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.

2 COMPOSITION OF PARTNERSHIP

From the large number of prospects, a composition was formed from know-how-suppliers and from know-how-consumers. The network is capable to develop the pretentious goal of a "Baltic Culture - and Tourism Route Fortresses", it connects public and private partners, regions, cities, experts, science and practice, private investors. The situation and meaning of the selected fortresses enables the development of interesting travel routes and later on the expansion into all areas of Europe.

"Fort-pool": Pool of Baltic cultural heritage Fortresses

Poland: Fortress Kostrzyn, Fortress Kolobrzeg, Fort Grodzisko (Gdansk), Fortress Vistulamouth (Gdansk), Fortress Modlin (Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki), Fortress Boyen (Gizycko), Fortress Swinoujscie

Germany: Berlin-Spandau Citadel, Fortress Peitz, Fort Gorgast, Fortress Dömitz, Fort Hahneberg (Berlin Spandau)

Lithuania: Fortress-city Kaunas

Russia/Kaliningrad: Fortress-city Kaliningrad

Peitz - Malzhaus

"Brain-Pool": Pool of Baltic scientific institutes and experts

Germany: Humboldt University of Berlin, European University Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder,

Lithuania: Kaunas University of Technology, Vytautas Magnus University Kaunas

Kaliningrad: Immanuel Kant State University of Russia - Kaliningrad

These institutes are differently defined and achieve a qualified work in all work packages. There are already interest-desks from other areas in Europe.

3 OBJECTIVES

Central objective is construction of a network for development and economic utilization of cultural heritage, creating trans national culture and tourism products and promoting scientific co-operation. The network project brings the most important vigour's together to save the cultural heritage in the Baltic region, to integrate in the change of structures, in the cultural and economical development, in the cross bordering cooperation, and also to advance the change of functions of the fortresses to places of cultural interests and tourist centres. Culture is a location factor for revaluation of monuments and towns.

As result there will be also an inimitable, spacious, highly qualified cultural and tourist product with various, attractive, all-season offers and transnational management.

The start project will give a model for an Europe wide network and tourism product and also for Europe wide scientific cooperation.

Completely new synergies will be opened up. The project will carry on the European cooperation and also public-private-partnership. It develops the cross-border effects, endogen potentials, adaptation of the conditions between the regions, science and researches about fortresses.

Other effects are:

• Development of tourism as economic factor, development of tourism infrastructure, employment creation for tourism, leisure, culture and temporary for handicraft, service, carrying business

• Enrichment of the Baltic offer for experiences and culture and promotion of traveling and cultural exchange

• Development transnational scientific cooperation, consolidation of division of work and specialisation of science, research and education in the Baltic Sea region, procurement of best practices, international know-how-transfer between science and practice, improvement of synergies between science and research by cooperation and combination of specialised institutes

4 EXPECTED RESULTS

The development of the product "Baltic Culture and Tourism-Route Fortresses" produces an advancement for culture offers, new culture offers, a differentiation, more attractiveness and specialisation of themes of fortresses. There will be routes of themes, main- and partially routes with qualified culture and recreational offers and tourist infrastructure.

Further on:

• Saving, inventory, restoration and tourism development of the European heritage "Fortresses" in the Baltic area, pilot and demonstration projects

• Initiation of private investors for an attractive package "Cultural- and tourism route "Fortresses"" and for infrastructure, market chances for small and middle business companies

• Enhancement of the added value, creation of new sources of income, new jobs and earnings in the regions of fortresses

• Development of specialized, professional scientific centres of competence and consultation, cross border cooperation of science, practical courses of studies, quick evaluation of scientific results to international practice

• Development of innovative and virtual marketing instruments (3-D-virtualization), of merchandising offers and elements of routes (signposting, maps and brochures), touring exhibition "Fortresses" , annual programmes and event calendar.

