A cultural routefrom Castle to Castle

CULTURE > RUSSIA

This publication does not represent the official view of the EC or the EU institutions. The EC accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to its content.

For centuries, European rulers have lined their borders with fortresses and castles. Over the years, their usage has changed, and people now tend to visit them, not looking for shelter from the enemy, but as tourists eager to learn about their history. In 2011, Finland and Russia agreed to work together to develop the cultural heritage of their frontier territories. As part of the ‘Castle to Castle’ project, the two countries are planning, by 2014, to create a tourist network of 12 castles and fortresses located in the southeastern part of Finland and the Leningrad region of Russia. This is what the project aims to achieve.

Text by EU Neighbourhood Info Centre and ITAR TASS Pictures by ITAR TASS and Castle to Castle project

LENINGRAD - “Some of the fortresses in Finland were built by the Russians, while some of the Russian fortresses by Swedes or Finns,” explains professor Antti Honkanen, Director of the Centre for Tourist Studies at the University of Eastern Finland, and coordinator on the Finnish side of the EU-funded Castle-to-Castle project.Honkanen is quick to point out why this is of particular significance.“This is not just war history, but also the history of a cultural interaction. We consider all this to be our common heritage. So I can say that the main aim of the project is to set up a cultural network to make people aware of their castles, and more generally, of their cultural heritage.”

“A resource to bring people together”The unique network of castles and fortresses in southeast Finland and the Leningrad Oblast in the northwest of the Russian Federation are closely intertwined with the history of both countries. The EU-supported Castle to Castle project, funded under an EU Cross-Border Cooperation programme, started in 2011 and seeks to establish a cultural route between Finnish and Russian castles and to create a related network of experts and entrepreneurs, Professor Honkanen explains what the project is looking to achieve.

www.enpi-info.eu

EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Feature no. 91This is a series of features on projects funded by the EU Regional Programme, prepared by journalists and photographers on the ground or the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre. © 2013 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre

N An historic celebration at the Oreshek fortress, during a Castle Day.

“As a matter of fact, two separate networks are being created. The first one is between the monuments, or rather, between the people, the staff working at the fortresses and castles in Finland and Russia. It’s a network of experts, workers and entrepreneurs. The second one is a cultural tourism route and it is being created for the tourists,” he says. For professor Honkanen, the development of a cultural tourism route is of particular importance, mainly because people lack information regarding the richness of their own culture and tourists do not know enough about the history behind what he calls “great attractions”. “We want to help them to find out how significant these monuments are. Culture tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism business, and its development can be beneficial to the economic development of local communities.”

Therefore, the cultural tourism route focuses on the castles not only as cultural objects, but also includes the events organised within their territories, such as theatre performances, jazz festivals and medieval tournaments, to name just a few. “Whereas previously fortresses were used for defence, they have now become a resource for bringing people together”, says Nadezhda Zhukovskaya, Director of Leningrad’s Regional Museum Agency, and Russian coordinator of the project.

A book of legends to capture the imagination According to Honkanen, the most popular castles in southeastern Finland at present are Olavinlinna, the northernmost medieval fortress where an opera festival is held in the summer months and Lappeenranta. On the Russian side, the most visited fortresses in the Leningrad region include Vyborg Castle, which was built as a Swedish outpost and has a distinct west-European military style, and the Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint-Petersburg, founded by Peter the Great and the main political prison in Russia for nearly 200 years until the early 20th century.The complete list of fortresses involved in the project can be found here.With the project currently at the halfway stage, the ‘Castle to Castle’ training programme is nearing completion. Staff have attended conferences and seminars, been involved in exchange visits to other sites and gained important skills. Last summer, eight castles and fortresses organised their first ‘Castle Days’, which were well-received by the public, as witnessed by the good attendances. “Each fortress opened its doors with a newfound spirit and we learned a lot from organising events together,” said Zhukovskaya. The common ‘Castle Day’ format is being created on the basis of this experience, and Professor Honkanen has praised the positive impact of this improved cooperation. “The cooperation between the partners has strengthened on all levels, new connections have been established; for example some Russian artisans have found business contacts in Finland,” says the university professor. As part of the project, ‘Castle to Castle’ theme products are being made, with souvenirs and leather articles currently under production Essential to making the initiative work is improving the information material that is readily available. A website has been launched (www.fort.fi/english/) providing details on the project, while a travel guidebook is in the process of production. A book entitled Legends of the Fortresses, soon to be published in three languages, will bring together all the legends relating to the fortresses and castles of the region.All these are expected to make life easier for tourists interested in the

N Visitors going to Olavinlinna fortress, during a Castle Day.

