THEmatic routes of MEdieval Herceg Lands-THEME MEDIEVAL

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The aim of the project was to enhance socio-economic development and improve cross-border cooperation in the bordering area between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro through creation of the new touristic cross-border product based on historical and cultural heritage of the region as well as high quality home-made products and services. The interest for regional programmes of touristic visits is a current tourism trend and especially for areas with prominent multicultural and multi-ethnic characteristics. Thematic tracks are an ideal tool for linking broader target groups in a unique framework of cooperation. The THEME MEDIEVAL project team wanted, through the thematic routes and networks of rural households, to tell the story about the last great medieval feudal duchy in the Balkans, called Old Herzegovina. It belonged to Herceg Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, an impassioned, powerful and cunning ruler and conqueror, the most powerful noble of the Bosnian Kingdom. Archaeological sites that speak about his reign and the culture during this period can be geographically followed from the west, from the mountain settlement of Blidinje, the towns and settlements of Grude, Široki Brijeg, Ljubuški, Blagaj and Stolac, which are now in Bosnia and Herzegovina, all the way to the Mediterranean town of Herceg Novi and its hinterland, and in the north to the canyon of the river Piva, the town of Pljevlja and the mountain massif of Durmitor, which are now in Montenegro. With the disappearance of the Duchy of Vukičić Kosač, the south-western Balkans became part of the history of other powerful empires: the Ottoman Empire, the Hungarian Kingdom and the Venetian Republic. The main project activities included: • Development of small scale tourism infrastructure on thematic route of Duke Herceg Stjepana • Detailed assessment and analysis of tourism assets in project target area • Mapping results presentation and itinerary pipeline design • Educational activities and workshops • Promotion/marketing of joint tourism offer

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