• Adoption of effective, consistent systems for documentation, organization, inventory; combination and consolidation of the scientific fund, constitution of central documentation centres in division of work

• Foundation of a central management organization for professional, transnational culture management, tourism management and international marketing under standardized label

• Foundation of effective local management organizations for fortresses

• Effective, economical methods of cultivation for monuments, optimization of results of cultivation, enhancement of receipts for cost recovery

• Development of fortresses as regional centres of tourism

• Connections between fortress-, culture- and town-tourism

5 METHODOLOGY

The interdisciplinary composition of the partners („fort-pool "and „brain-Pool ") enables a systematic operation, guarantees know-how-transference and optimal results.

First step is the installation of a network, the structuring and organisation. At the top, a steering-committee stands, supports by a permanent working team (interregional project coordinator and assistants, leaders from a permanent fort-pool and brain-Pool) and a temporary working team (team-managers of work packages, scientific partners and external experts).

The direct communication in the network takes place through

- 6 network conferences, 20 work package conferences

- 1 scientific meeting, 1 transnational presentation,

- Installation from 2 to 3 consultations and competence-centres

- Regular sessions of the steering committee and steering group

The indirect communication takes place in the network through the construction from

- 1 website, 1 marketing-platforms with virtual fortress representations,

- 1 subject data base, 1 flying exhibition

The development of tourist products bases on a status-quo-analyse (recent utilisation and cultivation of fortresses) Scientific institutes secure a high quality of the analysis and the evaluation.

Data base become furnished to the inventory/archive research and to the utilisation-offer in the fortresses. There will be discuss and work out concepts of heritage compatible utilisations, development-ability of the fortresses and culture/tourist centres (network conference, work packages conferences, scientific meetings, spread of best practises etc.)

Demonstrations - and pilot projects offer new realisations for all partners within the network.

6 ACTIVITIES IN WORK PACKAGES

Work package I



Support for documentation, inventorisation and data collection on Baltic fortification to record and protect the cultural heritage and prepare for cultural and tourist utilisation.

For the first time in Europe, 4 universities are embarking on transnationalscientific cooperation on Baltic fortifications:

- European University - Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder

- Humboldt University, Berlin

- Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas

- Kaunas University of Technology

Together they will develop

- a central database "Trans-national Information System" for ortifications (TIS)

- a special institution for scientific research into fortressesand a Trans-national Documentation and Inventory Centre on
Fortresses (TDICF), to be situated at the Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania

Work package II

Development of trans-national cooperation on restoration for future civil, monument-compatible utilization and culture and tourism for Baltic Fortresses

The aim is
- to promote restoration, reconstruction, monument protection and knowledge transfer and best practices
- to improve scientific support, including the formation of a special consultation centre for fortress development at Kaunas University of Technology, Institute of Architecture andConstruction and of nature management at the Humboldt-
University, Berlin
- trans-national cooperation to protect and develop nature associated with fortresses as attractive parks and gardens

Work package III

A compatible heritage development and economic utilization of fortresses and the formation of management organizations for quality tourist facilities

The project will improve the attractions of cultural and tourist facilities at fortifications.
It will assist with the conversion of military buildings into civiccentres of culture, art, leisure and events, helping to foster transnationalexchange of experiences, especially in the management of fortifications. The results will be published in "Best Practicesfor Management Organization of Fortresses".

Work package IV

Joint development of a new cultural route "Baltic Fortress Culture and Tourism Route" as a modelfor fortress tourism in the Baltic Sea Region.

The project will promote trans-national cooperation to create a new quality tourist product. It will introduce new quality of marketingand mobilize economic efforts for fortresses by increasingthe intensity of travel and the numbers of persons visiting monuments.
The concept of effective strategic marketing will focus on broadening
the network and the tourism route throughout Europe.

7 BUDGET AND DISTRIBUTION TO THE ACTIVITIES

Composition of the budget and its distribution to the activities, temporary calculation of the total project budget:

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Additional papers:

• network map

• survey structure and benefits

• survey "brain pool"