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Unesco to launch virtual museum of stolen cultural artefacts | Planet Attractions
     



Unesco to launch virtual museum of stolen cultural artefacts

Unesco has announced plans to open a virtual museum of stolen cultural artefacts, with the offering aiming to raise public awareness of trafficking and the unique importance of cultural heritage.






Unesco has announced plans to open a virtual museum of stolen cultural artefacts, with the offering aiming to raise public awareness of trafficking and the unique importance of cultural heritage.

Developed in collaboration with Interpol - the international police organisation - the museum, which is set to open in 2025, is made up of a database of more than 52,000 cultural objects stolen from museums, collections and archeological sites worldwide.

In the museum, visitors will be able to explore virtual spaces containing detailed 3D images, each accompanied by materials explaining their unique cultural significance including stories and testimonies from local communities.

“Behind every stolen work or fragment lies a piece of history, identity and humanity that has been wrenched from its custodians, rendered inaccessible to research, and now risks falling into oblivion,” said Unesco’s director general, Audrey Azoulay.

“Our objective with this is to place these works back in the spotlight, and to restore the right of societies to access their heritage, experience it, and recognise themselves in it.”

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Unesco to launch virtual museum of stolen cultural artefacts | Planet Attractions


Unesco to launch virtual museum of stolen cultural artefacts

Unesco has announced plans to open a virtual museum of stolen cultural artefacts, with the offering aiming to raise public awareness of trafficking and the unique importance of cultural heritage.






Unesco has announced plans to open a virtual museum of stolen cultural artefacts, with the offering aiming to raise public awareness of trafficking and the unique importance of cultural heritage.

Developed in collaboration with Interpol - the international police organisation - the museum, which is set to open in 2025, is made up of a database of more than 52,000 cultural objects stolen from museums, collections and archeological sites worldwide.

In the museum, visitors will be able to explore virtual spaces containing detailed 3D images, each accompanied by materials explaining their unique cultural significance including stories and testimonies from local communities.

“Behind every stolen work or fragment lies a piece of history, identity and humanity that has been wrenched from its custodians, rendered inaccessible to research, and now risks falling into oblivion,” said Unesco’s director general, Audrey Azoulay.

“Our objective with this is to place these works back in the spotlight, and to restore the right of societies to access their heritage, experience it, and recognise themselves in it.”

More from The Guardian


 



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