that coincide between our association and the foundation, and also the intercultural dialogue opportunities that the Network provides. The Anna Lindh Foundation's commitment to promoting intercultural dialogue, youth empowerment, civil society cooperation and the preservation of cultural heritage aligns with our association's goals and activities. We believe that the Network offers a platform for meaningful exchanges, knowledge sharing, and partnerships that will enable us to contribute more effectively to the promotion of cultural understanding, social cohesion, and sustainable development in our region.