Baltic Green Belt

27.07.2010 Military Objects’ Usage Guidelines

There have been developed guidelines of the military heritage object usage. The objective of these guidelines is to introduce the successful European practice and to promote the usage of Latvian military heritage in the development of new touring products, as well as to draw public attention to the future protection of the military objects, since the majority of the 19th – 20th c. military objects (it refers both to material and nonmaterial heritage) has been lost forever. Full version of the draft guideline here (LV) and summary in English here. Translated chapter on development of military heritage data base see here.
The best examples of North European practice has been analysed in the guidelines as well as described the military heritage data base and examples of best practice of military heritage usage in Latvia. The document includes practical tips for sustainable tourism product development on the basis of tangible and intangible military heritage. This is draft of the guidelines, final version of the recommendations for sustainable use of military heritage sites and objects in the Natura 2000 and other protected nature areas in tourism will be presented in 2011.

12.-13.07.2010 Tourism perspective of the military heritage objects

On 12th and 13th of July seminar-discussion about tourism perspective of the military heritage objects in development process of new sustainable tourism products took place. Seminar gathered 18 participants representing local residents, tourism business and other stakeholders of the Kurzeme coast line. Best practice examples of Latvia and other EU countries were presented. Participants of the seminar were introduced with newly established military heritage data base and further planned project activities. On the second day of the event local field trip took place around the military heritage and nature protected areas.
More about the event – agenda (LV) and minutes (LV).

Added 25 new stories

There are 25 new stories added to the military heritage data base. Now the data base includes 59 stories in total telling us about the historical actions, present condition of military heritage and personal memories about the life on the western border of the Soviet Union. All stories have been translated also in English.
Perhaps you, too, have an interesting story about a former military object? Please share! Ring Country Traveller on +371 67617600, or write to baiba@celotajs.lv. Thank you in advance!

22.06.2010. In Slitere forests with camera

Administration of Slitere National Park presents movies to give a chance to see for oneself the hidden life of animals living in Slitere National Park. Author: zoologist Vilnis Skuja.
See videos on www.slitere.com

Vilnis Skuja

12.06.2010. Travel Day to Slitere

Lauku ceļotājs invited everyone to take a part in a trip to Slitere on June 12. Together with family or friends everyone could enjoy an adventure-filled day individually or with the help of a guide - hiking, riding a car, a bike, or in a boat at the Slītere National Park. There was also presented the hiking and cycling route "Seeking for the longest wooden railway bridge". The nature hiking and cycling trail Curland Express has been developed within the Baltic Green Belt project. More about Courland Express see on www.slitere.com.
More about the Travel Day to Slitere - here.

9.06.2010. Changing concept for quality

There was held international rural tourism workshop bringing together Europeand profesionals in rural tourism to summarise and avaluate the changes in the sector and gighlight innovative, constructive and succesful approaches to win the challenges presented to rural tourism by the economic situatuin in Europe. Participants of the workshope were also introduced with the Baltic Green Belt project and activities of the project.
More about the workshop see here.

21.05.2010. Heritage of Military history in North Kurzeme

The Administration Office of Slitere National Park in cooperation with Museum of Ventspils was organizing seminar „Tourism perspective of the Heritage of Military History in North Kurzeme ”. Representative of Lauku celotajs took part in the seminar with a presentation on the development of new tourism products on a basis of military heritage. The seminar took place on 21st of May in the Livonian Order Castle in Ventspils. See agenda of the event here ( LV ).

2nd Baltic Green Belt Forum in Palanga

128 coastal stakeholders from science, NGOs and GOs participated in the international conference within the 2nd Baltic Green Belt Forum held from April 13th until 16th 2010 in Palanga, Lithuania. Organised by the Coastal Research and Planning Institute (CORPI) in cooperation with the Seaside Regional Park Administration, the Environmental Club Zvejone and Kiel University, the Forum comprised a film presentation, a national Lithuanian conference, an international conference, an international poster session, an excursion to the Seaside Regional Park and the Baltic Green Belt project meeting. See more about the event here.

Baltic Green Belt Panorama No2

The second newsletter of Baltic Green Belt has been published informing about the recent highlights within Baltic and European Green Belt. Newsletter for download here.

