Matthias Ripp* and Susanne Hauer

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World Heritage Coordination, City of Regensburg, Germany
* Corresponding author: ripp.matthias@regensburg.de

ABSTRACT  The Communication Model of Built Heritage Assets (COBA) refers to several scientific theories in the realm of learning and cognition. The idea of the COBA-Model is to support and stimulate a more professional heritage communication and a more efficient use of existing resources. Thus, the identification of citizens with their Built Heritage Asset should be increased in order to get their support in allocating more resources to and preserving cultural heritage. It shall also improve the visitor experiences and in doing so enhance the impacts and benefits from different learning situations. At the first level, the identification process only touches the social identity. Over the course of the next stages the citizen will become more actively involved. Finally, at the expert level at stage five, the expert multiplier is enabled not only to communicate the heritage asset and its values, its characteristics and context but to make adequate decisions. Additionally, these stages should help to broaden the horizon of heritage practitioners and stimulate new ideas as well as unconventional ways of heritage communication.

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KEYWORDS  heritage, communication, interpretation

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Received August 29, 2017; accepted October 23, 2017.

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