Veranstaltungen

The Iron Age Danube Route was under close review this week at the annual Governing Board meeting of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, held in Luxembourg from May 6–7 2025.

As one of the Cultural Routes certified by the Council of Europe, the Iron Age Danube Route underwent a regular evaluation to ensure it continued to meet the rigorous criteria for promoting European heritage, intercultural dialogue, and sustainable tourism. Representatives of the route were invited to present their progress, highlighting achievements across five priority areas, including cultural cooperation, youth education, and contemporary cultural practices.

The audition process included a 10-minute presentation followed by a Q&A session with delegates from 41 member states. Decisions regarding the renewal of certification will be communicated in June.

The Iron Age Danube Route connected archaeological sites, museums, and institutions across Central Europe, tracing the legacy of Iron Age communities along the Danube. Its inclusion in the Cultural Routes network reflected a commitment to cross-border collaboration and the shared cultural history of the region.

On 6 May 1990, the Hallstatt Museum Großklein was officially opened. Since then, it has become a permanent fixture of Styria’s museum landscape and a key starting point for exploring the region’s rich archaeological heritage.

The Burgstallkogel near Großklein is among the most prominent archaeological sites from the Early Iron Age in Europe (8th–6th century BC). With nearly 700 preserved burial mounds surrounding a hilltop settlement on the summit of the Burgstallkogel, the ridge between the Sulm and Saggau valleys represents one of the best-preserved archaeological landscapes of this era. Of particular significance are the four princely burial mounds in Kleinklein, located at the eastern approach to the settlement. These include some of the richest graves of the time, made famous by finds such as the bronze mask and bronze cuirasses, and are now renowned across Europe.
Since its founding in 1990, the museum in Großklein has been committed to preserving, communicating and showcasing the rich archaeological legacy of Großklein and its surroundings.

The municipality of Großklein and the Universalmuseum Joanneum are using the 35th anniversary of the museum’s founding as an occasion to celebrate with a week of events. All residents of Großklein, as well as visitors from near and far, are warmly invited to take part!
We are especially pleased that members of the Route will be attending the celebrations not only from within Austria, but also from abroad!
You can find more information in German at the following link: https://www.museum-joanneum.at/35-jahre-hamug.

The Iron Age Danube Route recently took part in the international conference “Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe: Recognition and Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Cross-Border Regions”, held in Nova Gorica and Gorizia. The event was organised by the Women Writers Route within the framework of European Capital of Culture 2025 – Nova Gorica and Gorizia, celebrating the unique spirit of the twin borderless cities.

The conference brought together local and regional stakeholders, as well as representatives of various Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe. IADR was pleased to contribute by sharing experiences, best practices, and reflections on the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage in cross-border contexts.

We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a meaningful exchange and extend our thanks to the organisers and hosts for their warm hospitality in this remarkable region of Slovenia.

At the Annual Advisory Forum in Visegrad the Iron Age Danube Route was awarded the award for best practices for Cultural and educational exchanges for young Europeans!
We are extremely proud of our hardworking team who developed and executed pilot projects: Archaeological Encounters- Kids of the Iron Age and ArcheoGIM: dr. Jacqueline Balen from the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, prof. Hrvoje Potrebica and Julia Fileš Kramberger from the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kristina Rupert from the Zlatni Papuk Tourist Board and dr. Miona Miliša from the University of Split!
We are also deeply grateful to our partners without whom this cooperation wouldn't be possible: Ms. Anita Katić and Mr. Ivica Pačić from the Požega High School and Ms. Valentina Peroutka from Vilim Korajac Elementary School in Kaptol, Krčma Stari Fenjeri and the Municipality of Kaptol for their never faltering support!
Last, but not least, we are thankful for the students who participated in the programmes and we are looking forward to developing these pilot project in other regions across our network.

The gathering brought together experts and stakeholders from across Europe to discuss the rich cultural heritage that unites our continent. Over the next four days, participants explored ways to promote sustainable tourism and foster international cooperation through Europe's diverse cultural routes. The stunning historical city of Visegrád and- later on, Budapest - made it the perfect location for this venue.

Collaboration Agreement Signed Between Iron Age Danube Route and Prehistoric Rock Art Trails

A collaboration agreement has been signed between the Iron Age Danube Route (IADR) and the Prehistoric Rock Art Trails (PRAT). The agreement was formalized by secretaries Mr. Leoncio Carrascal Ruiz and Ms. Marta Rakvin during the Arredondo Seminar - Rock Art News.

This agreement aims to enhance the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage sites associated with both routes, emphasizing mutual cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and best practices.

