Network activities
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Network activities 2018
European Fortress Summer 2018: Review
The European Fortress Summer 2018 came to a close with the Cologne Fortress Days at the end of September. Eighteen fortified monuments from 9 countries have participated in the European Fortress Summer 2018 since their launch in April.
The European Fortress Tourism and Fortress Marketing Network has now published a booklet that offers a fascinating retrospective look at the common action in the European Year of Cultural Heritage. All fortresses are invited to participate in the European Fortress Summer 2020.
La Línea de la Concepción (ES) becomes first Spanish network member
Mayor José Juan Franco Rodríguez signed the membership doc-uments in mid-October, making his city La Línea de la Concepción the first Spanish network member.
The city in the province of Cádiz has several fortifications and was part of a defence line from the early 18th century. On the northern border with the Gibraltar peninsula, it formed an important bulwark against the threat posed by Spain to the United King-dom. During the Second World War, the National Socialists also built a bunker line here against the English Gibraltar with experts from the west wall.
Turin (IT): FORTMED 2018 - International conference for modern age fortifications of the Mediterranean coast
In Turin präsentierten Festungsexperten aus 19 Ländern ihre Fortschritte und Erkenntnisse in den Bereichen Geschichtsforschung, Bauwerksforschung, Georeferenzierung, digitales Erbe, Kultur und Management sowie Konzeptentwicklung.
FORTE CULTURA® war auch dabei, die europäische Kulturroute für Festungsmonumente erregte hohe Aufmerksamkeit als wirksames Instrument für die Entwicklung und Implementierung von Kulturtourismus in Festungen.
Görlitz (DE): 8th Annual Advisory Forum on Cultural Routes
Around 200 participants from over 20 countries met in Görlitz for the annual meeting of the European Institute of Cultural Routes. For the first time representatives of UNESCO and ICOMOS were present to intensify cooperation between World Heritage Sites and Cultural Routes. FORTE CULTURA presented itself as a candidate for certification by the Cultural Route Institute and made new international contacts at the 2-day event.
Gibraltar (GBZ): Kontaktmeeting im staatlichen Tourismusbüro
Während einer fortifikatorischen Pilotstudientour auf die iberische Halbinsel fand im September 2018 auch ein Besuch im staatlichen Tourismusbüro in Gibraltar statt. Dessen Leiter Nicky Guerrero nahm erfreut die Kulturrouten-Unterlagen des Europäischen Festungstourismus- und Festungsmarketing-Netzwerks e.V. von Dr. Hans-Rudolf Neumann, Mitbegründer von FORTE CULTURA, entgegen. Zusammen mit dem Informationspaket wurde die offizielle Einladung an Gibraltar zur Mitwirkung an diesem europäischen und grenzüberschreitenden Kulturroutenprojekt übergeben. Ein erster Kontakt zu Gibraltar ergab sich im März 2016 während der Internationalen Tourismus-Börse (ITB) in Berlin und wurde seitdem stetig ausgebaut.
Stadt Schwalmstadt (DE): water fortress Ziegenhain becomes a new network member
The water fortress Ziegenhain was one of four Hessian land for-tresses. On August 16, Mayor Stefan Pinhard solemnly signed the membership certificate of our network in the Museum of Schwalm in the presence of 35 guests.
Represented by Schwalm Touristik e.V., the fortress Ziegenhain is now involved in the development of fortress-specific tourism offers and marketing ac-tivities with the cultural route FORTE CULTURA®.
Festungsstadt Germersheim (DE): 2nd symposium for the extension of fortress cooperation in the German-French border region Upper Rhine
Around 40 experts, tour guides and representatives of fortified monuments gathered in Germersheim at the beginning of July, including fortress cities such as Ulm, Landau (DE), Wissembourg, Strasbourg (FR), Feste Emperor Wilhelm II at Mutzig (FR) and representatives of the fortifications of the 20th century like the Westwall Museum Bad Bergzabern, the Westwall Museum fortification Gerstfeldhöhe and the West fortifications Baden-Württemberg.
The focal point of the conference was 2000 years of fortification history on the Upper Rhine and the intention of transnational touristic valorisation in connection with the European Culture Route of Fortified Monuments FORTE CULTURA®. Report
European Fortress Summer 2018: Interim conclusion
Since the end of April events have taken place in fascinating European fortresses such as Kronach (DE), Jaca (ES), Brno (CZ), Fredrikstad (NO), Koenigstein, Ulm and Mainz (DE) or Besançon and Neuf Brisach (FR).
