Tourist Association of Ivano-Frankivsk Region in partnership with Pasichna Village Council (Ukraine), City Hall of Ardud and Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture Satu Mare (Romania) is implementing the project ‘SHARING HERITAGE: Preserving Historical Legacy of Pniv Fortress in Ukraine and Ardud Fortress in Romania for Tourism Development’ 2SOFT/2.1/169. The mentioned project is being implemented until September 2023 under the Joint Operational Programme Romania-Ukraine 2014-2020 and co-financed by the European Union. The total budget of the project is 496 811,12 EUR (app 19 974 000,00 UAH, the grant amount is 444 195,10 EUR (app 17 858 500 UAH).
The project focuses on Nadvirna district of Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine and Satu Mare County in Romania. The project general objective is to create additional opportunities for the economic and livelihood development of local communities on both sides of the border through the realization of the tourism potential of their cultural heritage, namely the Ardud fortress in Romania and Pniv Castle in Ukraine, which will ensure the preservation and sustainable use of these medieval buildings.
At present, the partners have made significant progress in achieving the declared objective of the project. In particular, a number of measures have been taken aimed at preserving the mentioned monuments, guaranteeing the safety and comfort of their visitors. Thus, in Ardud, powerful dehumidifiers were purchased and installed, which will provide ventilation and limit the level of humidity in the fortress premises, a floor luminaires lighting system was installed in the fortress galleries, the entrance gate was repaired and stone pavement was laid.
In turn, the Ukrainian partners procured an outdoor lighting system that will be installed around the ruins of the Pniv Castle. Active work on the creation of information and interpretation stands around the castle continues. In addition, a ground-penetrating radar research was conducted and a three-dimensional model of the earth’s crust was created, allowing to reproduce the historical appearance of the building.
At present, the production of planning documentation for Pniv Fortress conservation and anti-collision works including reinforcement measures continues. At the same time, planning documentation is being prepared for the construction of the Pniv Fortress Heritage Interpretation Center, which is designed to become a new tourist attraction – a magnet that will “attract” numerous visitors to this area.
The experts of the project are working on the preparation of heritage management plan for Pniv Fortress – a comprehensive document aimed at ensuring the preservation and rational management of the tangible and intangible heritage of the castle in the interests of modern and future generations, as well as at demonstrating the potential of this heritage and optimal mechanisms for its implementation for sustainable local development. It is expected that the plan will be approved by the village council and will become a practical guide for local institutions in the future. At the same time, work continues on the interpretation concept of the Pniv fortress heritage, which will be used in the activities of the future Interpretation Center.
The project also envisages the creation of virtual reality tools that will interpret the target heritage objects. For example, Ukrainian partners are currently working on a virtual guide around the Pniv Castle – the content of the guide has been prepared and a service provider has been identified for its creation. Romanian colleagues have created a 3D model of the Ardud fortress.
The educational component of the project included two study visits to Ukraine and Romania, as well as a joint study tour to Ireland in September 2022, during which the Ukrainian and Romanian partners had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the experience of using the tourism potential of cultural heritage. In addition, a local stakeholders training sessions dedicated to using the potential of heritage in the interests of local development have been started – Romanian partners have already conducted one such training session.
In order to promote the project and its results, the partners have produced different materials – project banners, as well as T-shirts, cups, notebooks, backpacks, calendars, etc. In addition, Romanian partners have prepared and published Ardud tourist guide and site map and are currently finalizing a promotional video about Ardud fortress. At the same time, the Ukrainian team is working on promotional publications and promotional video about Pniv Castle. At the end of the project implementation period, promotional leaflets highlighting project results will also be published.
In the future, within the framework of the project, it is planned to hold two cross-border international professional workshops with participation of experts in the fields related to cultural heritage and local development. A separate project activity is the organization of two International Medieval Festival events in Ukraine and Romania, which will interpret the local castle heritage for a wide range of visitors. Finally, the project final event will be the International Heritage Partners Forum, which will present the results of the project activities and the experience gained by the partners, as well as draw the attention of a wide audience to the existing practices of heritage management in small communities.
Contact person – Iryna Novosilska, project director, tel. (0342) 542950, e-mail: office@taif.org.ua.
This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the Tourist Association of Ivano-Frankivsk Region and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union or of the Joint Operational Programme Romania-Ukraine 2014-2020 management structures (www.ro-ua.net).
The Joint Operational Programme Romania-Ukraine 2014-2020 is financed by the European Union through the European Neighborhood Instrument and co-financed by the participating countries in the Programme.
