On 28 and 29 April 28 2026 the European Institute of Cultural Routes hosted a training seminar for candidate routes interested in the Cultural Route of the Council of Europe certification.
The programme of the seminar focused on the criteria, requirements and procedures for certification and included workshops, bilateral meetings and presentations from experts and currently certified routes.
The participants represented fifteen networks interested in the certification:
- Baltic Manors Route
- Castle Route between Orient and Occident
- European Dry Stone Route
- European Goethe Ways
- European Mining Route
- European Route of Lighthouses
- Forte Cultura
- Islas del Mar – Sacred Islands of Europe
- Longobard Ways Across Europe
- Mary’s Route
- Places of Peace Route
- Saint George and the Dragon
- Shrines of Europe
- St Hubert Cultural Route – Mosaic of Nature, and
- Via Claudia Augusta.
Professor Mike Robinson, Chair of Cultural Heritage at the University of Nottingham conducted a module on guidelines for governance, sustainability, and development of cultural route networks. Three Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe contributed to the training seminar with their experiences and expertise: Simone Zagrodnik, Executive Director of the European Route of Historic Thermal Towns, Antonio Barone, Director of the Phoenicians’ Route, and Victor Sorenssen, Director of the European Route of Jewish Heritage.
On day two of the seminar, attendees were invited to bilateral feedback sessions with Secretariat members for targeted and personalised feedback on their draft applications.
Candidate routes must submit their full application files by 31 July 2026.
