“Cultural Heritage in Motion Across Ages and Borders: Law, Arts, and Archaeology.”

Summary : From June 29 to July 11, 2025, the School of Law at the University of Clermont Auvergne (UCA) hosted the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) titled “Cultural Heritage in Motion Across Ages and Borders: Law, Arts, and Archaeology.”

Organized in partnership with three universities from the European alliance ARTEMIS — Ovidius University of Constanța (Romania), University of Ioannina (Greece), and University of Perugia (Italy) — as well as with UCA’s long-standing partner, Palacký University in Olomouc (Czech Republic), the programme brought together 25 highly motivated students and a diverse group of speakers: legal scholars, archaeologists, experts in aesthetic theory and musicology, and professionals in cultural heritage.

An Interdisciplinary Programme at the Heart of Contemporary Heritage Challenges

Between collective memory, plural identities, and political and geopolitical tensions, cultural heritage — whether tangible or intangible — raises complex and deeply relevant issues.

Who decides what is worth preserving?

How can heritage be protected against current threats (climate change, armed conflict, political transitions)?

How can it be transmitted across time and borders?

What legal tools and ethical approaches can be used to ensure its sustainable valorization?

Over two weeks, these questions sparked intense and interdisciplinary discussions. The programme, coordinated by Marie-Élisabeth Baudoin, Professor of Public Law at UCA and General Coordinator of the ARTEMIS alliance, offered a novel approach combining theory, practice, and comparative perspectives.

An Innovative and Immersive Format

An online module laid the theoretical foundations, followed by two weeks of in-person activities in Clermont-Ferrand, featuring lectures, case studies, interactive workshops, field visits, and student-led simulations.

Insightful and interdisciplinary sessions covered topics such as cultural heritage between identity and history, national, European, and international legal protection, restitution of looted artifacts, heritage protection in times of war, memory justice, and popular music and law.

Three excursion days allowed participants to explore the Temple of Mercury atop the Puy de Dôme, the archaeological sites of Gergovie and Corent with their rich Gallo-Roman heritage, and the cities of Clermont-Ferrand and Montferrand. An official welcome at the Clermont-Ferrand City Hall highlighted the importance of local partnerships.

A Resounding Success for ARTEMIS in Service of Students

This BIP powerfully demonstrated the benefits of combining theory and practice in an intercultural setting. Through exchanges between students and speakers from France, Greece, Italy, Romania, and the Czech Republic, the programme strengthened cooperation among university partners, advanced the development of joint initiatives within the ARTEMIS alliance and UCA’s historical partnerships, promoted student mobility, and supported internationalization at home. It also encouraged student engagement and showcased pedagogical innovation within the ARTEMIS framework.

A heartfelt thank you to all speakers, partner universities, UCA staff, and especially to the students for their commitment, curiosity, and enthusiasm, which made this edition a true moment of sharing and a collective success.

Merci, thank you, efcharistó, grazie, mulțumesc, děkuji!