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During the implementation period of the project (In)Visible Traces. Artistic Memories of the Cold War (2024–2026), a series of public discussions, round tables, artistic interventions, exhibitions, research activities, educational programs, study visits, advocacy initiatives, and international exchanges took place across Croatia, Germany, Austria, and Romania. Through conferences, public programs, online campaigns, publications, collaborations with cultural institutions and civil society organizations, as well as advocacy activities related to endangered sites of memory such as Goli Otok and Sveti Grgur, the project sought to open broader public dialogue on neglected, marginalized, and contested 20th-century heritage sites and their relevance today.

As part of this process, we are publishing the report “20th Century Heritage in Danger – Recommendations and Perspectives from the (In)Visible Traces Project.”

The publication brings together reflections and recommendations developed through activities in Croatia, Germany, Austria, and Romania, focusing on sites of memory connected to political repression, violence, and difficult histories. The recommendations combine proposals and reflections emerging different activities, later collectively revisited and consolidated during the final project conference held in Dresden in March 2026.

The recommendations address cultural institutions, policymakers, educators, researchers, artists, and civil society organizations, emphasizing the importance of long-term care, public participation, interdisciplinary cooperation, advocacy, and contemporary artistic approaches in working with difficult heritage.

At a time when many sites of memory remain abandoned, politically contested, increasingly commercialized, or insufficiently protected, the publication calls for stronger institutional responsibility and more inclusive, democratic approaches to remembrance across Europe.