The first Conference on Cultural Heritage and New Technologies took place in Vienna in November 1996, at that time still under the name "Workshop Archaeology & Computers", with 60 participants from Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
After 25 years of successful management of CHNT by the City Archaeology of Vienna, there was a change in the organization in 2021. The conference is now organized by "CHNT-ICOMOS Austria", a branch of the Austrian National Committee of ICOMOS, in cooperation with the City of Vienna (MA 07 - Cultural Department).
ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) is an NGO for the protection and conservation of the world's monuments and sites of outstanding value. Conscientious, independent and solution-oriented monitoring of UNESCO World Heritage sites is the duty of everyone. ICOMOS understands that transfer of knowledge needs to be comprehensible and that discussion with experts from diverse disciplines is a mandate to support the concerns of all stakeholders.
Thanks to the cooperation with the City of Vienna, the conference can take place in the City Hall of Vienna. On the one hand, it offers sufficient space to hold meetings and discussion panels in a suitable setting and in parallel, and on the other hand, as a historically valuable building, the City Hall is a wonderful location for a conference on cultural heritage.
The mission of the International Conference on Cultural Heritage and New Technologies was and still is to bring together in Vienna scholars from all over the world covering a wide range of disciplines and using the latest technologies for prospection, research, documentation, conservation, presentation and management of the world's cultural heritage. The focus is primarily on interdisciplinary cooperation between experts with a strong interest in the application of new technologies in the field of cultural heritage.
CHNT provides a platform for exchanging views on the Cultural Heritage protection agenda. During the conference the latest approaches to the research, management and monitoring of world heritage sites, cultural assets and archaeological monuments will be presented. A particular concern is to make the conference also usable as a platform to exchange ideas on the agendas of cultural property protection. Discussions among colleagues from a wide range of disciplines is an anchor point of the event. Sessions, round tables, advanced trainings, applications and poster presentations present the latest approaches to researching, managing and monitoring archaeological monuments, world heritage sites and cultural objects.
The 28th edition of the conference in 2023 focused on Cultural Heritage as a Resource and addressed Technologies for the Paradigm Shift in Archaeology, Conservation and Education. The objective was to explore strategies for transforming the approach to perceiving and addressing impending challenges and crises, with a specific emphasis on recognizing archaeology and cultural heritage as valuable resources. The need for technological foundations, resources and education to allow for a digital interaction with cultural heritage assets, raises questions about the impact on workflows, distribution of knowledge, ethics, the digital divide and authenticity.
The last conference united around 200 on-site attendees and an additional 60 virtual participants from all over the world. The event showcased an engaging program, including 10 sessions, 6 round tables, 3 panels, and 3 workshops. The exhibitors and sponsors on site gave an exciting view into the practice of dealing with cultural heritage.
2024 marks not only the 29th Conference on Cultural Heritage and New Technologies (CHNT), but also the 60th anniversary of the Charter of Venice. This document is considered a milestone in the development of a modern understanding of cultural heritage. It has helped to shape the practice of heritage conservation in the following six decades. A lot of developments have taken place since then, new challenges and threats to heritage arose and so have new technologies that help to document, research, manage and valorise our cultural heritage. CHNT 29 aims to break new ground by leaving the theme of the conference open to ideas on all challenges, ideas and tasks that lie ahead of us in 2024. These include the areas of inventory, research, documentation, conservation, management and dissemination.
Working with and for cultural heritage, the variety of topics is growing every year. We are proud that the CHNT community is diverse, interdisciplinary and represents researchers, professionals (both academic and non-academic) and authorities.
CHNT29 will take place from November 2-4, 2024. All important information can be found on the website: www.chnt.at