The 9^th OWHC Regional conference of the Central and Eastern European  Region was held from 17 to 20 September 2012 in Banská Štiavnica, Slovak Republic. Fourteen cities participated in the conference which addressed two topics, “School youth education for UNESCO World Heritage protection” and “Our use of the UNESCO World Heritage benchmark”.

Following the keynote addresses of the Mayor of Banská Štiavnica, Nadežda Babianková, and the honorary Regional Coordinator, Dr. Katalin Kiss, on the first topic and that of the historic monuments conservator from Toruń, Miroslawa Romaniszyn, on the second, the participating cities had the opportunity to present their experiences on both topics.

The well-planned program gave adequate time for a fruitful exchange of information and ideas as well as for acquiring a greater perception of the heritage – both built and intangible – of Banská Štiavnica and appreciating the important role the town played in Central Europe through the centuries.

Sincere thanks to the Mayor of Banská Štiavnica for graciously hosting the conference and congratulations to the Regional Coordinator, Ákos Capdebo, for organizing an excellent meeting. Moreover, the careful attention to details given by the Foreign Relations and International Cooperation Director of the town, Miron Breznoščák, with the help of Katalin Kiss, was crucial to the success of the conference.