TEHIC-Handbook_of_best_practices

2. An overview of the concept of heritage interpretation and its evolution. TEHIC Towards a European Heritage Interpretation Curriculum 12 Heritage interpretation is a strategic communication aiming to provoke emotions A s noted in the previous section heritage interpretation is a strategic activity in the sense that it works with the creation of a carefully designed message that is identified prior to the interpretative intervention. The ultimate goal of heritage interpretation is to preserve the legacy, generating a sense of stewardship and respect for the resources. As in any heritage intervention, a series of objectives linked to the resources and the place, to the visitors, to the commu- nity and to the institution itself are outlined. In addition, for each interpretative intervention there are a series of objectives that we must draw up, and of course reflect later on in our intervention: these are the specif- ic heritage interpretation communication goals. These have a peculiar format of writing, and we can identify three different types (Veverka 1994); an example of a guided tour in a castro * is also included: · Conceptual or knowledge goals – “I want visitors to understand …” E. g.: “I want visitors to understand the strategic relevance of the location of this cas- tro in the territory.” · Emotional or affective goals – “I want visitors to feel….” E. g.: “I want visitors to be surprised by the similarities between the way of life of the people who inhabited the castro in ancient times and the current communities living in this area today.” · Attitudinal or behavioural goals – “I want visitors to do (or not to do)…” E.g.: “I want at least 50% of the visitors to actively participate in a dynamic that the guide will propose at one of the stops to recreate the organisation of the community within the castro. ” It is important to emphasise that every time we design an interpretative intervention, we not only want people to understand key information about the place, but we also want to provoke a series of emotions linked to the heritage and to encourage appropriate and participatory behaviour. If the experience has been transcendent, that behaviour is more likely to be extended beyond, into other similar contexts and experiences. * castro , from Latin “castrum”. In Spain, a fortified settlement, usually pre-Roman.