Lauku celotajs visits international tourism trade fairs

Lauku celotajs has participated in international tourism trade fairs Balttour (Latvia), Tourest (Estonia), Vivatours (Lithuania) and ITB (Berlin, Germany) were the new Military heritage data base and self-drive tour developed within Baltic Green Belt project was presented. Visitors of the fairs were also invited to share their stories and memories connected with the military heritage of Latvia.
See photos from Tourest
See photos from Vivatour
See photos from ITB

Protected sea territories of Natura 2000

Not so long time ago shoreline of Latvia was restricted zone of high security being west border of the Soviet Union. Therefore variety of nature values have developed untouched and some of them now have the status of nature protected area on the cost and in the sea. Lauku celotajs has gathered information about 7 newly established sea protected areas of Natura 2000 in the Baltic Sea and Riga Bay.
Online data base of the territories see here.

Military heritage in Kurzeme

Lauku celotajs with the Baltic Green Belt project has developed a route focused on the military heritage and environment of Kurzeme. An automobile route in combination with hiking and bicycling is planned for 4 days, ~700 km.
The suggested route: Rīga - Dobele - Īle - Zvārde - Saldus - Skrunda - Vaiņode - Liepāja - Ziemupe - Ventspils - Irbene - Tukums - Rīga. Points of interests included in the tour description offers various military heritage sites of different times combined with diverse nature protected areas. More detail route description with list of points of interest see here - English, Deutsch, Russian.

Slitere National Park

Lighthouse of Slitere is located 100 meters above sea level, five kilometers from the Baltic Sea, from which Sliteres National Park forests and the sea can be seen. To watch this breadth, there is no need to go to the Northern Kurzeme. Now, thanks to the project “Baltic Green Belt”, every Internet user can see it any time by clicking here.
Second video camera will be installed in various locations, which are visited extensively by birds and other animals, allowing to look into SNP bird and mammal world. The most interesting fragments will be picked out so you will be able to watch this footage with enclosed comments of a researcher.

More about the activities of Slitere National Park within the Baltic Green Belt project see www.slitere.lv

Baltic Green Belt Panorama I

University of Kiel as project Lead partner has prepared the first issue of the new project newsletter telling about main internal and external project activities such as Green Belt initiative adaption under new German Government, Green Belt and Iron Curtain Trail common perspectives, new data base on military heritage objects etc. Newsletter for download see here.

Iron Curtain Trail

Lauku celotajs did participate in the awareness-raising workshop for the Iron Curtain Trail in Warsaw, 19 November 2009. Iron Curtain Trail is a European cycling and hiking trail which runs 7000 km from the Barents Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south. The workshop highlighted the importance of cycling tourism, its benefits and the Iron Curtain Trail as a EuroVelo route, presented European best practices of cycling tourism and promoted networking of countries and regions along the former Iron Curtain towards the establishment of a future trans-national cycling route, the "Iron Curtain Trail". More about the event - agenda, web site of European Commission and European Iron Curtain Trail.

Tourism offer development and financial aid options

On 12th of November awareness raising seminar about innovative tourism product development and available financial aid options took place in guest house "Brūveri" in Gauja National Park . Seminar gathered 65 participants representing local municipalities, tourism business and other stakeholders. The main topic of the seminar was to encourage the stakeholders to develop new tourism products and offers using potential of military heritage objects and nature tourism. Best practice examples of Latvia and other EU countries were presented. Participants of the seminar were introduced with newly established military heritage data base and further planned project activities.

Military heritage site

Military secrets have been carefully protected and hidden everywhere and through time eternal. It is no surprise that we still know comparatively little about the Soviet and then Russian armed forces, which only left Latvia and the other Baltic States in 1994. That’s why we’ve created a database about the military heritage and it is publicly available starting 28th of October, 2009.
There, you can see what was done with the secret objects during Soviet times, what happened there, and how the presence of the military affected local residents. Each object has a photo gallery, and it is marked on the Google map which makes it possible to view its strategic location from a satellite image. There is a story attached to nearly every one of the objects – sometimes there are jokes and legends told by eyewitnesses.

Perhaps you, too, have an interesting story about a former military object? Please share! Ring Country Traveller on +371-6761-7600, or write to lauku @celotajs.lv. Thank you in advance!

