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UNESCO Chair of Cultural Policies and Cooperation

Training

UNESCO Chair of Cultural Policies and Cooperation

The UNESCO Chair's training programme in cultural management and policies is the result of a long experience in training cultural professionals in our country and of collaborations with various international organisations and universities.

On this page you will find:

  • Presentation

  • Montsant-Montserrat Run (registration open)

  • Master in Cultural Management UOC-UdG (in progress)

  • Master's Degree in Cultural Tourism UdG (in progress)

  • Postgraduate course in Wellness Tourism (2024)

Introduction

The UNESCO Chair of Cultural Policies and Cooperation at the University of Girona has a wide and diverse educational range of activity resulting from a long history in the training of professionals and a close link between the academic world, research, and professional practice.

The Chair's educational activity includes regulated academic education, non-regulated education and tailor-made training, aimed at university students as well as professionals, public administration technicians, cultural managers, guides, entities, and organisations in the cultural, heritage, and tourism sector, both locally and internationally.

In the area of academic training, the Chair participates in university bachelor’s and postgraduate programmes, as well as in specialised master’s and modules, contributing to the training of future professionals from a critical, interdisciplinary and committed perspective with the values of UNESCO.

At the same time, intense activity of non-regulated education is developed through conferences, seminars, specialisation courses, workshops, and lectures, which allow for the constant updating of knowledge and discussion around the main contemporary challenges.

The Chair also offers tailor-made training, designed according to the specific needs of territories, institutions and groups, with a clear applied orientation and a strong connection with professional reality.

Although cultural management and policies and international cooperation are at the heart of its activity, the Chair's training has been progressively expanded to other related areas, such as cultural heritage (material and intangible), guiding and interpreting heritage, cultural and religious diversity, intercultural dialogue, and cultural, religious, and sustainable tourism, also incorporating new perspectives such as well-being, health, sustainability, and regenerative development.

The formats and methodologies are adapted to the objectives of each programme, combining theoretical sessions, practical work, participatory methodologies and experience-based learning.This task is carried out thanks to a plural teaching team, made up of university teaching staff, researchers, and active professionals who guarantee rigorous, up-to-date education that is closely connected to reality.

Courses

Montsant - Montserrat Course

10 and the 11 April 2026 - Montserrat

24 and the 25 April and 5 June 2026 - Montsant

Introduction

Montsant and Montserrat are two outstanding massifs with common features and specific elements that define diverse identities and human relationships. This course is an opportunity to understand how the link between people and the mountains is constructed, how universal symbols are born, and how two spaces of great natural, cultural and spiritual value are being preserved.

Based on various approaches - geology, landscape, ecology, spirituality, identity, tourism and management of natural spaces - you’ll learn about what has made these two outstanding iconic massifs in Catalan and universal culture what they are.

You’ll learn to identify and interpret the natural, cultural and symbolic values that give meaning to these landscapes, and to relate theoretical knowledge to direct experiences on the ground.

It’s a comprehensive training experience: specialised knowledge, critical reflection, fieldwork and inspiration to inform about these environments and manage them with respect. A great opportunity to dig deeper into two of our country’s most powerful symbolic and transformative landscapes.

This course is organized by the Serra de Montsant Natural Park and the UNESCO Cultural Policies and Cooperation Chair at the UdG. 

Who is it aimed at?

This course is ideal for anyone who wants to deepen their integrated understanding of landscape and natural spaces. Recommended for:

  • Tourist, nature, mountain and leisure guides.
  • Professionals and students in the fields of tourism, geography, heritage, ecology and the management of natural spaces.
  • People interested in the idea of landscape as a cultural and symbolic phenomenon.
  • For those interested in sacred natural spaces, the spirituality of nature and stewardship of the landscape.

Programme (times in the leaflet)

Montserrat (10 and 11 April, 2026)

  • Management and public use of a natural space that is at the same time a Marian sanctuary and a tourist destination. Xavier Aparicio.
  • Hermits and monks of Montserrat. Ramon Oranias.
  • The inner mountain: female Benedictine spirituality in Montserrat. Montserrat Unterlöhner Salvat.
  • Tourism and shrines in today's world. Sílvia Aulet.
  • Symbolism on the holy mountain: pilgrimage, miracles and legends. Ricard Fernàndez.
  • The rural world, stewardship and sense of belonging in Montserrat. Gerard Escriu.
  • Climbing in spaces such as Montserrat. Sílvia Vidal.