Election 2024 - Result

Following four years since the establishment of the Iron Age Danube Route Association, it was time for the first management re-election. The regular members of the Association voted for the 2024-2028 presidency period, which was officially accepted and announced on 16th of February 2024, and the results are as follows:

• President: Szilvia Fábián, PhD representing the Hungarian National Museum (HU)
• Vice president: Hrvoje Potrebica, PhD representing the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and the Social Sciences, Department of Archaeology and Centre for Prehistoric Research (HR)
• Secretary: Marta Rakvin representing the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Archaeology (HR)
• Management Board:
- Jacqueline Balen, PhD representing the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb (HR)
- Katalin Wollák representing the Archaeolingua Foundation (HU)
- Karl Peitler representing the Universalmuseum Joanneum, Archaeology Museum (AT)
- Petra Stipančić, curator representing the Dolenjski Muzej, Novo Mesto (SI)
• Honorary member: Sanjin Mihelić

First of all, we would like to wholeheartedly thank the first presidency for the hard work they have put in and the results they have achieved. Secondly, we would like to congratulate the newly elected Management Board members! We wish them every success and joy in their new positions.

Festival of prehistoric life and cuisine - Situlae Festival 2024!
See the recreation of life at the duke's court. Witness ancient crafts and products: pottery, glass making, fur production, braiding, woodworking, bronze casting, wool dyeing and felting, medicine making, weaving, blacksmithing, amber processing
Find also workshops for children: bread baking, archery, skin painting, arm wrestling, spear fighting, making leather bracelets, making miniature situlaes
Also, a varied culinary offer for all tastes, a guide to the archaeological collection and an evening concert.

The 5th conference “Early Iron Age in Central Europe” will be hosted at the Linz Castle Museum/Schlossmuseum. Scholars interested in promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, and facilitating the exchange of research findings are encouraged to present the results of their studies on the Early Iron Age in Central Europe, with a particular focus on the Hallstatt and Early La Tène cultural zones.

The session Heritage Tales: Participatory Approaches to Heritage Management and Community Engagement (Session #1161) at the annual EAA European Association of Archaeologists meeting is associated with the Iron Age Danube Route Association. We cordially invite you to participate. The call for contributions is open until 8 February 2024, 23:59 CET. More details can be found on the EAA website (https://www.e-a-a.org/eaa2024) under the Scientific Program tab.

The European Institute of Cultural Routes, in cooperation with the University Network for Cultural Routes Studies, will hold its second Academic Workshop online on Thursday 7th December 2023. The workshop will bring together scholars, researchers, students and other participants from Europe and beyond to exchange and share their research outcomes in the field of Cultural Routes studies.
The event welcomes theoretical perspectives, state of the art research reports, case studies and policy evaluations relating to all aspects of cultural routes.
Research presentations will focus on Cultural Routes, including the following themes:

Cultural heritage (preservation, enhancement, interpretation, management, etc.)

Tourism (cultural tourism, sustainable tourism, slow tourism, tourism indicators and measurement, emerging trends, etc.)

Community participation (local communities’ engagement, grass-roots projects, ownership of heritage, etc.)

Local development (sustainable development, heritage and tourism as engines for development, etc.)

Emerging trends in the cultural, heritage and tourism sectors (use of virtual reality and digital technologies, creativity and resilience, funding and finance for post-Covid recovery, etc.)

For the next two years the Iron Age Danube Route will be one of the partners of the NEXT ROUTES project, funded by the EU Erasmus+ programme!
The NEXT ROUTES project focuses on an innovative approach to heritage management. Through planned activities, the project will reinforce Cultural Routes staff skills and knowledge related to digital and creative competencies, support Cultural Routes in the digital transition and help them manage and disseminate Cultural Routes contents in an engaging and effective way by promoting their cultural heritage through innovative gamification approaches. The project represents a great opportunity for the staff of the Cultural Routes involved, and will provide them with an easy-to-use tool and manual for the enhancement of the presentation of cultural heritage on their respective territories, thus making it accessible to all interested members and stakeholders.

The project partnership, consisting of 8 partners from 6 countries and led by the Phoenician’s Route, brings together Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (the Phoenicians’ Route (Italy), the European Route of Jewish Heritage (Luxemburg), the European Mozart Ways (Austria), the Routes of the Olive Tree (Greece), the ATRIUM – Architecture of Totalitarian Regimes of the 20th Century In Europe’s Urban Memory (Italy) and the Iron Age Danube Route (Croatia) with the Mobile Idea Srl (Italy), which is one of the leading private companies in the EU specialized in technological innovation applied to the cultural and tourism sector, and the Breda University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands).

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