DANUrB+ Bulgarian partners – National Tourism Cluster “Bulgarian Guide” and New Bulgarian University, Department of Architecture with the tremendous support of the Associated Partner – Municipality of Vidin, organized the workshop "Local Values and Development of Cultural Tourism in the Region of Vidin, Bulgaria". Held on 31st March 2022, the event focused on the assets of the region, its local values and potential for development.

The workshop was kicked off by the speech of the Vice Mayor of Municipality of Vidin, Mrs. Borislava Borisova, who greeted the participants and gave an overview of the state-of-the-art situation and future plans for development of the town and the region. “The Municipality of Vidin has established very good contacts with neighboring countries and cities connected by the Danube and even more remoted ones. I can give an appropriate example – the "Blue Danube” International Folk Festival in our city, which brings together hundreds of participants from several countries. So, the project (DANUrB+) offers great prospects to build on such events, to create new communities that share identical goals", she noted.

The venue of the format was the conference hall of the Epigraphic Center in Vidin, an architectural cultural monument of local importance, built more than 200 years ago. Its exposition consists of more than 38 movable tangible archaeological and epigraphic artefacts, dating from Antiquity to the XIX. century and its proximity to the “Baba Vida” Fortress forms an interesting historical complex. In such an environment, that enriches the local tourist product, representatives of local government, non-governmental sector, researchers and academic institutions, and other stakeholders were able to share good practices and to gain knowledge about the opportunities for creation of cooperative projects, as well as to focus on the potential of the local tangible and intangible heritage. 

The first workshop topic “Smart tourism solutions along the Danube and the Danube Urban Brand” focused on the opportunities for the region to propose services/products that might be part of the DANUrB+ Quality Label, as well as gave the attendees an overview about the project main messages and objectives. The developed in the previous DANUrB project, PocketGuide Treasure Hunt Tour Vidin-Calafat, was given as a good example of reviving shrinking cities and connecting regions along the Danube River, based on the local heritage. The second topic “Criteria for Evaluation and Selection of Sites for Preparation of DANUrB + Action Plan” outlined the developed methodology and the criteria for the selection of the most appropriate site that will become part of the Action Plan.  More details were revealed in the topic “Cultural Local Values - Development of Cultural and Creative Tourism in Vidin Region” training local stakeholders on the valorisation of the cultural heritage and re-discovering the potential for the cultural and creative tourism industries. The next topic was the “Preservation of Cultural Values - the Key to Reviving Shrinking Cities”, which gave the participants food for thought on what and how the local values can be used to revive a region. All these led to the active discussions in the forthcoming in the late afternoon workshop, dedicated to the creation of cooperative projects and discussions about the design processes with stakeholders.

Exciting stories from the development of the town were shared, as well as active discussions on what and how might be improved were held. The exciting day was followed up by a study city tour, led by the Main Archaeologist of the Municipality, revealing hidden gems that might become part of the DANUrB+ Action Plan in this part of the country – “Stambol Kapiya” (Market Gate), the Diesel Power Plant, the Church of St. Petka, The Tomb of Osman Pazvantoglu, and others.

On the next day (1st April 2022), a meeting with the Regional Governor, Mr. Lyuben Ivanov, was held, presenting the project and its initiatives in Vidin. He shared his vision for the great potential of the district, exchanging ideas for the development of tourism, cultural, and historical heritage.

All participants took an extremely active part in the discussions. They expressed their gratitude and willingness to get involved in the future project initiatives and joint projects, related to the DANUrB+ concepts and deliverables, working together and fostering the sustainable use of the cultural heritage and resources along the Danube.

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Project co-funded by European Union funds (ERDF and IPA).