Montsant (24 and 25 April, 2026)

  • La Cartoixa d’Escaladei: monasticism as a guardian of natural spaces in Europe. Josep Maria Mallarach.
  • Visit to the Cartoixa d'Escaladei. Marta de Rialb.
  • 40 years as a hermit in Montsant. Montserrat Domingo.
  • Montsant: spirituality, integrated management and popular identity. Montserrat Solà.
  • The experience of the sacred today. Sílvia Gili
  • Nocturnal activity: astronomical observation. Parc Astronòmic de Prades.

Close. Montsant (5 June 2026)

Directed by

Ricard Fernàndez Molinet. Holder of a Bachelor's degree in Geological Sciences and Intermediate Mountain Sports Technician.Postgraduate course in Spiritual Meanings and Values in Nature (FUdG). Hiking coordinator for Montserrat Mountain Guides, and accredited by the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (CETS) of the Sierra de Montsant Natural Park.

Sílvia Gili Olmeda. Biologist specialising in organisms and systems and nature conservation, and consultant on health and nature.Master's degree in international cooperation, citizen participation, contemplative psychotherapy, and cognitive metaprogramming.Postgraduate course in Spiritual Meanings and Values in Nature and Director of the Forest and Health Postgraduate Course. Author of ‘Vivint el Medi’ and editor of ‘Bosc i Salut’.

Teaching staff

Xavier Aparicio i Torrens. Law graduate and manager of the Patronat de la Muntanya de Montserrat. Expert in public management of natural spaces, public use and planning in busy environments. Provides operational insight into the management of a Marian shrine and iconic tourist destination.

Silvia Aulet Serrallonga. Doctor of Philosophy and an Emeritus Professor at the University of Girona. Specialist in religious and spiritual tourism, sacred spaces, intercultural dialogue and inclusion.Co-director of the UNESCO Cultural Policies and Cooperation Chair at the UdG, and a member of Future for Religious Heritage.

Montserrat Domingo. Hermit of Sant Joan del Codolar (Montsant) for forty years. Profound knowledge of the territory, of the ways of life on the mountain and of both the spiritual and everyday dimensions of the scared spaces.

Gerard Escriu. Senior technician in forestry management, climbing and mid-mountain technician. Professional guide specialising in climbing and hiking, with experience in training and managing sports activities in natural environments.

Josep Maria Mallarach. PhD in Biology and member of the UICN Group of Experts on the Cultural and Spiritual Values of Nature. International expert in the stewardship of natural and spiritual heritage, author and editor of several leading publications.

Ramon Oranias. Monk and master organist at the Benedictine community of Santa Maria de Montserrat. Knowledge of monastic traditions at Montserrat, Benedictine spirituality and its connexion with the mountain.

Marta de Rialb. Guide for the Cartoixa d'Escaladei.

Montserrat Solà Rivera. Anthropologist and public use and cultural heritage technician at the Serra de Montsant Natural Park. Specialist in intangible heritage, popular religiosity and cultural landscape. She has collaborated on the Priorat's World Heritage candidacy.

Montserrat Unterlöhner Salvat. A Benedictine nun from the Monastery of San Benito de Montserrat, she is the author of several texts on spiritual reflection and contributes to ecclesiastical publications.

Sílvia Vidal. A graduate of INEFC and an internationally renowned mountaineer, she was awarded the Piolet d'Or (2021) and the Gold Medal for Sporting Merit. She specialises in solo expeditions and high-altitude climbing in Alaska, Patagonia, the Himalayas and the Andes.

Teaching methodology and assessment

The course combines theoretical sessions aimed at acquiring an understanding of the necessary context and conceptual tools with outings and fieldwork that allow students to experience the spaces first-hand.Active student participation and discussion with the teaching team are encouraged as key elements of the learning process.

