Lockdown and quarantine intensified our longing for nature: we know that green colour relaxes, that plant landscape has a soothing effect on people. At the same time we are, however, also aware of the upcoming threats, climatic challenges that in the nearest months and years will define the future of our planet. This awareness shaped the “green” issue of HERITO, focused on a bold thesis advanced by prof. Ewa Bińczyk that “it is possible that there will be no heritage”.

We witness the end of the Anthropocene – the epoch of complete and thoughtless domination of human beings over nature. Are all people aware of this? Do we realise the consequences of the climatic crisis? Maybe we should see the bigger picture and pay attention to the cultural consequences of the crisis, and at the same time also understand how it would influence our daily life in the nearest future.

Should we get used to online walking tours through the forest and listening to audio recordings of birds singing? What kind of world would we leave to future generations? Those are the questions that we have kept asking ourselves for a while, and we are happy to have been able to articulate them in the newest HERITO.

In this issue: Renata Lis writes about “Festung Antropocen”, while analysing Michał Korta’s photos, Ewa Bińczyk talks to Przemysław Witkowski, and prognosticates that there may be no heritage in the future, Urszula Zajączkowska gives an account of her trip to a botanic garden, Bartosz Panek tells the story of the Polish air, and Paweł Romańczuk introduces “bird music”. Małgorzata Grąbczewska takes a look at the history of nature photography in Central Europe, Janusz Sepioł examines Małopolska landscapes, and Magdalena Petryna reviews nature books. We also publish a fragment of Maia Fowkes’ “The Green Bloc”, a book about neo-avant-garde art of Central Europe during the socialist period, Bartosz Sadulski’s interview with Karolina Lewandowska, a curator at Centre Pompidou, as well as exhibitions announcements and reviews.