The city of Pécs hosted the third annual meeting of the Hungarian representatives of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe on 2nd June 2026. The professional conference, which was organised by the Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Hungarian Open Air Museum, was attended by representatives of 9 cultural routes crossing Hungary, among them the newest Hungarian member, the St. Francis Ways network, certified in 2025. The meeting took place as a preliminary event to the 13th Training Academy, which was also held in Pécs and Osijek from 2 to 5 June, hosted by the Roman Emperors and Danube Wine Route.
The venue for the meeting of the Hungarian Representatives of the Cultural Routes Programme, was kindly provided by the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter, the Hungarian partner institution of the Roman Emperors and Danube Wine Route. The professional discussion focused on the challenges experienced by the cultural routes, future plans, and possibilities for cooperation among the routes. The participants of the meeting articulated the need to prepare a status report and action plan summarising the activities, outcomes and vision of the Cultural Routes Programme in Hungary. This aims to strengthen the role and visibility of the Programme in the Hungarian cultural life and to raise awareness among Hungarian stakeholders regarding the potential of the Cultural Routes Programme. The status report will be an important basis for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Santiago de Compostela Declaration and the Cultural Routes Programme in Hungary next year.
Hungary is a member state of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe since 2013 and is currently an active member of 17 Cultural Routes. The latest accession was officially announced on the third day of the Training Academy, on 5th of June 2026, when the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter received certification for joining the European Route of Ceramics.
Pictures: 1.Participants of the Meeting; 2. Opening speech by Eszter Csonka-Takács PhD, official coordinator of the Cultural Routes Programme in Hungary, Vice-Chair of the EPA Governing Board. 3. Dániel Poulet, World Heritage expert of the Zsolnay Heritage Management Ltd; 4. Szilvia Fábián PhD, President of the Iron Age Daube Route Association; 5. Róbert Orbán, Former president of the Saint Martin‘s European Cultural Routes in Hungary Council Association; 6. Participants of the Meeting; 7. Participants of the Meeting.