By the end of September there will be many more exciting events in the mentioned fortresses, as well as in Daugavpils (LV), Eger (HU), Karlovac (HR), Kostrzyn nad Odra and Gizycko (PL), Coburg, Cologne, Germersheim and Torgau (DE) , The European Fortress Summer declare its message of exciting and fascinating heritage fortress monuments. www.fortress-summer.eu, Instagram.
Dubrovnik (HR): „City Walls of Dubrovnik“ becomes first Croatian network member
Dubrovnik is one of the tourist hotspots in Europe. The fortified city attracts millions of visitors every year to the Croatian Adriatic coast.
Niko Kapetanić, president of "City Walls of Dubrovnik" of the Society of Friends of Ancient Dubrovnik, has now signed on behalf of the city the membership documents of the European fortress tourism and fortress marketing network e.V., thus becoming part of the European cultural route fortress monuments "FORTE CULTURA".
Trier (DE): European Heritage Day
On the occasion of the European Cultural Heritage Year 2018, the Directorate General for Cultural Heritage Rehinland-Palatinate organized the "European Day for the Preservation of Monuments" in Trier together with the Association of State Monument Preservators.
Frauke Vos-Firnkes, 2nd Deputy Chair of the European Fortress Tourism and Fortress Marketing Network, enriched a podium discussion on the topic "monument networks".
FORTE CULTURA® Balkan-Study tour 2018
Under the direction of the experienced tour operator Dr Neumann, a 7-day FORTE CULTURA® study trip through Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro took place.
The route led to the fortified monuments of Sarajevo, Travnik, Jablanica and Konic, Mostar, Ston, Dubrovnik, Kotor and Podgorica.
Fortress Rosenberg, Kronach (DE): Opening Ceremony of the "European Fortress Summer 2018" in the European Year of Cultural Heritage
On the 24th of April the European Fortress Summer 2018 was ceremoniously opened on the fortress Rosenberg. Kronach Mayor Wolfgang Beiergrößlein announced during the ceremony in front of fortress representatives and the press the message:
„What once separated people, will connect them in the future. For a living cultural heritage, fortress monuments in a solidary, democratic and peaceful Europe. We are in!"
The "brave women" of Kronach and the "Cronacher Committee Compagnie 1632" provided the perfect setting.
Currently, 17 fortress sites from 9 countries with more than 25 events are taking part in the Europe-wide joint action, which can be found at www.fortress-summer.eu and at Instagram.
Fortress Rosenberg, Kronach (DE): General Assembly 2018 with election of the board
The General Assembly of the European Fortress Tourism and Fortress Marketing Network e.V. elected their new executive board at the fortress Rosenberg.
Frank Riesbeck (Humboldt University) as President, Hartmut Röder (ECCOFORT e.V.) as 1st Deputy Chairman, Agnieszka Zurawska-Tatala (Kostrzyn nad Odra) as secretary and Dirk Röder (ECCOFORT e.V.) as treasurer were confirmed the board. Frauke Vos-Firnkes (Germersheim) was newly elected as 2nd Deputy Chairwoman.
FORTE CULTURA Theme Week in the European Heritage Year
During the theme week, selected fortresses were featured on the Sharing Heritage Instagram page, including Königstein, Ehrenbreitstein and Kufstein.
As a further contribution to the European Cultural Heritage Year 2018, the European Fortress Tourism and Fortress Marketing Network is currently preparing the joint action "European Fortress Summer 2018".
Berlin (DE): FORTE CULTURA® at ITB
As part of the International Tourism Fair contacts were made, strategic partnerships, FORTE CULTURA® journey themes and initiated collaborations were discussed.
Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme: Project application Monuments-4-CCI submitted
Under lead management of ECCOFORT as Lead Applicant and contribution by the fortified ideal city Karlovac (HR) as lead partner, the finance application for the project “Monuments-4-CCI, was successfully submitted to the third call of the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme. The project should generate customized solutions for the expansion of the Culture and Creative Industries and strengthens their innovation power, by opening up the architectural cultural heritage as a market and by mobilizing unused potentials. This includes 19 partners from 8 European countries.
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