19/10/2021
As a major deliverable, the ‘CASTLE FOR THE REGION – REGION FOR THE CASTLE’ event at Golubac will contribute to the project objectives by creating a platform where local and regional demand and supply can meet: Golubac Fortress Ltd. (GFLtd) and the representatives of a variety of local and regional stakeholders can discuss how Golubac Fortress can be even more integral element of the region from a touristical, educational, commercial point of view. Through the fair, regions’ brand products will reach a wider general public. The project event will be embedded in the Golubac Medieval Knights’ Village Day, an annual one-day historical/medieval festival organized at Golubac Fortress itself, attracting some 500 to 1000 visitors each year. Among others, the festival features the performace of Knights of the White Eagles Association for the Preservation of Old Crafts and Skills, created to promote medieval values and crafts as well as cultural heritage of Serbia. The complex project event will include a SEMINAR, a MEDIA EVENT related to the Virtual Exhibition and the CASTLE FAIR & REGIONAL FAIR. – SEMINAR on the roles of castles as centres of commerce, tourism, culture and education in a regional context; knowledge transfer on how these roles could be strengthened to the benefit of the local community and the region. GFLtd will invite guests and speakers from other castles/institutions involved with castles in the region, representatives of local and regional chambers of commerce and tourism industries, as well as local and regional government representatives and decision makers. At the seminar we will implement the World Café method which fosters creative and collaborative thinking and allows new ideas, insights and questions to emerge during all phases of organizational planning and development (http://www.theworldcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/hungariancafetogo.pdf) We decided to use the World Café method because we strongly believe that if representatives of the castles as well as representatives of regional tourism and economy work together on defining the renewable roles of castles, these will be adaptive and can be put into practice easier and more effectively.

Seminar programme:
1. Informative session (40 min) – Introduction to the ‘Castles & Regions project’ – Introduction of Golubac Fortress and its natural surroundings (Djerdap Natural Reserve) as well as other medieval and post-medieval castles along the Serbian section of the Danube River – Introduction to the World Café method – Presentation about the renewable roles of medieval and post-medieval castles
2. World Café (180 min) Topics: – renewable roles of castles in the diversification of tourism, in the promotion of regional products and in education – relation of the castle to its natural environment, and the sustainable use of the landscape – how castles along the Danube and other rivers can be made even more accessible by passenger ships
3. World Café summary and recommendations for municipality/government decision makers (60 min) Working languages: Serbian, English – MEDIA EVENT incl. the introduction of the Virtual Exhibition to the local/regional media, local and regional political, commerce and tourism stakeholders, delegates from the partner countries embassies/consulates and the general public – ‘CASTLE FAIR & REGIONAL FAIR’: especially aimed at the general public, beside the traditional arts and crafts products GFLtd will invite representatives of ‘regional brand products’ to be presented to the general public at the fair – settling of MID-TERM COOPERATION between HNM and GFLtd (see Deliverable ‘Mid-term cooperations’) and preparatory negotiations (under the leadership of AHSRD) regarding the establishment and operation of the Danube Castles Network to be launched in the framework of the project closing event (see Deliverable ‘Summary Events’)