The 13th Annual Advisory Forum on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe took place in Visegrád, Hungary on 25-27 September, organised by the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (EPA) and the European Institute of Cultural Routes, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and the Hungarian Open Air Museum.
Central to this year’s Forum's discussions were the concepts of transmission and innovation to promote greater youth involvement along the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe while also ensuring the protection of Europe’s vast cultural heritage.
Mr. Dénes EŐRY, Mayor of the Municipality of Visegrád; Mr. Máté VINCZE, Deputy State Secretary for Public Collections and Cultural Development of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary and Ms. Meltem ÖNHON (Türkiye), Chair of the EPA Governing Board took part in the Official Opening Ceremony and welcomed the over 300 Forum participants.
The Forum was attended by many Representatives of the 41 member States of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe and the 48 certified Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, as well as representatives of International Organizations, Observers to the EPA such as UNWTO, UNESCO, ERA, academics from the Cultural Routes University Networks and tourism professionals.
Visegrád, located around 40 kilometers north of Budapest, is celebrated for its exceptional viewpoints overlooking the Danube Bend, its thermal baths, and its well-preserved medieval architecture, including the castle known as the 'Citadel,' built in 1247, and the Royal Palace, constructed in 1323. On the first day, participants had the opportunity to visit some of these sites during a guided tour. Additionally, for the last part of the programme, they travelled from Visegrád to Budapest by boat, while taking in scenic views and commentary from a tour guide.
By offering a diverse schedule of panels, discussions, and meetings, the event created an opportunity for the key stakeholders of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe to convene and collaborate. Around 60 Forum programme speakers from Europe and beyond took the floor during the 3-day event.
The Opening Ceremony was the occasion to celebrate the renewal of certification for 7 Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe following the 2023-2024 certification cycle: Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes, The Hansa, Via Francigena, Routes of El Legado Andalusi, Iron Route in the Pyrenees, Iter Vitis Route and European Route of Historic Gardens.
The Closing Ceremony was held at the Vigadó Concert Hall in Budapest, featuring a speech by Ms. Zsófia NAGY-VARGHA, Deputy State Secretary for Youth, Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary; and a video message by Mr. Bjørn BERGE, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. This event also marked the formal acceptance of Estonia as a new member State, which joined the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe in 2024. Additionally, the latest Cultural Routes, namely the “Leonardo da Vinci Route” and the “European Route of Historic Pharmacies”, received the prestigious Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe certification as part of the 2023-2024 certification cycle.
The ongoing success of the Forum was illustrated by the augmented attendance of Ministers and high-ranking Representatives from the Council of Europe, the host nation, member States, and a range of International Organisations, including: Dr. Attila BENEDA, Deputy Secretary responsible for Family Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary; Ms. Irena GUIDIKOVA, Head of Democratic Institutions and Freedoms Department of the Council of Europe ; Mr. Bálint MOLNÁR, Executive Director of the European Youth Centre Budapest of the Council of Europe; Dr. Gábor SOÓS, Secretary General of the Hungarian National Commission for UNESCO; Ms. Tatjana HORVATIĆ, Head of Movable, Ethnographic and Intangible Cultural Heritage Office of the ministry of Culture and Media of Croatia and Governing Board EPA representative; Mr. Sergio ORTEGA MUÑOZ, Head of the Heritage Protection and European Programmes Service of the ministry of Culture of Spain and EPA Bureau member; Mr. Eladio FERNÁNDEZ-GALIANO, member of the Board of Directors of the European Institute of Cultural Routes, Luxembourg ; Mr. Onur GÖZET, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye; Ms. Anu KIPPASTO, Consul of the Embassy of Estonia in Hungary; Ms. Liliya ELENKOVA, Advisor to the Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Bulgaria and Chair of the Board of Co-ordination of the Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card; Mr. Manel SANCHEZ GARCIA, Director, European Youth Card Association; Mr. Jacopo BORDIGNON, Programme Analyst, Regional Department for Europe, UN Tourism; Dr. Diane DODD, President of the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism, Spain ; Mr. Gábor MÓCZÁR, General Director of the National Heritage Institute of Hungary; Ms. Widad Brimo, Youth Delegate of Hungary to the United Nation of the University of Szeged in Hungary; Ms. Sara ÁLVAREZ GÓMEZ, President of the EPA! Spanish Network of Rural Youth Organistations; Dr. Bert Ludwig, Director of the European Heritage Volunteers; Mrs. Enikő VARGA-VÉGVÁRI, Youth Policy Expert of the General Youth Department of Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary; Mrs. Sharon SULTANA, Senior Manager of Archaeology and Natural History of Malta and EPA representative of Malta; Mr. Xesc MAINZER, Advisory Council on Youth, Council of Europe; Dr. Eszter CSONKA-TAKÁCS, Director, Directorate of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Hungarian Open Air Museum, member of the EPA Governing Board; Mr. Tamás SZEGEDY-KLOSKA, Head of the Scientific Secretary Department, Hungarian Open Air Museum; Dr. Miklós CSERI, General Director of the Hungarian Open Air Museum; Dr. Zsuzsanna BATÁRI NAGYNÉ, Director of the Department for Science and Interpretation of the Hungarian Open Air Museum; Mr. Peter DEBRINE, Senior Project Officer and Leader of Sustainable Tourism Programme of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre; Mr. Matías RUBIO, Youth representative of the Advisory Council of the Council of Europe; Mr. Mike ROBINSON, Chair of Cultural Heritage at Nottingham University, UK; Prof. Dr. María Teresa CARBALLEIRA RIVERA, Executive Secretary, Compostela Group of Universities and Dr. Viktor FRIEDMANN, Dean of the Faculty of Business, Communication and Tourism, Metropolitan University Budapest.
A dedicated webpage on the 13th Annual Advisory Forum on the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe can be found here (Forum pictures, streaming videos and presentations will be uploaded in the coming days).
