The exchange visit went according to plan and received an excellent rating from the participants – CNT fulfilled its hosting role!

Our colleagues and guests, Kathlen Boal from National Trust Scotland and Michael Leigh from the UK National Trust, finished their visit on 17 September and returned home with lots of new contacts, insights, notes and experiences. And we from the Czech National Trust took away the same from the meeting. We managed to catch up and fill the agenda to the brim and even added a few interesting places, people and topics for discussion during this two-week marathon.

Here is just a basic list of the places where managers, owners and keepers of the historic buildings met and discussed their problems and experiences with each other:

• Kroměříž and the surrounding area with its exceptional monuments, historical context and especially Zdislavice with our memorial of Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach which was presented by CNT manager Martin Krcma with the substantial support from the Archbishopric and the colleagues from the National Institute of Monuments (NPU).
• The Karlova Koruna Castle was presented by the owner and ANOPA member Francesco Kinsky dal Borgo
• Loučín Castle, excellently managed and privately owned by Mrs. Šrámková, another member of ANOPA who guided the participants around the site
• Finally, on the programme was the Rožmitál pod Třemšínem Castle, managed by CNT member Eva Heyd and the Rožmitál Castle Association and for inspiration the Březnice castle managed by the NPU and the Jan Jakub Ryba church was also included.

In the following days, the participants should start to work on a final report on the topic that each of them has set in advance, from hours of tours, explanations and joint search for solutions to the questions and assignments. At the same time, other trust colleagues are getting ready to travel to the host country and are at the same time preparing the programme for their colleagues/guests. The whole round of exchanges (6 pairs from each trust to another host country) should be completed by March 2023 at the latest, followed by the presentation of the final reports of each participant and the closing ceremony of the whole SEECHT Erasmus+ project.

And of course, we will all try to make use of the new knowledge and maintain the contacts we have established, to continue to meet professionally and exchange experiences in the field of management, maintenance and financing of historical monuments, working with volunteers and visitors. Already today, all of us at CNT are sure that this project has brought us a great deal and will continue to do so.