EU Neighbourhood Info Centre – Feature no. 91p. 2A cultural route from Castle to Castle

“This is not just war history, but also the history of a cultural interaction. We consider all this to be our common heritage”

“Culture tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism business, and its development can be beneficial to the economic development of local communities.”

N An historic celebration at the Oreshek fortress, during a Castle Day.

region, by providing them with complete and more accessible information. “Tourists will be able to get the information in advance and choose the monuments that appeal to them most, or that are closest by”- says ProfessorHonkanen. “It will be a very good resource both for individual tourists as well as tourist agencies,” adds Nadezhda Zhukovskaya.

A basis for future developmentBoth coordinators declare themselves pleased with the way the project has developed so far and believe there is a lot to be gained from even further integration. “Obviously, the fortress network may also include Suomenlinna in Helsinki and Turku Castle. There are also many castles and fortresses from various Russian regions that could also be involved,” says Professor Honkanen. With the difficult start now firmly behind them, the Finnish professor has a very positive outlook on the future of the project. “Differences between our operational environment and the legislation posed some challenges at the beginning, but we have managed to solve all problems together. And now we are ready to move things forward,” maintains Professor Honkanen.From the Russian point of view, Nadezhda Zhukovskaya believes the project is very promising both in terms of funding and development of new ideas. “Based on our experience, we are planning to develop investment projects within the framework of cross-border cooperation with Finland,” she says. So while the two countries may have relied on building castles and fortresses to secure their borders from one another in the past, thanks to the work of the ‘Castle to Castle’ project, the same buildings now offer tourists and locals alike the chance to enjoy and learn more about the shared cultural heritage between the two countries.

EU Neighbourhood Info Centre – Feature no. 91p. 3

“Differences between our operational environment and the legislation posed some challenges at the beginning, but we have managed to solve all problems together. And now we are ready to move things forward”

The EU Neighbourhood Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional Communication project highlighting the partnership between the EU and Neighbouring countries. The project is managed by Action Global Communications.

www.enpi-info.eu

EU Neighbourhood Info Centre An ENPI project

A cultural route from Castle to Castle

CBC - Cross-border cooperationCBC, a key priority of the ENPI, seeks to reinforce cooperation between EU Member States and Partner Countries along the external EU borders.

Timeframe: 2007-2013

Budget: €1.1 billion

Objective: CBC aims to promote economic and social development in border areas. It strives to address common challenges, ensure efficient and secure borders and promote people-to-people cooperation.

The South-East Finland-Russia Programme www.southeastfinrusnpi.fi/

Budget €36,185 million)

Joint Managing Authority Regional Council of South Karelia, Finland

Castle to CastleTo establish an internationally recognizable Castle to Castle cultural route between Finnish and Russian castles and a related network of experts and entrepreneurs

Partners University of Eastern Finland; The National Board of Antiquities, Leningrad region culture committee, Museum Agency, The State Museum of the History of St. Peterburg, City of Lappeenranta

Timeframe 36 months

Budget € 1 073 317,00

To find out morewww.uef.fi/mot/castle-to-castle Cross Border Cooperation:

EU Neighbourhood Info Centre project listhttp://www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=171&id_type=10

ENPI CBC South East Finland Russia programmehttp://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/neighbourhood/regional-cooperation/enpi-cross-border/documents/enpi_cbc_south_east_finnland-russia_fact_sheet_en.pdf

N The Kakisalmi fortress, in Korela.