The Council of Europe has acknowledged Hungary’s accession to the enlarged partial agreement of Cultural Routes, thus from now on Hungarian organizations and institutions can also apply to be part of new cultural routes.

The Cultural Routes initiative was launched by the Council of Europe in 1987 in order to strengthen the links to our common European heritage.

17 countries are members of the partial agreement and there are 27 registered cultural routes altogether, including The Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes, the route that includes sites Mozart visited or the one along the journeys of the Vikings in Europe.

Hungary has also been involved in several cultural routes: The Saint Martin of Tours Route leads from the Saint’s hometown Szombathely to Tours in France, where he was ordained bishop. The route of Iter Vitis passes along the Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region, the European Route of Jewish Heritage introduces the related cultural and constructed heritage in Hungary.
Through the accession we may not only be participating members but we may also become initiators or main coordinators within the framework of the programme.

Various institutions, non-governmental organizations and municipalities can all apply for the Council of Europe Cultural Routes certification, but the cooperation of at least three or more countries is needed, possibly from the Visegrád Four countries or the Central-European Initiative. The new routes could present the Carpathian Basin’s Hungarian-related cultural heritage, thus increasing the opportunities for economic development through tourism.

(Ministry of Human Resources)