Examples of good practices presented within the CAST project
Within the CAST – Culture trAnSforming communiTies and economies project, project partners identified and presented a range of good practice examples illustrating how cultural heritage can be used as a driving force of social and economic development.
One example comes from Slovenia, where an old school building has been transformed into a community center dedicated to the local tradition of beekeeping. Today, the facility is a multifunctional space that includes a café, a hostel, and an innovation center, thereby integrating both tangible and intangible cultural heritage into a contemporary tourism and social offering.
In Bulgaria, our partner organization, foundation The Collective, implemented an initiative to revitalize abandoned commercial buildings in urban areas with limited access to cultural content. In cooperation with the local community, artists, and architects, empty commercial spaces were transformed into creative centers, while art exhibitions and performances are organized on the rooftop.
The partner from Slovakia presented the initial phases of a project in the city of Kolárovo, where the establishment of a multifunctional recreational and cultural complex is planned. The complex is intended for festivals, family visits, and use by the local community.
In Croatia, the Koprivnica-Križevci County has developed a network of cycling routes connected to international trails, including the European Amazon and the Iron Curtain Route (EuroVelo 13). Work is currently underway to establish a thematic route dedicated to naïve art, with the aim of strengthening the region’s cultural tourism offer.
Additional examples were also presented through the online series “Capitalization Café,” organized by the People Powered Tourism project, which featured presentations of projects with similar objectives in the fields of cultural tourism, participatory development, and innovative heritage interpretation.
The CAST project aims to enhance the role of culture in the development of communities and economies through knowledge exchange, identification of innovative practices, and the development of pilot activities in partner regions.
