NETWORLD: Cultural World War I heritage with one click
In 2018 will see the centennial of the end of World War I, which will trigger of numerous academic, and media activities. The project NETWORLD, funded by the European Commission’s Danube Transnational Programme (ERDF, IPA), has already started to engage with the architectural heritage of WWI.
In Austria and other countries along the Danube, many historical sites (frontline buildings, military premises, former war prisoner camps, memorial, other buildings with WWI relevance) can still be seen. Some of them have been thoroughly explored by research and made accessible to an interested public through museums or hiking paths. This has been accomplished in some cases by public authorities, more often by private history lovers and volunteers. Other sites, however , have hardly been looked after and are threatened by decay.
For the first time NETWORLD systematically maps this cultural heritage and develops strategies for its capitalization in tourism and education. At the time being, sites are researched, and their state of preservation and strategic development potentials are explored through interviews with experts and site managers. The results will be displayed in an online database which will allow interested users to access historical information and proposals for cultural touristic routes. Hopefully, this online tool will encourage people to engage with WWI and contribute to a joint European remembrance culture across borders and former frontlines.
Person and institutions who can support us in mapping and using unexplored WWI heritage are kindly invited to contact us and share their knowledge.
Project website: interreg-danube.eu/networld
The project is co-funded by European Union funds (ERDF, IPA)
interreg-danube.eu