ENThis article deals with the influence of euro integration processes. Topical questions are being raised - what place will Lithuanian culture occupy in the multinational Europe? What development opportunities will it have? What difficulties it may face and what measures need to be taken in order to properly repel the global challenges? Considering these issues the author discusses the importance and the potential of local cultural heritage. The attention is paid to 3 essential aspects: 1) changes in the standpoints on local cultural heritage; 2) the differences of the main definitions in the Western world and Lithuania; 3) the challenges of the modem world to local culture and its heritage resources. Based on the experience of Western countries, the text lists the potential problems of mastering and using the resources of local cultural heritage and possible ways of solving these problems.