President: Comte Ghislain d'Ursel mail

Honorary Chairman: Jean Guéroult

Vice President: James Hervey - Bathurst

General Direction: mail

The “Europe of Private Historic Houses” is the website of the Union of European Historic Houses Associations (UEHHA). The Union connects the private historic houses in twelve countries that represent a noteworthy part of the European cultural heritage.
You will find the information about the Union and the national associations that make part of it in the first pages of the website.
Although the Union groups all the historic houses open or not to the public, only the open ones will be available online in the website. This project, that is still in progress, gives information about over three hundreds historic houses located in six countries. Its purpose is to exhibit the most of the historic houses in each countries of the Union.
The “Europe of Private Historic Houses” means to value the cultural interest of this patrimony and to make easier the visit of his tourists.

You will be able to find the descriptions of every houses:

• the history of the house and the families that lived in
• the architecture: ages, styles, etc.
• what the house features: furniture, tapestries, paintings, etc.
• the garden or the park: its composition, the botanic interests, important elements (buildings, perspectives, water games)

Furthermore the website will comprehend something about the real life in the house, its economical role, its management.

If the Houses has its own website, You will find the link to follow. You will be able to find useful information to reach and visit the House

Moreover it will be possible to find some indications and links about important buildings in the neighbourhoods, natural sites and other cultural paths that may include the House You are visiting.

Finally the site of the Union features a forum that serves three purposes:
• To illustrate the articles, conferences, thesis, book about this heritage for professors, journalists and students.
• To let the public join the discussions about safeguard, conservation and promotion of these historic houses.
• To share information among the national historic houses associations.

Consulting this site, visiting its historic houses and participating to the forum, You will contribute to keep alive the great European heritage of Historic Houses.

Jean Guéroult
Honorary Chairman

Heike Kamerlingh Onnes - founder of the Union.

What is the Union of European Historic Houses Associations?
The Union of European Historic Houses Association is a foundation dedicated to the conservation of Europe's great artistic and architectural heritage - its private historic houses and their gardens, parklands and estates (± 35% of the European listed Heritage).
It is a fact that this patrimony can best and most economically be preserved through private ownership within the framework of fringe conditions (legal, fiscal, subsidy etc.) for the benefit of this and future generations.

Which are the UEHHA's objectives?
The objectives of the UEHHA are:
to ensure the continuity of private historic houses, their contents, gardens, parklands and estates as living entities, and not as museums frozen in time;
to encourage national governments to provide support in achieving these objectives i.a. through public-private partnership;
to promote European cooperation in the conservation of historic houses and estates;
to provide a forum and support for national historic houses associations;
to promote interest in the historical, aesthetic, educational and environmental aspects of those houses and estates;
to promote, where this is practicable, the extension and improvement of present facilities of historic houses, parks,gardens and estates to enable society as a whole to enjoy their attractions and beauty.

The UEHHA members
The UEHHA is the umbrella organization serving national associations of private owners of historic houses, gardens, parks and estates in 12 countries of the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom) and Switzerland. These associations represents owner responsible for 20.000 houses listed as being of architectural or historic importance, for 200.000 hectares of historic gardens and parcs.

The structure of the UEHHA
The Chairman of the Board of Governors is appointed for one year from the Board members of the country in which the next Annual Meeting will take place. Continuity is assured through an Executive Committee which meets regularly. The UEHHA's Secretariat is Supervised by the Director General of the UEHHA.

What does the Union do?
In order to achieve its objectives, the UEHHA:
collects, collates and disseminates information and data to members on financial, taxation and legal aspects of historic houses and their estates;
assists the European Union and the Council of Europe in their consideration of policy and practice towards the architectural and environmental private heritage i.a. through projects to be subsidized from European sources;
provide member associations with comparative informations to enable them to persuade national governments to adopt constructive approaches in the light of conditions and regulations existing elsewhere;
acts as an advocate in the cause of conservation;
provides information on sources of information on aesthetic and technical
aspects of conservation of historic houses;
assists member associations in their research projects;
provides information and advice on tourism aspects of historic houses;
convenes an Annual Meeting of its Board, consisting of 2 Governors for each participating organisation, to discuss future policy and current issue.

What the UEHHA has achieved
The UEHHA is recognised by the European Union (EU) as an organization for consultative purposes and it has attained consultative status with the Council of Europe. it is, therefore, able to influence these bodies and able to do so with an extensive knowledge on a multi-national basis.
At national level, the Union has achieved substantial successes in attaining its objectives. In particular, its Annual Board Meetings have signalled, if no more, sweeping revision of fiscal laws affecting heritage property, especially by persuasion. However, the need for maintaining those efforts continues. Recently the European Commission has demonstrated its willingness to subsidize the transfer of special knowledge and expertise concerning the yearly maintenance of gardens and parks on the basis of high tech managements plans from the Netherlands organisation of the U.E.H.H.A. to sister organisation in France, Italy and Spain. This new development has given the UEHHA as such its first executive task.
A second and also important executive task has been assumed by the UEHHA in accepting an offer of a group of Italian Maecenas to finance a pilot project for 6 cooperating organizations of the UEHHA to go on Internet in 1999 with 120 private houses with their historic parks and gardens and in 2000 with another 240.