INTERREG III-B- 6th call

- Main Features -

“BALTIC CULTURE AND TOURISM ROUTE FORTRESSES”

Network for development and economic utilisation of cultural heritage, creating trans national culture and tourism products, promoting scientific co-operation

- Start project -

 For thousands of years man has built fortresses for his protection. Exciting military architecture has been developed in recent centuries that belongs both to the World and to the European Cultural Heritage. Many of these fortifications were in military use until the end of the Cold War. They are extensively damaged.

Fortress Vistulamouth

Project programme and work packages Project Information Under the EU funding project “Baltic Culture and Tourism Route Fortresses” – The Baltic Fort Route – 19 partners from 4 nations are seeking to promote the transformation of historical fortifications into centres of culture, art, leisure, tourism and fascinating nature, in line with the philosophy “From war to peace”, “From closed mystery locations to public living space” and “From military to cultural”.

Project-initiative from
City of Kostrzyn
August 2004

1 PROJECT RATIONALE

Whole Europe is equipped with important fortresses from different centuries, a military architecture unique world-wide. The fortresses are witnesses of political, military, economic, social and urban processes, until into the cold war. In Western Europe most fortresses has been developed since decades, they are open to the public as cultural and tourist centers. Through extensive former military utilization fortresses in North and Eastern Europe are ready to disappear forever as ruins. Some fortresses still stand in administration of the military. The local authorities, regional players are no longer in a position to solve problems alone - with protection, cultivation and development. There are missing receipts by cultivation and maintenance, no transnational cooperation exists to the economic utilization.

Already in 1995 the Council of European Union recommend a strengthen transnational cooperation concerning the protection and tourist development of fortresses. Experiences from the INTERREGIIIB project CONVERNET were important for the project idea as well as the increasing demand on tourism concerning fortresses, town history in North and Eastern Europe.

By the structure of a permanent, transnational and sector crossing network the European heritage "fortresses" shall be developed as showcase to an attractive range of products like culture and tourism - corresponding with the necessities of the market. There shall be also a network of fortresses as international tourism routes and a marketing under an integrative label.

The project grants cooperation between "fortress communities" and different specialized scientific facilities, which are participating as autonomous project partners in cooperation with "fortress communities" and which - based on division of labour - should be extended as international centres of consultations and expertises (brain pool).

In the project-preparation were enforced 3 workshops (Dömitz, Kostrzyn, Kaunas) and several meetings in Kostrzyn and Berlin. Protagonists from whole Europe has interest in a participation. This shows the enormous demand for transnational cooperation, know-how transference, at models and innovative methods to the fortress-development, to the transnational network and to the common culture-development with economic effects.

According to this demand the INTERREG IIIB project shall be developed a model for Europe.