Project name: Exploring Balts and Promoting Awareness of the International Cultural Route "Balts' Road"
Project acronym: Explore Balts
Project number: LLI-447
Project partners: Lead partner – Šiauliai tourism information centre (LT); partners – Zemgale planning region; Kuldyga local municipality; Rundale local municipality; Kurzeme planning region; Nacional Regions‘ Development Agency, Klaipeda district tourism information centre.
Project duration: 01.06.2020 – 31.05.2022 (24 months)
Project budget - 869 689.02 €, of which 739 235.65 € EU structural funds.
Project funding sources: project partners and the European Regional Development Fund.
Project implements the Cross-border Cooperation Programme‘s priority „Sustainable and clean environment through cooperation“. The project will contribute to the objective (1.1) „To increase number of visitors to the programme area through improving and developing cultural and natural heritage objects, services and products“.
The main objective of the project is to increase the number of visitors to the Programme area by developing the created cross-border itinerary - the Cultural tourism Route “Balts' Road”. To achieve this objective the following sub-objectives have been set:
- Raising of awareness about preservation of Balts' tangible and intangible cultural and natural heritage
- Promote recognition of created international cultural route "Balts' Road"
- Improvements of Balts' Road innovative and sustainable tourism information system.
The main common intention is to continue further development of the established Balts' Road by improving offered common product with activities which will enhance awareness, recognition and exploring of Balts.
Project Explore Balts continues project Balts’ Road with activities which will increase awareness, recognition, and exploration of Balts. Balts’ Road itinerary is 2145 km long, connected by irregular loops or extending lines that include territories once inhabited by Curonians (~ 790 km), Semigallians (~ 620 km) and Sellonians (~ 735 km) in Lithuania and Latvia.
Balts’ Road combines unique natural and cultural objects such as Balts’ cult areas: springs, trees, forests and lakes, exclusive monuments, modern interesting places, educational programs offered by craftsmen and local cuisine.
One of the aims of the project is to learn how to manage projects associated with culture, cultural tourism, and cultural routes well. This will be done with the help of experience-sharing and experience-gaining study visit to the famous Viking Route in Sweden and participation in tourism fairs and exchange visits between regions of Balts’ Road.
Project will use innovative solutions: 3D movies, virtual reality tours, educational programs for children and pupils in Balts’ Centre in Siauliai city, environmental objects in Sēlpils, improved area of Mežotne Hillfort - reconstructed pedestrian footpath, sightseeing platform etc. and reconstructed Klaipeda district tourism center: repaired premises using symbols of ancient balts, installed interactive map of Klaipeda district that shows most attractive places to visit to encourage tourists to explore “Balts’ Road” objects and sites. Project activities are planned to raise awareness about ancient Balts and to continue further development of “Balts’ Road”.
The project will be implemented using the cross-border approach in order to attract more travellers to the region, promoting the already implemented tourism itinerary Balts‘ Road and the future project Explore Balts.
Project result: an increased number of visitors in The Programme area up to 10 percent. The created and further developed means and visual technologies are expected to improve site recognition, raise awareness, and increase the number of visitors up to 10 percent by ensuring longer stays and more stays overnight in The Programme area.