Hi all,

The proposal for Wiki Loves Monuments Europe is around for a while now, and we're getting somewhere! On [1] you can find that there are currently 10 (!) countries interested in participating. This report is to help you get an idea of what is going on, where we are and where we are going. Any additional information about your countries situation would be extremely helpful. 

The following countries have indicated that they want to participate in this project:

Estonia - Finland - France - Germany - Netherlands - Poland - Portugal - Spain - Sweden - Switzerland

Additionally, there are a few countries interested and people are working on letting them participate, including: 

Andorra - Austria - Belgium - Denmark - Liechtenstein - Luxembourg - Ukraine - United Kingdom

Currently most chapters are working on laying contacts and getting a structure off the ground. I have already participated a brainstorm session in Cologne, and will give a lecture/workshop on WLM in Wroclaw, Poland and Maarten will give a workshop in Berlin, both later this month. Do you need some help in getting your thoughts together? Would you like us to participate in a brainstorm session/workshop? Please let us know very soon, and we can probably organize something. 

In May we intend to organize a meeting in Berlin for representatives from all organizations participating in this European contest. We are still looking for funding to be able to fly in people that cannot afford it themselves (please poke me if your chapter can help with that), and Wikimedia Deutschland has generously offered to host us in Berlin. 
They will organize there a developers meeting, and that would be an excellent synergy for us since we could perhaps persuade some people there to write tools useful for WLM! I would like some input from you on this meeting, but more information about that in a seperate email. 

Short summaries as I am aware (happy to be corrected and see additional information) about the participating countries: 

* Estonia - Decided recently to participate. Need some thinking about the Freedom of Panorama, but 5 volunteers are enthusiast. Status of lists and contacts unknown. 
* Finland - Have the data available for the 2000-3000 monuments, no lists yet? 
* France - started off as one of the first countries with some 43000 monuments. There is a structure for the lists, all lists are not there yet. Chapter is supportive (?)
* Germany - Problematic with their 700.000 monuments and no central authority registering them. Volunteers are working to get the data bit by bit, and might take quite some effort. Project set up, seems to be moving. Chapter is organizing workshops to get volunteers involved. 
* Netherlands - structure and lists is already there from last year. Many monuments have already photos, work for NL starts later this year. 
* Poland - Chapter is enthusiast, need to get more volunteers. Some 60000 monuments, and there is some list structure. Unclear how much work to be done. 
* Portugal - the 4000-5000 monuments are already structured in lists on the wiki. 
* Spain - volunteers from both Wikimedia España and Associació Amical Viquipèdia are involved in organizing the list structures in several language Wikipedia's about Spain and Andorra. (13000 monuments)
* Sweden - situation unclear. 
* Switzerland - 8300 monuments, available in structured lists. 

I realize this probably contains errors, so please correct me! 

Unfortunately Italy will not participate because of issues with Italian copyright law regarding cultural heritage :( 

Looking forward to keep working on this and your replies (short reports on how things are going in your country and what problems you face would be welcome!)

Lodewijk and Maarten

[1]: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Monuments_2011/progress