On 30 March, Mr Stefano DOMINIONI, Executive Secretary of the EPA and Director of the EICR and Ms. Tatjana Horvatić, Representative of Croatia to the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (EPA) and Head of Movable, Ethnographic and Intangible Cultural Heritage Office at the Ministry of Culture and Media of Croatia, opened the 8th edition of the International Historic cities congress in Solin, Croatia.

The International Historic cities congress was organized by the Tourist Board of the City of Solin, Hotel President Solin and the City of Solin. The theme of the congress is the protection and interpretation of historical attractions and sites in historic cities throughout Croatia and to exchange experiences with other European historic cities.

Mr. DOMINIONI presented the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme and highlighted, that the Cultural Routes programme encourages intercultural dialogue and widespread community participation through cultural activities and offers important opportunities for sustainable tourism development in places that are rich in cultural heritage.

The congress gathered many professional lecturers from the national and international tourism and archaeology sector: Mr. Sanjin MIHELIĆ, Director, Archaeological Museum, Zagreb and President of Iron Age Danube Route and Mr. Fergus T. MACLAREN, President, ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee, Canada among others.

Croatia is a country with a rich cultural heritage and is crossed by 14 of the 45 Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe. The number has grown considerably since the country’s accession to the Enlarged Partial Agreement in 2016.

Find the full programme here.