Interdisciplinary workshop examined the Northern European Country House
The second ENCOUNTER workshop is successfully completed after two days of interesting presentations and discussions about the Nordic Country House at King’s Manor in York on the 20th and 21th September.
The workshop was hosted by the University of York and brought together academics and curators from across Northern Europe to discuss the changing role of the country house in the cultural and economic networks between Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltic States from the eighteenth to the twentieth century.
The region was at the forefront of political and religious reform, colonialism, agricultural improvement, and scientific advances associated with the Enlightenment. The houses, landscapes and communities formed a critical element in the transition to modernity.
One of the themes discussed was the physical, social and ideological landscape of the country houses in different national, regional and historical contexts. A second theme presented a number of interesting examples from museums and heritage projects concerning restoration of landscapes, buildings and interiors and the dissemination of the life in the country houses. Last but not least the workshop also themed the economic and organizational challenges for the country houses and the cultural heritage today.
The workshop gave an inspiring input for the participants and the ENCOUNTER network members for the further work with research, conservation and dissemination of the Northern European Country House.