The challenge of the oldest towns in the border regions in Latvia and Lithuania Priority South Application round 2 Lead partner Ludza Town Council LATVIA,  Ludza,  Raina str.16a Contact person Tel.: +371 5707420 Fax: +371 5707402 Email: projekti@ludzaspils.lv Brief summary of the project Ludza is one of the oldest towns in Latvia. It is more than 825 years old. Ludza is situated 280 km from Riga on the road Riga – Moscow (E22). Being the gate between Europe and Eastern Europe (transport corridor Riga - Moscow crosses Ludza, as well Warsaw – Petersburg transport corridor goes along), Ludza always has been the furthest industrial center in the Eastern border region of Latvia. Traditionally it comprises the contrast of the western and eastern cultures. Ludza has always been tolerant to different cultural influences. The Moletai town, also a more than six hundred years old has rich natural and cultural resources to be managed and reconstructed. Similar to Ludza, also Moletai is located near the highway Vilnius-Utena and has similar border effect. The abundant cultural heritage bears a lot of problems in towns’ daily life like, how to preserve the cultural heritage immobile properties, integrate old wooden architecture with new one and in the same time not to burden the development of the towns. The cultural heritage of the oldest town of Latvia hasn’t been deeply researched, assessed and used yet, while Moletai already has a programme for preservation of the culture heritage. This forerun will serve as a base for experience exchange in the project. Due to contacts from middle of 90-ties, the municipalities have find out, that they have a lot in common and decided join efforts to create a cultural heritage based tourism proposal, which could be a platform for developing the local economy. THE AIM of the project is to increase the economic development in the two towns in a balanced way, by developing one of their primary strengths i.e. their cultural heritage. THE PARTNERS are Ludza Town Council - Latvia (lead partner) and Moletai District municipality - Lithuania. Partners have decided to strengthen a relationship with previous cooperation town Novopolock in Belarus. The Novopolock municipality is invited to participate in some of the activities in the project, though there has not been applied for special funding (TACIS) regarding their participation. THE MAIN ACTIVITIES will consist of: 1) A research / survey regarding the existing cultural heritage in Moletai and Ludza and a market research on the demand from tourists and tourism agencies regarding Cultural heritage Tourism. 2) Two common seminars regarding development of cultural Heritage Tourism and a final conference connected with folk festivity in Ludza 3) A common marketing effort. The MAIN OUTPUT will be a common strategy for preserving and developing the heritage in Ludza and Moletai, based on the research, development and producing of information stands and directions signs in both towns, developing/ renewing of web-pages, and producing a presentation book and CD. Duration 10(10.2005 - 7.2006) Budget (EUR) 47932.00 ERDF contribution: 35949.00 National co-financing EU Member States: 11983.00 INTERREG IIIA Budget of project: 47932.00 Non-eligible financing: .00 Funding from EU programmes for third countries: .00 National co-financing for funding from EU programmes for third countries: 0 National financing (third countries): 0 Private financing (third countries): 0 Total budget: 47932.00 Partners Name of Institution, Town Country Region Contact information Ludza Town Council LATVIA 0 Tel.: +371 5707420 Email: projekti@ludzaspils.lv Moletai District Council LITHUANIA 0 Tel.: +370 383054761 Email: Savivaldybe@moletai.lt Progress report During the implementation of the project all the activities were aimed at the promoting of co-operation in the field of tourism development in the frontier areas, economic competitiveness and preserving the unic features of the frontier regions, cultural heritage. Within the framework of the project 2 seminars and 1 international conference about the preserving the cultural heritage. The strategy of the preserving and developing the cultural heritage of Ludza and Moletai was worked out collectively, a data base of heritage objects, which is available on the home pages of the Ludza Town Council and Moletai Municipality.In order to promote the arrangement of the tourist infrastructure, in Ludza 4 tourist informational signs, 2 informational stands were made, in Moletai - 10 information signs. Summarising the information received during the project implementation 2 presentation brochures and 2 presentation discs about Ludza and Moletai were maid, which give the town citizens, visitors and tourists the information on the cultural heritage of frontier areas.In the course of the project the co-operation between municipalities, their institutions and concrete people in three countries - Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus was promoted. It motivates to establish new co-operation, to make new projects.The publications in periodicals, reportings on the regional televizion about the project activities motivates the society to think about the riches and values of the cultural heritage, and how to preserve them. Close window