Echoes of the Past

Often described as ‘a museum without walls’, the Ecomuseum concept focuses on local people celebrating their sense of place whilst encouraging participation in enhancing the local quality of life through economic regeneration. It is a dynamic way in which communities preserve, interpret, and manage their heritage whilst allowing for innovation and change for a better future.
Ecomuseums are now found throughout Europe and indeed across the world. Local communities are at the heart of the Ecomuseum philosophy but the scale and focus can vary quite significantly. Eco-museums are more properly defined by what they do rather than by what they are. To most people who admire the concept it is likely to be the sense and uniqueness of ‘place’ and the nature of empowerment of local communities that they see as the drivers of excellence and sustainability. Examples of eco museums in the UK are limited and there is a need to explore the concept in a greater depth to add value to the development of rural areas and learning from best practice.