Kostrzyn, Poland   -  20^th and 21^st of April 2007

On 20-21 April, in Kostrzyn (Poland), a meeting of the Coordination Group Start Route of the international project INTERREG III B "Baltic Fort Route" (BFR) took place.

A four-route programme and newspapers issues were heatedly discussed and coordinated.  All the four routes will start in the town of Kostrzyn located on the border between Poland and Germany and will go to the partners' fortifications located to the south, north, west, and the east of the town and will include the supplementary tourist objects located along the way.

During the meeting, project coordinator Hartmut Röder and the tour operator in Poland that will coordinate all the routes, Dr. A. Mikos von Rohrscheidt, presented the latest program of the routes. The partners were asked to specify the programs of the routes that go through their towns and fortifications; their proposals were taken into consideration.

There were long discussions whether to include the Kaliningrad fortification into the route. There are concerns that the tourists may have problems with obtaining visas and may incur other problems that may arise on the border with Russia.

After the meeting, the partners committed to making their programs more specific, and, in May, these programs will be presented to the tourists. It is expected that not only the enthusiasts of fortifications will be interested to visit, but also other tourists, who will want to get acquainted with the cultural heritage of Germany, Poland, and Lithuania, will be interested in taking the routes.

During the meeting the new Fort Gorgast Information Point was opened, which is located not far away, on the German side, in the fort located close to the border with Poland. It is expected that by opening the centre the Fort Gorgast will attract more tourists.