The course culminates in a final project and a group discussion that allow students to integrate what they have learned and the different perspectives they have worked on.

Attendance is compulsory to ensure a comprehensive and coherent learning experience.

Fees and registration

For information and registration, please contact Sílvia Aulet (silvia.aulet@udg.edu).

  • Registration for the course: €380
  • Registration with accommodation for one weekend: €440 (you can choose to stay at Montsant or Montserrat)
  • Registration with accommodation for two weekends: €500

All participants must bring their lunch for the first day. Those who do not choose an accommodation option will also need to bring lunch for the second day.

The accommodation is on a full board basis (dinner, bed and breakfast and lunch on the second day).

Montsant - Montserrat course brochure

Postgraduate courses and master’s degrees

University Master's Degree in Cultural Management (inter-university: UOC, UdG)

This Master's Degree has been offered since 2009, co-organised by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia) and the University of Girona.It is a clearly consolidated training offer, and enrolment reflects the interest generated by these studies and the professional opportunities they afford students.There are currently more than 150 students enrolled per semester, with a graduation rate of approximately 80%. 

It is an official degree that is clearly international in scope.The syllabus offers a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary and globalising approach to cultural management.In addition, it also has a professional focus profile and an entrepreneurial perspective, which means that students can undertake face-to-face or virtual internships with a teaching team that draws on the experience and prestige of two universities and comes from the academic and professional environment.

It opens up employment opportunities in many professions in the world of art, culture, communication, the institutions, heritage, the cultural industries and tourism, as cultural advisor, events organiser, cultural entrepreneur, researcher, director of marketing and communications, managerial roles, etc.The cultural manager can develop a wide range of responsibilities in different institutions, such as museums, theatres, art galleries, exhibitions, public administrations, private foundations, festivals and numerous events in both the public and the private spheres.

Collaboration with the University of Girona’s Master in Cultural Tourism

The Chair actively collaborates with the University of Girona's Master in Cultural Tourism with the UNESCO - Unitwin Module "Tourism Management of the World Heritage of Humanity” certification.This is being organised Field Trip with the aim of studying and observing on site how a World Heritage Site is managed from a tourism point of view, and of analysing the declaration’s impact on the site. 

Further information: Master's Degree in Cultural Tourism UdG

Postgraduate course.Wellness tourism: innovation and awareness

Do you have a passion for the world of wellness and travel?Would you like to make it your lifestyle, introduce it into your business or to add value to the project you're on?Demand has started to grow over the last few years in the Wellness Tourism sector, a type of travel not just for improving people’s health and wellness, but also for constructing destinations and leading companies with greater awareness.This type of tourism has growing in strength and demand, in particular, since after the pandemic.

This course was organised by the UNESCO Chair of Cultural Policies and Cooperation in collaboration with the Girona Costa Brava Pirineus Tourism Board, the Institute of Silence, and the Health Tourism World Wide Association l'any 2024.

Aquest curs va renunir alguns dels professionals internacionals més reconeguts com: 

László Puczko: Founder of Hungary-based Health Tourism Worldwide (HTWW) – successor to The Tourism Observatory for Health, Wellness and Spa) – László Puczko has been working in the field of travel and health for 20+ years. A wellbeing experience engineer, economist, strategist, and arts & design manager experienced in both private and public sector environments, he has been lecturing and running customized training, masterclasses, and development projects in over 40 countries all around the world. Actively involved both in the industry as well as academic arenas, and author of numerous industry reports and publications, László is also a hot spring and wellness enthusiast.

Dr Melanie Kay Smith: is passionate about wellness as a lifestyle as well as an academic interest. She has been immersed in this topic for more than 20 years, sharing her ideas in numerous countries around the world as a teacher, author and invited speaker. She has researched and written about many themes including transformational wellness, spa experience creation, spiritual tourism, the wellbeing benefits of nature and resident quality of life.

See the full programme here

Customised training

The customised training programme was developed by the UNESCO Chair with the aim of offering individuals and organisations the training activity best suited to their needs and interests, both in terms of research and investigation and in the development and implementation of projects.

Currently this type of training is primarily focused on cultural diversity and creativity.

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