Archaeological heritage, being a part of material cultural heritage, includes all remains of human existence. It consists of places associated with the numerous manifestations of human activity, abandoned structures and remains of all kinds (including underwater sites), along with all tangible cultural material. Protecting and studying archaeological heritage helps with reconstructing the history of humanity and its relationship with the natural environment, for which archaeological excavations and discoveries through archaeological prospection are the main sources of knowledge. It represents a sensitive and non-renewable cultural resource. It is a fundamental record of past human activities.

As such, it is important to protect and properly manage archaeological heritage, to enable scientists to study and interpret it for both current and future generations. Archaeological heritage conceals a huge potential for the development of cultural tourism. Presented in the right way, it can be transformed into a sustainable cultural resource, capable of creating added value to the communities in which it is located. However, in a large number of cases this potential for cultural tourism is often wasted by insufficient visibility of the archaeological heritage to the general public.

The hope that archaeological heritage, and especially the archaeological landscapes of the Danube region, can become more visible at the regional, national and international level, and thus more attractive for its integration into the flows of sustainable tourism, represents the backbone of the Danube’e Archaeological eLandscapes project. The project, which ran from June 2019 to December 2022, brought together institutions and experts from nine countries of the region (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Serbia), and consisted of 10 project partners and 12 associated strategic partner institutions, with the leading partner being the Universalmuseum Joanneum from Graz.

The fundamental question of the project was whether it is possible, with the help of new digital technologies (visualization and virtual and augmented reality), to give audiences insights into the complete context of archaeological heritage. At the root of this problem lies the fact that archaeological finds are usually located in museums, far from their findspots. On the other hand, sites are not isolated places in space, but are integrated into archaeological landscapes and are inextricably linked with the wider space in which they are located. Due to this disunity, and the fact that archaeological sites and landscapes often remain invisible, unlike objects exhibited in museums, the public is unable to form a complete picture of the archaeological heritage and realize its true value and potential. Another question is whether such a way of presenting heritage to these audiences would be interesting, and how the visualizations created in this way could help in increasing the visibility of archaeological heritage and, ultimately, contribute to the development of sustainable cultural tourism.

Author: Jacqueline Balen

Here you find the whole action plan online: 
https://issuu.com/danubes_archaeological_elandscapes/docs/danubes_archaeological_elandscapes_action_plan_202

d
Published by the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb publishes for the Danube´s Archaeological eLandscapes partners
Editor
Jacqueline Balen
Proofreading
Andrew Lamb
Layout
Srećko Škrinjarić
ISBN 978-953-8143-59-5
The Danube´s Archaeological eLandscapes project is implemented under the Danube Transnational Programme (DTP), funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and co-funded by Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. ERDF Contribution: 2118635.56 EUR, IPA Contribution: 21335 EUR, DTP 641.