Media information here

Lead partner visit

Lead partner representatives have made tour around Baltic States to meet local project partners (September 23rd - October 4th, 2009). During the meetings important aspects of project implementation, management and further activities were discussed. Round tour and field trips has been important input to good further development and reaching the goals set out within the project.
Lead partner representatives did visit office of Lauku celotajs in 25th of September. During the meeting we did discuss and share experience of project implementation and marketing of tourism products. The wide and transparent dissemination of the project since it's approval in the end of 2008 has been approved as a good practice example.

Developing new tourism products - cycling route in Liepāja and Ventspils

On a suggestion of regional environmental and tourism expert of the project there was held test cycling rout on August 22nd and 23rd around Liepaja and Ventspils. See approximate route for August 22nd and August 23rd.
To participate in the test ride was invited also tourism providers from Liepaja and Ventpils. The test tour started in the Karaosta Prison and later on participants took a bike tour around Karaosta districts with historical Kalpaca Bridge, St.Nicolay church and along the sea shore to North Fortifications and East Fortifications on the coast of Lake Tosmare. On the second day participants visited military territory on the South-west side of Ventpils, training shooting range, aerodrome of Ventspils and Ventpils city with the South Mole and sightseeing tower next to the mole. The project group is continuing to work on the development of military tour to offer to tourists. Event in pictures see here.

Second project visit at Baltic Sea coastline

Project staff from Lauku celotajs did continue field visit along the Baltic Sea on 27th and 28th of July, 2009 in Talsu, Ventspils and Liepajas districts. Staff members inspected existing military heritage objects and met local residents and business representatives. There have been generated new military tourism route ideas to develop and search for potential cooperation to develop, offer and maintain these tour routes. See field visit in pictures here.

25.-26.07.2009 Project group meeting

Project group together with external tourism and environmental experts met to discuss project progress and planed activities in holiday cottage "Zaku juras maja". Within the meeting local field trip took place to generate new ideas for sustainable development of project territory and potential tourism product development. As part of seminar newly developed criteria for evaluation of military heritage objects suitability for tourism use and inspected and added nature protected areas to be included in on-line database were presented.

Local cooperation for development of new tourism products in Kurzeme

On May 11, 2009, the first local stakeholder seminar took place at the "Laumas" Nature Park. 35 participants from tourism businesses, local representatives, specialists from ministries and other stakeholders took part in seminar. The seminar raised active discussions on prospects and obstacles in development of tourism services in the Kurzeme region with the focus on Baltic sea coast line. More information about the seminar - agenda, minutes, list of participants, photos.

Project visit at Baltic Sea coast line

Project staff from Lauku celotajs did field visits in Liepaja district along the Baltic sea on 5th and 6th of May, 2009. They did meet local residents and business representatives who are living or working within or close by nature protected areas or military heritage objects. The aim of field visits was to gather informatin and make contacts with existing and potential partners who are interested in sustainable development of the region and establishment of new tourism products. See more pictures from the field visit here.

March 11, 2009. Latvia rural tourism conference in Riga

Association "Lauku ceļotājs" organised annual rural tourism conference on March 11. All together the event gathered 251 participants from press, public and local authorities, tourism information centers, stakeholders and other interested persons. Main issue of the conference was - how to achieve increase of tourism with nature tourism development in protected areas. Speakers also informed what positive in tourism field is done and what else we should work on to increase number of tourists in countryside. Participants of the conference were introduced also with the idea of project "Baltic Green Belt" and planned activities within the project life time. Overview of development of rural tourism in Latvia and perspectives for development with the short presentation of project "Baltic Green Belt" in Latvian see here. Conference minutes - here. See photos from the event here.

19.02.-22.02.2009. Project Kick-off meeting. Travemunde, Germany

Project partners met in Germany to discuss project tasks, administrative and financial issues. 1st Baltic Green Belt Forum programme here. Baltic Green Belt project overview see presentation of Prof. Dr. Horst Sterr, Kiel University.

February 6 - 8, 2009. Participation in tourism exhibition Balttour 2009

"Lauku ceļotājs" participated in annual tourism exhibition Balttour 2009. This year main focus was on different kind of tours (self drive, cycling, hiking and canoeing) and countryside bounty farms. Visitors were informed about our actual projects which we began with an aim to improve countryside tourism offer in Latvia.
Photos from exhibition can see here.