CULTURALS ROUTES OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE
What is a European Cultural Route?
You probably know the essential Route of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
This was certified as the first European Cultural Route in 1987, kicking off the European Cultural Routes program.
Imagine that there are around 40 other Cultural Routes that you can discover by clicking here.
A Cultural Route is made up of different points (geographical locations in several countries) which share a common heritage or constitute a historical path.
Today, the construction of a new route on the theme of sports heritage will be in the development phase by 2024.
If you want to know concretely what a European Cultural Route is, we will explain this below 👇
Definition according to the Council for Cultural Cooperation:
By European Cultural Route, we mean a route covering one or more countries or regions, and which is organized around themes whose historical, artistic or social interest is European, either because of the geographical layout of the route, or depending on the nature and/or scope of its content and meaning. The European qualification of a route implies a meaning and a cultural dimension other than purely locals. The itinerary must be structured around a certain number of strong points, places particularly full of history and representative of the European cultural entity.
Role of the Enlarged Partial Agreement
The Enlarged Partial Agreement (EPA) on Cultural Routes, established in 2010, follows the political directives of the Council of Europe, decides on the direction of the program and awards the “Council of Europe Cultural Route” certification » (ICCE).
Be certified
“Cultural Route of the Council of Europe”
The “Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” certification is a guarantee of excellence.
LAUNCHED IN 1987 BY THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE
The Cultural Routes program demonstrates, through travel in space and time, that the heritage of different European countries contributes to a common living culture.
ITS GOALS
- The transmission of European values
- The transmission of cultures
- The deepening of European identity
- The preservation of built and material heritage
- The development of sustainable tourism
- The rapprochement between generations
- A quest for spirituality
- The creation of a thematic network concerning several countries from Europe
PROMOTING
Thus, a cultural route is a
“cultural, educational, heritage and tourism cooperation project aimed at developing and promoting an itinerary or a series of itineraries based on a historical route, a cultural concept, a figure or a phenomenon having transnational importance and significance for the understanding and respect for common European values”
ITS VALUES
Social cohesion
Intercultural dialogue
Right of all to culture