Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania

Feasibility study on establishing an immovable cultural heritage fund

9 September 2025 - 6 March 2026

Problem

The national progress strategy “Lithuania 2050: A Vision for the Future” aims to ensure that “Lithuania’s historical and cultural heritage, as an integral part of the common European cultural heritage and the foundation of public identity, is better known to citizens and that it is constantly updated and rethought in the public sphere.” The protection of heritage is also discussed in the 20th Program of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. It aims to ensure the protection of all cultural heritage objects, including those located abroad, and the responsibility of owners for the maintenance and preservation of cultural heritage objects. It is planned to seek mechanisms that would help to properly maintain heritage objects, compensate for part of the costs of managing them, and adapt them to the needs of society. The obligation to preserve immovable cultural heritage is defined and regulated by national and international legislation.

Studies initiated by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and heritage researchers reveal that the preservation and development of cultural heritage contribute to the creation of cultural, social, and economic value (Pickerill 2021; Vojinović et al. 2022; Kairiss et al. 2023; UK National Commission for UNESCO 2015). For example, Vojinović’s study shows that investing €32.7 million of private and public funds in the maintenance of immovable heritage in Slovenia, would generate €65.6 million in revenue, and €24.5 million would return to the state budget as value added tax (Vojinović et al. 2020). According to Eurostat, in 2023, Lithuania’s government expenditure on recreation, culture, and religion, which includes immovable cultural heritage, amounted to 1.2% of gross domestic product. Not only Latvia and Estonia allocated more funds to this area, but also leading countries like Iceland, Hungary, and Croatia.

According to the 2025 Cultural Heritage Register, there are 23,804 immovable cultural heritage objects in Lithuania that require constant maintenance. The financing of immovable cultural heritage in Lithuania largely depends on funds allocated by the state, municipalities, and the European Union. The state allocates around €7.5 million annually to heritage management through heritage management and compensation programs, while the financial needs of Vilnius City Municipality alone amounted to €12 million in 2025. One-off state support is often focused on “firefighting”, is not stable, does not meet needs, and does not ensure continuity. An innovative, sustainable, and long-term measure—a heritage fund—would make it possible to diversify sources of heritage financing, optimize their use, and contribute to more effective administration and attraction of funds, thus ensuring that heritage sites are less dependent on budgetary funds.

Goal

The goal of the project is to prepare guidelines that would help optimize the sources of funding for Lithuania’s immovable cultural heritage, ensuring a sustainable and long-term funding model.