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Re-vitalisation of the European Culture Route in the South Baltic Area – Pomeranian Way of St. James (RECReate)
Start date: Dec 31, 2010, End date: Dec 30, 2014 PROJECT  FINISHED 

The project aims at reinforcing the existing cultural heritage to use it for regional development as a new tourist product in the SB Region - Tourist Route of St. James and at mobilisation of local societies (in particular young people) around join initiative. The Routs of St James have recently gained importance (added to the UNESCO list of cultural heritage in 1987) due to the desire of the European citizens to come back to the European cultural roots. The evidence can be a book "Ich bin dann mal weg. Meine Reise auf dem Jakob" by famous TV presenter Hape Kerkeling. Such routes established in Germany, Southern Poland and in many other countries enjoy a high level of popularity. The main idea behind is encouraging people to a slow move through different countries and regions tasting their diversity and understanding their specificity. This corresponds to ancient habits when people spent hundreds of days moving to Santiago de Compostella being exposed to cultural diversity, new ideas and development trends. St. James Route also used to exist in the SB Region stretched from Konigsberg through Gdańsk and Szczecin to Rostock and further on westward. The project aims at restoration of this particular Route and joining the existing heritage with broader European network. This is not a simple tourist project. It aims at "social inclusion" of social groups rarely engaged in such form of tourism e.g. families with young children who rarely visit Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (M-V) or old in many cases less educated people from Lithuania or Poland who normally spent their holidays home. It will create for them opportunities to visit neighbouring countries in inexpensive way. It will also enable handicapped people to take part in the tourist undertakings. Last but not least it will mobilise local social groups around the Route idea by e.g. training volunteers to serve and assist Route users. The important added value of the project is economic and social activation of the areas lagging behind both in Poland and in Lithuania and better use during off peak season of the existing tourist facilities. The project also offers the SB better positioning at European level. The region will become a part of a wider pan-European undertaking i.e. European tourist network rapidly gaining importance. The project will be composed of four components: C1 management, C2 dissemination, C3 creation of the route, C4 building a social part of the Route. The logic of the project is based on two features: need to capitalize on existing cultural heritage and on existing experience: transferring know how from Germany to Poland, Lithuania and Russia and testing its application in those countries. The main results are following: establishment of a new SB tourist product, social activation of the regions lagging behind, increased tourist mobility among social groups rarely engaged in high quality tourism. Achievements: There were few significant project events during the 1st reporting period: opening concerence, conferences in Gdańsk and Elbląg, study visit in Santiago de Compostela and many smaller but important project meetings. All partners gathered during 2 steering group meetings and workshop in Greifswald. There was also decided that there will be 3 working groups of the project and partners have divided the most importatnt tasks and responsibilities. There were undertaken numerous promotional iniciatives, for example, first newsletter, project news on websites of partner institutions and project websites with internal forum. The stock-taking process was also iniciated during this reporting period. In second half of 2011 partners met during meetings in Lębork, there were established action plans, LB created 2nd newsletter, Partners 3, 5 and 7 organized seminars for local stakeholders. During 3rd reporting period partners met one more time during project workshop in Greifswald and participated in steering group meeting. There were also organized conferences in Szczecin, partners participated in few events as guests and informed about the project. Started process aiming at pilgrim accomodation in the neighbourhood of St James Church in Lębork. There were collected the ideas concerning the ways of signing and promoting St James Way during consultations with many institutions and organizations ( incl NGO) which already have an experience in signing its area. There was selected a contractor for preparing a technical project of the route in Westpomeranian, which contains detailed specification of the course, applying for all necessary administrational permissions and preparing a complete specification of signs used on the route. Some of the partners have already planned participation on trade fairs in 2012 and 2013. Another achievement is the model of how to establish a route as a touristic product, which was presented during the conference in Szczecin. All partners paid attention to promotion and dissemination of the project and its first results - project leaflets, articles in press, news in radio, updating project website, displaying logo in new places. There took place first of the series of trainings on the route - first in Duninowo and during next reporting period there will take place next meetings in other towns. LB published two new newsletters. Project website has been systematicly updated. Representatives of P1 and P2 visited Kaliningrad and fixed the issue of Russian part of the route. There also started works on preparing materials to the book guide. The most important achievements of last few months was to provide accommodation for pilgrims in two important town where the way of St. James goes. In addition, a very important indicator was to prepare and deliver to the Museum in Lębork 30 audioguides. There were created new promotional materials, the project has been introduced during fair trades and started the process of organizing seminars on the route. In addition, there took place 3rd and last know-how seminnar in Greifswald. Project partners trained number of volunteers, hosts and young people willing to create the route, many people were met and encouraged during international tourist trades and local meetings. All partners work on promotion and dissemination - project website is still being updated, LB publishes project newsletters of the website, the SB logo was displayed in new places and promotion also took place in the media. There were marked 1045 km of the route in Pomorskie and Zachodniopomorskie. 1st international pilgrimage of St James went from Gdańsk to Lebork in July 2013. PP2 orgabized oficial opening of the route and LB organized closing conference. The project was promoted during fair trades in Dusseldorf, Augsburg and Warsaw. There was also printed guide book and there was broadcasted promotional movie "Pomeranian Way of St James". In Zachodniopomorskie there were bought 5 multimedia kiosks. Few partners ordered additional tourist guide print and map's print.

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Details

  • 84.8%   1 163 430,64
  • 2007 - 2013 South Baltic (PL-SE-DK-LT-DE)
  • Project on KEEP Platform
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8 Partners Participants