Presentation of “Culture Management in Iceland” teaching material

People have come to realise in today's Europe that cultural development is both the starting point and the end goal of socio-economic development, and that supporting culture is one of the priorities if we are to ensure local development. (European Commission 1997)
A delegation mostly comprising cultural officials from Estonia's counties visited Norway and Iceland in early October 2008 with the support of the public service exchange programme of the Nordic Council of Ministers (now known as the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Public Administration). The delegation learnt about the culture management in the countries at both the state and local government levels.
The study visit led to the development of the "Culture Management in Iceland" teaching materials, published by the Estonian Folk Culture Development and Training Centre. At 2.00 pm on Thursday 2 July these materials will be presented on Iceland Square (Islandi väljak) in Tallinn.
Those who took part in the exchange share their impressions in the teaching materials, which also present a translation of the official material of the Icelandic Ministry of Education, Research and Culture examining support systems for a variety of cultural fields.
In his article "A boat on the stormy north Atlantic", Toomas Jüriado depicts Iceland's dramatic history, the nation's love of books and determination to maintain the purity of its language, the unusually harsh natural environment of the country, the stubbornness of the Icelanders and the problems related to the Kárahnjúkar hydroelectric power station.
In her article "Rich country vs. poor country", Anneliis Kõiv examines the culture management among local governments in southern Iceland and highlights the principles Estonia would do well to introduce.
In his article "Culture is the driving force behind Icelandic tourism", Tarmo Pajo looks at the appreciation of cultural heritage in the example of Reykjavík.
The final part examines the similarities in cultural policy between Norway and Iceland.
Publication of the teaching materials was supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Estonian Ministry of Culture.
Iceland currently holds the rotating presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.
Questions should be directed to Urve Gromov, Department Director from the Estonian Folk Culture Development and Training Centre, by phoning +372 600 93 68 or (mobile) +372 58 141 312 or e-mailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..