CC BY
5A gricultural
Bulletin of Stavropol Region
UDK 338.483.12(497.11)
№ 1(21)/1 Supplement, 2016
Zeljko Bjeljac, Aleksandra Terzic, Marko D. Petrovic
CULTURAL ROUTES - THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TOURIST DESTINATIONS IN SERBIA
Cultural routes can become interesting tourist destinations because of their connections to renown places, events and personalities. The process of forming cultural routes as tourist products is considered a new principle of protection, revitalization, use and presentation of cultural heritage. In Serbia, the concept of cultural routes is in its development. The scope of this article is to examine the
interrelation of cultural routes in Serbia with European cultural routes. The main goal is to determine to what extent their connection to the existing European cultural routes contributed to the tourism promotion of Serbia.
Key words:
Serbia.
cultural routes, tourism, destinations,
Zeljko Bjeljac -
Ph.D., Senior Research Associate,
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA),
Geographical Institute «Jovan Cvijic»,
Belgrade, Serbia
Tel.: +381 11 26 36 395
E-mail: z.bjeljac@gi.sanu.ac.rs
Aleksandra Terzic -
Ph.D, Research Associate, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA), Geographical Institute «Jovan Cvijic», Belgrade, Serbia Tel.: +381 11 26 36 395 E-mail: a.terzic@gi.sanu.ac.rs
Marko D. Petrovic -
Ph.D., Research Assistant, Serbian Academy
of Sciences and Arts (SASA),
Geographical Institute «Jovan Cvijic»,
Belgrade, Serbia
Tel.: +381 11 26 36 395
E-mail: m.petrovic@gi.sanu.ac.rs
Discussion
Cultural and natural attractions in last two decades become a very important component in constituting the attractiveness of tourism destinations. The concept of cultural routes2 that is already widely applied in Europe and the world is still in the initial phase in Serbia. In scientific literature there is a considerable number of tourist studies that have been carried out in diverse cultural and natural geographic attractions (Apostolakis, 2003; Meyer, 2004; Moscardo, Pearce, 1999; Richards, 2000, 2007; Chhabra et al., 2003; Stanojlovic et al., 2011; Timothy, 2007; Terzic et al., 2014, 2014a, Eben^ u flp., 2014a; 2014b). Since cultural routes appeared, in 1980s, as an example of well-connected, specially designed and thematically envisioned tourist products. Their popularity is constantly growing. They are placed into a context of a visit to a greater number of destinations, expanding to whole regions, countries and even international space. Combination of the cultural exchange and social values are creating the recognizable identity for each cultural route. Even though their main concept is not primarily focused on the tourist use, they are, beside the cultural, representing the tourist product as well. Cultural routes had proven to be an extraordinary opportunity for the tourism development in underdeveloped regions that have valuable cultural or natural resources (Meyer, 2004). Tourism based on cultural routes is the form of heritage promotion. It is a tourism method often used with the goal of exploitation of heritage along with its conservation,
protection, tourist use, as well as initiation of local social-economic development. Under the term cultural route usually we consider the determined way of travel, consisted of roads and paths with a specific landscape, natural, cultural or historical values. It includes the sightseeing and the interpretation of sites that are incorporated into the cultural route. The basic concept of cultural route is the linking of a series of tourist attractions. It has a goal to promote tourism in the region and encourage tourists to travel from one location to another (Terzic, 2014).
However, there is a need in establishing the sus-tainability and finding the proper ways in the creation of such cultural products. They should enable the cultural heritage to be revived and experienced by both, residents and tourists. This can be achieved through the incorporation of scientifically developed methods and implementation of specific measures. These must be supported by the government, with an aim of putting the heritage into public use and profit making. It must be done in terms of sustainable development, followed by ensuring the proper management and protection of cultural assets (Terzic, 2014).
Cultural routes in Europe
Based on global trend the number of cultural routes, cultural districts (Di Pietro et al., 2013) in the world is growing. These concepts were developed in Western Europe (Italy, France), considering that Europe has the richest cultural heritage and is the most visited destination of so-called
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Journal XK, Bulletin of Stavrapal Région
»cultural tourists (TerziC et al., 2014a). The Cultural Routes Programme was launched by the Council of Europe in 1987 (www.coe.int/routes). Routes requesting the certification should meet some basic conditions:
- focus on a theme representative of European values and common to several European countries;
- follow a historical route or a newly created thematic route;
- give rise to long-term multilateral cooperation projects in priority areas (scientific research; heritage conservation and enhancement; cultural and educational exchanges; contemporary cultural and artistic practices; cultural tourism and sustainable development);
- be managed by one or more independent, organized networks (in the form of an association or a federation of associations) (www.coe.int/routes).
In 1998, the Council of Europe entrusted to the European Institute of the Cultural Routes the task of monitoring the Cultural Routes program as a whole. Since 1987 until 2014 the 29 Pan-European cultural routes were established. European cultural routes can be classified based on geographical model: national, regional and pan-European. According to the dominant theme of route they can include pilgrim routes, dedicated to the renowned personalities from European culture, architectural and artistic heritage from different epochs of Europe's history, etc. Some of the established European cultural routes are mass-visited, with several million tourists every year (e.g. The Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Route).
