Local Communities Benefit from Danube History and Culture

Sustainable use of the rich cultural and historical heritage along the Danube opens up new opportunities for tourism and business. With EU support, BlueLink will help local people in peripheral border and economically underdeveloped areas along the Danube in six countries to take advantage of these opportunities.

The activities are part of the project DANube Urban Brand + Building Regional and Local Resilience through the Valorization of Danube's Cultural Heritage (DANUrB +). DANUrB + will operate in four main areas: research, planning tools, training and practical activities. They aim to improve the quality of life and the demand for tourist services in the peripheral areas of the Danube in order to stop the depopulation of settlements in the region.

The project envisages the creation of an Atlas of the settlements included in the project, with an emphasis on the cultural, natural and geographical features of the settlement and the development of local action plans for valuing the cultural heritage and creating new economic opportunities for the local population.

Among the planned results are the creation of a network of local small and medium enterprises and the implementation of training programs to promote entrepreneurship for the preservation and development of local cultural heritage. It is planned to create a local quality label for products and services in the peripheral regions of the Danube. They will also be supported through extracurricular programs for the promotion of cultural heritage and related opportunities for local development among young people in the peripheral areas of the Danube. The project will organize festivals for the Danube Day - June 29, to promote local cultural attractions.

DANUrB + is implemented by a partner consortium led by the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, with financial support from the EU Danube Transnational Cooperation Program 2014-2020. It will run for 30 months from 1 July 2020. 19 key and 23 associate strategic partners from 6 Danube countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Croatia and Slovakia) will work together to promote the sustainable use of cultural heritage and resources in the Danube communities .

BlueLink Foundation is among the three Bulgarian partners, together with New Bulgarian University and the National Tourist Cluster "Bulgarian Guide".

BlueLink will support the implementation of project goals by organizing 6 regional seminars for journalists in the project countries and creating a documentary film to present the cultural heritage in peripheral regions along the Danube and the potential for local economies created by the preservation and development ot that heritage. Experts from BlueLink will take an active part in the implementation of meetings, trainings and development of strategic documents and partnerships under the project, as well as in the identification and the promotion of little-known cultural sites in the municipalities along the Danube in Bulgaria.

"The Danube is a vital artery of Europe today and for millennia. By analyzing and supporting the sustainable use of cultural and natural resources by local communities and entrepreneurs. we will achieve two goals: we will contribute to the development and implementation waiting in practice for an innovative social and economic model in which local history, culture and the environment are preserved and bring prosperity to the people. We will give impetus to the development and improvement of the beautiful Danube region of Bulgaria, one of the richest in nature, traditions and history, but at the same time undeservedly lagging behind in economic terms, "said the managing editor of BlueLink Pavel Antonov.

The planned activities build on the work of DANUrB project (implemented in the period 2017-2019), which collected data on cultural resources and stakeholders, developed thematic routes and implemented several local training programs. The DANUrB + project continues this approach of interregional cooperation and networking, as it includes in the already developed platform and cultural network of settlements and regions, those with limited opportunities for economic development.
 

The text was prepared within the project DANube Urban Brand + Building Regional and Local Resilience through the Valorization of Danube's Cultural Heritage (DANUrB +) . The project is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), as well as the national budget of Republic of Bulgaria through the budget of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works. 

Another important issue

In order to keep supporting the strtategic use of information and telecommunication technologies and the internet by civil society, for the sake of nature protection, common European values and democracy, we need to be independent. You can support BlueLink by making a donation  to the BlueLink Foundation or  becoming a volunteer to help our activities. Learn more about BlueLink's mission, vision and activities here.