Baltic Manors Route
Building up the “European Route of the Baltic Manors”
Funding
Programm: Interreg South Baltic
Lead Partner: Tourism Association Vorpommern
Duration: 01 June 2024 - 31 May 2027
BACKGROUND and INTRODUCTION
There exist more than 5.000 manors in the rural parts of northern Germany, Denmark, south Sweden, north-east Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which are connected by manifold historical and cultural ties that are, in particular, the result of the various border changes in the area through the centuries.
This „Baltic Manors landscape” is a shared cultural heritage that is distinctive and apparent, and that stretches across 7 countries. Today, more than 900 of the “Baltic Manors” host recreational & cultural offers (e.g. hotels, museums, art exhibitions, etc.). Many of them make cross-border relations visible for guests and vistors, and contribute to raising the awareness on the shared manorial heritage of the Baltic Sea. At the same time, the touristic & cultural valorisation of the manors contributes in a prominent way to a more sustainable & inclusive development of local communities in remote areas (e.g. manor hotels offering history tours with local guides or bio-food from local producers, manors with cultural offers for the local population).
Various examples (e.g. TRANSROMANICA, VIA REGIA) demonstrate that the status of an “European Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” could take the touristic valorisation of the shared manorial heritage around Baltic Sea to the next level. At the same time, the related certification process is a best practice methodology for effectively utilising common European heritage for sustainable & inclusive development of local communities. Notwithstanding if the ECR status – that is awared in the form of a competition – can be be achieved, the creation of a „European Route of the Baltic Manors” in line with its requirements will therefore create significant socio-economic benefits.
In the last 20 years, various initiatives and networks emerged that foster the cultural & touristic valorisation of the Baltic manorial heritage (e.g. “South Baltic Manors” project, regional and national associations of manor owners), its preservation as well as related research and education (e.g. ENCOUNTER network, “Manors summer school” of Vilnius Academy of Arts / LT, Research Centre for Manors in the Baltic Sea Region at the University of Greifswald / DE). This pre-work provides the opportunity to develop the “Baltic Manors landscape” and its houses into an “European Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” (ECR). Prerequisite is that the mentioned pre-works & initiatives are effectively connected, and remaining gaps for fulfilling ECR requirements (e.g. governance structure, cross-border research & education, formal certification procedure) are closed in a targeted way.
Project Partners
Partners of the INTERREG Project...
...are experts of manors, tourism and cultural studies and science.
New ideas for old manor ouses
OBJECTIVE and APPROACH OF THE PROJEC
The aim of the project Baltic Manors ROUTE is to build up an „European Route of the Baltic Manors” in line with the principles of an „European Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” (ECR), and to undergo the formal certification procedure for it within the project lifeftime.
The work plan of the project follows, therefore, the principles of the ECR certification, which is at the same time a widely recognised best practice methodology for sustainable and inclusive valorisation of shared cultural heritage, and builds on and connects pre-work of previous and existing iniatives to close persisting gaps in the following ways: In each countries of the “Baltic Manors landscape”, national associations and networks of manor owners have emerged, which exist partly for more than 20 years.
Moreover, the “BALTIC Manors Network” provides international cooperation platform that connects these initiatives for strategic cooperation across borders. Baltic Manors ROUTE will institutionalise this collaboration in the form of the “Baltic Manors Association”, which will reach out to more than 350 manor owners and operators.
Thus, a durable cross-border management and governance structure for the “European Route of the Baltic Manors” is created that considers ECR requirements. Since many years the Baltic Manors heritage is subject to extensive scientific research, which depicted its genuine cross-border nature and relevance for European history & identity (e.g. by ENCOUNTER network, University of Greifswald / Research Centre for Manors in the BSR).
Baltic Manors ROUTE will bring these research initiatives together & connect them. By doing so, a framework for further, durable research on the shared manorial heritage incl. the scientific foundations of the “European Route of the Baltic Manors” is created. Furthermore, this will prepare the ground for cultural & educational activities, as well as marketing narratives that refer to the shared manorial heritage.
The annual “Manors Summer School” of Vilnius Academy of Arts / LT is a first example of a regular cross-border education offer, which raises the awareness of the next generation for the Baltic Manors heritage - as important prerequisite for the durable preservation and valorisation of it.
Baltic Manors ROUTE will use this initiative as the point of departure for piloting and establishing further, durable cross-border education offers and exchange formats that make young people more aware of shared manorial heritage.
The “BALTIC MANORS exhibition” with seven venues in five countries, and the “Baltic Manors” marketing campaign prove that the joint touristic valorisation and promotion of the shared manorial heritage can create added value in terms of visibility and attention. In particular the cultural heritage-based brand “Baltic Manors – Old places, new life”, which was established in the “South Baltic Manors” project, has proven to be a strong tool for both domestic and international manor tourism marketing. Moreover, is an effective vehicle to make both the shared history of the Baltic Manors as well as a new “manorial culture” that it driven and practiced by a new generation of manors owners (so-called “space pioneers”) visible. So far, the brand has been successfully utilised for promoting existing manor tourism offers. With Baltic Manors ROUTE, its will be further advanced into a framework for developing new, inclusive manor tourism offers that build on local actors and suppliers.
Although there is a strong interest to establish a “European Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” (ECR) since many years, no actions have been taken with this regard yet. Baltic Manors ROUTE project will connect the manor associations & further essential supporters to finally enter into the formal certification process for achieving the ECR status, and – in the best case - to successfully complete it within the project lifetime.
