The Fortress Tourism and Guide Congress, organized by Forte Culture (European cultural route of fortified monuments) and Fortress of Culture Šibenik, opened today in the St. John's Fortress' campus. It's an international congress thematically related to the European monumental heritage and its sustainable management, where the best practices in the management of cultural and historical monuments and the processes of cultural tourism development in Europe will be discussed, with an emphasis on the development of sustainable tourist routes in the Adriatic region.
The participants were welcomed on the campus by the mayor of Šibenik, Željko Burić.
"It is a real pleasure to greet you from St. John's Fortress, the largest fortress from of the fortification system of the city of Šibenik. Šibenik is a city that experienced its recent history and its touristic valorization precisely through the recognition of this unique fortification system. We made the most of the Croatian entrance into the European Union and renovated the fortresses with money from European funds. Then we founded the public institution Fortress of Culture Šibenik, where we employed young experts who did a great job and presented the unique fortification system, first to their fellow citizens, then to Croatia, and finally to Europe and to the world, and created a brand. They say Dubrovnik is a city of walls, but you have come to the city of a fortress. Welcome!", said Mayor Burić.
Vice President of Forte Culture Dirk Röder thanked the Fortress of Culture Šibenik team for their support in the organization and pointed out that he was proud that the conference gathered around 60 participants from 14 European countries.
"I am especially glad that the conference is being held in Šibenik, an excellent example of cultural heritage management. Forte Cultura gathers around 50 cultural route stakeholders in 10 European countries, and the goal is to continue growing. The theme of the congress in Šibenik is sustainable tourism and cross-border cooperation with an emphasis on the development of sustainable tourist routes in the Adriatic region. I hope that the information you receive here will be useful to you and that you will be able to use it in practice," said Röder.
Fortress of Culture director, Gorana Barišić Bačelić, said that she was proud that the conference was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia.
"The focus of the Fortress of Culture work is an innovative and sustainable way of managing cultural heritage. Our vision is to become a relevant stakeholder in the cultural industries and a synonym for excellence in the field of cultural management. The mission is to improve culture with a modern approach to the sustainable management of cultural assets. As you know, we currently manage four locations; St. Michael's Fortress, Barone Fortress, St. John's Fortress and the House of Arts Arsen. Soon we will manage another very special location - the Croatian Coral Center Zlarin. We started as part of the Museum of the City of Šibenik and have grown into an institution that has a number of implemented EU projects and 16.5 million euros invested in cultural heritage," said Barišić Bačelić.
Konferencija će trajati do petka 31. ožujka, a predviđa i obilazak Šibenika te Kninske tvrđave za više oko 60 sudionika iz niza europskih zemalja. Nakon obilaska ostalih tvrđava, na Tvrđavi sv. Mihovila večeras će u sklopu konferencije zajedničkim fotografiranjem i 3D mapiranjem zidina biti označen početak European Fortress Summer programa koji će povezati događaje od svibnja do rujna 2023. na utvrđenim spomenicima diljem Europe.
The conference will last until Friday, March 31, and includes a tour of Šibenik and the Knin Fortress for more than 60 participants from a number of European countries. After visiting the other fortresses, tonight at the St. Michael's Fortress joint photography will be taken and 3D mapping of the walls will mark the beginning of the European Fortress Summer, which will connect events from May to September 2023 at fortified monuments throughout Europe.
