With support from the EU-funded Interreg Austria-Czech Republic program, the project “Roman Trails – On the Trail of the Romans in the Weinviertel Region and in South Moravia” has officially launched. Led by the Center for Cultural Property Protection at the University for Continuing Education Krems, the initiative aims to establish a cross-border thematic region in South Moravia and Austria’s Weinviertel, focusing on the lesser-known Roman history north of the Danube.
The Roman past continues to hold strong appeal for the general public, as seen in the recognition of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and through its presence in popular culture. The project “Roman Trails – On the Trail of the Romans in the Weinviertel Region and in South Moravia” aims to bring the lesser-known Roman history of South Moravia (Czech Republic) and the Weinviertel region (located in Lower Austria north of the Danube) to life. Under a unified brand, the project aims to better harness the tourism potential of this historically rich region.
The project focuses on developing interactive hiking and biking trails along traces of Roman civilization, as well as digitizing and virtually reconstructing archaeological finds and historic landscapes. These efforts aim to boost local and regional tourism while supporting sustainable development. Innovative approaches to cultural education will make the region’s shared Roman heritage more accessible and help increase visitor numbers in areas that have so far seen less tourist traffic.
Romans North of the Danube
The Danube Limes is commonly seen today as the “hard” border of the Roman Empire. However, less known is the fact that the Romans were also present north of the Danube, and the river was not an impermeable boundary to the surrounding areas of present-day Lower Austria, South Moravia, and western Slovakia. In the second half of the 2nd century AD, South Moravia and the Weinviertel formed a cultural unit, with a shared operational area for the Roman army and civil interaction with the local population. The Roman expansion northward, documented by marching camps and numerous archaeological finds, forms the historical basis for the establishment of a joint tourism offering aimed at culture and history enthusiasts.
About the Project Consortium
The core consortium consists of two scientific partner institutions – the Center for Cultural Property Protection at the University of Continuing Education Krems and the Institute of Archaeology at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno – as well as seven strategic partners from Austria and the Czech Republic. Experience from the Interreg DTP project "Living Danube Limes" is being incorporated into the communication of archaeological content and the development of sustainable tourism strategies.
Outlook
The project is divided into three phases: the development of a sustainable tourism strategy, the digitization of Roman finds, and the implementation and testing of the Roman Trails. These measures aim to establish a cross-border thematic region as an attractive travel destination that combines historical and modern elements while promoting soft tourism.
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