Cultural routes in Serbia
The presentation of cultural heritage through cultural routes and itineraries is in line with the preferences of the Strategy of the tourism development in the Republic of Serbia. Cultural (thematic) routes are presented as the priority axis of the national strategy of tourism development. They are represented in a long list of proposed, preliminary and completed projects based on the creation and promotion of cultural and thematic routes in this region. Strategies for valuation of cultural heritage in line with the cultural route development and revitalization of cultural in the Republic of Serbia, demand the acknowledgment of their specific importance (Terzic, 2014). The cultural routes within the Republic of Serbia begin to form in the last few years. They are usually promoted by the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Services and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, as well as by the National Tourist Organization. Cultural routes constitute a significant element of tourism offer and tourism promotion of Serbia. The cultural routes in Serbia are usually created within defined theme, extracted from the historical or nature-based context of the region they cover in their scope. Most local and regional cultural routes in Serbia were developed in the cross-border areas and are the result of the tourism initiative de-
veloped under the CBC IPA programme on national level and are financed from European funds (Bjeljac et al., 2014). In recent years the focus of numerous development projects funded by the European Union are relating to the Danube. These are specially defined by the recently created EU Strategy for Danube region.
On national level, several studies and pilot projects on creation of cultural routes «Roman Emperors Path» (Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Services), «Fortresses along the Danube» (Ministry of Culture, under the patronage of UNESCO), Transromanica (Ministry of Culture and Council of Europe) and «Valley of the kings in Ibar valley» (Tourist Organization of Serbia). There are several thematic programmes developed by National and local tourist organizations based on wine tourism (Wine routes of Serbia and Vojvodina), several thematic routes in DKMT region («Happy times of peace» secession routes, «Folklore without borders», «Wandering in the pantry of the Monarchy» industrial, agricultural and water management memorials, «Recreation without borders» wellness tourism, etc.). In implementation phase are the creation of cultural route «Roman emperor's path» which include the whole territory of Serbia (historical province of Iliric) where 17 Roman emperors were born. A great number of Roman remains are located in the Danube region of Serbia, where Roman Danube Limes was created. This route presents ancient roman towns, roads and archaeological remains, such as: Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica); Singidunum (Belgrade); Viminacium; Trajan's road (Iron Gate, Danube); Felix Romuliana; Naissus (Nis); Mediana; Via Militaris (Nis-Sofia); Justiniana Prima (Terzic et al., 2014b). The Danube is one of the most important waterways of Europe. Because of the geographic location of the Danube valley, the Roman, Bizantium, Hungarian and Ottoman empires built great fortifications along the banks of the river. The cultural route «Fortresses along the Danube» represent very important element in the process of the development of the tourist offer of the Danube region om Serbia. The route includes seven large fortresses (Bac, Petrovaradin, Belgrade, Smederevo, Ram, Golubac and Kladovo), dating from different historical periods, which are proclaimed to be the cultural monuments of exceptional or great national importance. The other tourist route with great scope is The Danubean Wine Route, that includes 12 wine regions in Europe, and in Serbia it covers Central and Eastern Serbia, spreading over Sava river and Danube river (Belgrade - Pozarevac).
Certain branches of pan-European cultural routes are spreading over the Serbian territory: Transromanica, Atrium, on the architecture of totalitarian regimes of the 20th century, The Réseau Art Nouveau Network, and The European Route of Jewish Heritage. Cultural route Transromanica represents a tourist route with the most important Serbian cultural, historical and religious monuments from the Middle Ages (the period of formation of Serbian medieval state). The route consists of several monasteries Zica, Studen-ica, Gradac, George Pillars and Sopocani (12th and 13th century), representing the so-called Raska Ar-
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tistic School of Architecture (www.serbia.travel/cul-ture/the-cultural-route). These historical monuments have immense national importance and are the important element of Serbian national identity. Moreover, they have a significant impact on tourism promotion of Serbia. Secession route and The European Route of Jewish Heritage are passing through the Northern parts Serbia, especially focusing on Subot-ica and Novi Sad, that are multi-ethnic and possess specific architecture.
In 2013, the cluster of cultural routes in Serbia was founded (cluster-culturalroutes.org). It is a nonprofit organization with a goal to promote Serbia and the Balkans as a cultural tourism product through specific routes such as The Valley of the Dragons that present the route of the mythological heroes of Serbian epic culture. The Institute for the Study of Cultural Development has mapped out two industrial cultural routes whose future could become very significant for the sustainability of industrial cultural heritage in Serbia. These are The Nikola Tesla and Stanojevic Ways (which includes places where the great inventors stayed and worked in Serbia) and The Mining Route - The Balkans as a Cradle of Metallurgy (Graf, 2013).
Conclusions
The concept of the cultural route is based on the representation of the hierarchical system of goals. On the top there is the goal of conservation and pro-
tection, which is a key objective: it is consistent with modern economic and environmental goals of sustainable development. The inclusion of significant funds in the development of cultural routes in Serbia, demands for cultural heritage to be incorporated into the route and by its revitalization to become more appealing to tourists. The economic benefit of the investment in the evaluation of protected areas and cultural monuments can be found in the planned inclusion of these areas into the national tourism promotion. When it comes to a complex tourism products such as cultural routes, it an absolute necessity to incorporate different institutions (engaged in the field of culture, education), public associations and organizations in the process. Different initiatives and activities that would advance the cultural life of a local community and by that also enrich the tourist offer occur in various places. Such results can be achieved only with cooperation on multiple levels. It takes a lot of effort to carry out the initial research and define the investments needed for the establishment of a cultural route. Even bigger effort is needed for its maintaining and flexible adaptation to new development opportunities.
Acknowledgement: This research is a part of project »Geography of Serbia», No: III 47007 and part of project Serbs and Serbia in Yugoslavian context, No: III 47027 financed by Ministry of Education, Science and Technological development of Republic of Serbia.
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