The Singing Heritage Route has received certification as a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. The certification is a significant international recognition for singing traditions and for the long-term cooperation dedicated to preserving and promoting intangible cultural heritage across Northern and Baltic Europe.
The Estonian National Museum has played an important role in developing and promoting the Singing Heritage Route initiative in Estonia. Together with partners including the Estonian Literary Museum, the Song Celebration Museum, the Onion Route, the Seto Institute, local museums, and community organisations, the museum has contributed to strengthening connections between cultural heritage, local communities, and cultural tourism.
For the Estonian National Museum, the certification highlights the importance of preserving and interpreting living singing traditions as part of Europe’s shared cultural heritage. The route also supports international cooperation between museums, researchers, cultural organisations, and local communities working with intangible heritage.
The Singing Heritage Route brings together culturally significant singing traditions across Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The route connects, among others, the Kven/Finnish singing tradition in Norway; the Sámi joik, luohti, and leu’dd traditions across northern Norway and Finland; the runo-song tradition in Finland, Estonia, and Norway, including the Seto leelo tradition; the singing traditions of eastern Latvia, including multipart singing and singing with pusbols; and Lithuania’s sutartinės singing tradition. The Baltic song and dance celebration tradition is also part of the route’s thematic content.
During the certification process, the route’s strengths were recognised as its strong scientific foundation, demonstrated through active research collaboration, as well as its contribution to the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme through perspectives related to minorities and intangible cultural heritage.
The international cultural route is managed by the Singing Heritage Route Association, registered in Finland, which coordinated the application to the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme.
“Certification as a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe is a wonderful recognition for the region’s singing traditions. The programme also provides guidelines for developing cultural heritage and cultural tourism while supporting the continuity of operations,” says Anni Alho of the Finnish Heritage Agency.
Singing traditions can be experienced through festivals and events organised by members of the route network. In Finland, these include the Sommelo Folk Music Festival in Kuhmo and the Kihaus Folk Festival in Rääkkylä. In Estonia, examples include Seto Kingdom Day, as well as exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and community singing events organised by various cultural organisations and communities.
The Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Promote Shared European Heritage
The Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme is rooted in the 1987 Santiago Declaration, which emphasised the importance of the ideals of freedom, justice, and mutual confidence in shaping European cultural identities and overcoming distances, borders, and language barriers.
The Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe are internationally recognised cooperation networks in cultural heritage and tourism that highlight Europe’s shared cultural heritage and promote sustainable cultural tourism. In addition to tourism development, the routes are expected to engage in research-based activities, implement cultural heritage education initiatives, and connect cultural heritage with contemporary culture and the arts.
The programme is based on the Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes.
More information
Kristjan Raba
Coordinator of Special Exhibition Projects
Estonian National Museum
Kristjan.Raba@erm.ee