Exposed in February 2014:
Support to GOArt Göteborg Organ Art Center



GEORGANUM - European pipe organ database networking

Pipe organ represents a cultural heritage tightly connected with development of European culture, art and spirit. This is a special group of heritage that is at the same time past and present – and future as we expect. I short: alive heritage.

An overview of the pipe organ databases in Europe shows that at least 200.000 are (and were) present in this area. Not all of them are of great music, architectural or hystorical importance, but many of them are important as a heritage of local, regional or national level. Special advantage of this heritage is that it is spread extremely evenly across the area – e.g. without differences among urban and rural areas. Therefore they can serve as a splendid cultural background for development in a sense of polycentrism and equability of regions.

Pipe organ is a complex instrument from technical point of view. Each instrument is telling us about a specific and unique culture of selected place. Many crafts and craftsmen were/are included into process of construction.3 Therefore a great part of common and economical development of the place might be written in such an instrument. Pipe organ represents a special memory bank on local and international level. And today – many local craftsmen can be included into renovation, reconstruction or replication.

Each pipe organ instrument is telling us about specific hystorical connections and ancient cultural influences between places. In the past especially in the Europe it is well known that ogranbuilders traveled accross the countries and transfer knowledge and art spirit of so called organbuilding schools across the continent.