Medieval fortresses along the Danube:
new route for cultural tourism in Serbia

Serbian Ministry of culture will host a seminar in Belgrade on "Tourism and the medieval fortresses along the Danube in Serbia: balancing safeguarding and economic impact" (15 March 2009)

On 15 Marc 2009, the Serbian Ministry of Culture is organising a seminar on the topic "Tourism and the medieval fortresses along the Danube in Serbia: balancing safeguarding, social benefit and economic impact". The workshop is the third meeting organised out of a programme of 7 events at local and national level, intended to support the creation of partnerships for the enhancement of sustainable cultural tourism along the medieval fortresses on the river Danube.

The event will see the participation of experts and stakeholders from all the sites included in the activity, along with international experts and representatives of the UNESCO Venice Office.
The overall activity is realised as part of the sub-regional project "Cultural Heritage - a Bridge towards a Shared Future", financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Cooperazione Italiana and managed by UNESCO through the UNESCO Venice Office, as operational follow-up to the annual Ministerial Conferences on Cultural Heritage in SEE.

In particular, the activity includes the following components:

1) Creation of a web portal dedicated to the medieval fortresses along the Danube in Serbia. The web portal shall be an interactive instrument intended to offer high-quality information on the fortresses as well as on related cultural activities. Objective of the portal is to create the possibility for awareness raising among the general public on the importance and popularization of the heritage itself, with special focus on the fortresses, but also on its contemporary use and functions. Such action includes consultations with key stakeholders (institutes for the protection of cultural monuments, tourist organizations, organizations of the civil society, other cultural institutions relevant to the activity, Ministry of Culture), and mapping of targeted assets.

2) Preparation and realization of an open-air travelling exhibition on the Fortresses on the Danube. The exhibition is planned to be displayed in the towns and municipalities included in the itinerary of the above-mentioned web portal. The objective of the exhibition is to raise awareness on the concept of cultural itinerary, and to stimulate the development of related activities in the targeted sites. The exhibition will also aim at sensitizing local citizens on the importance of cultural heritage and cultural diversity along the Danube, and its value for sustainable development.

3) Preparation and organisation of workshops in each one of the local communities included in the itinerary of the above-mentioned web-portal and exhibition. The workshops shall be intended to gather all relevant stakeholders at the local level in order to discuss about possibilities for revitalisation and contemporary use of the fortresses, cooperation, financing opportunities, and management of cultural resources. The aim of the workshops is to define areas of common interest and achieve agreement among key actors about future activities for the enhancement of the fortresses, also through the definition and sharing of good practices.

4) Preparation and organisation of a final conference for presenting the conclusions and outcomes of the above-mentioned workshops. The conference shall gather main stakeholders from all communities involved in the activity, as well as relevant stakeholders and institutions at the national and possibly international level. Aim of the conference is to establish a network of partners for the promotion and safeguarding of the Danube fortresses, and their use in function of local sustainable development. The meeting shall also aim at producing a shared document presenting a common approach for the management of the fortresses, including guide-lines for the definition of joint programming in the sustainable use of cultural resources.