Agreement for intensive cooperation in the culture route FORTE CULTURA and presentation of the Fortified Ideal Cities in the tourism market Josefov – the former Josefstadt – a creation of the Habsburg Emporer Joseph II., was the place for the European Conference of Fortified Ideal Cities for transnational cooperation in fortress tourism and fortress marketing. 12 Cities of this extraordinary type of fortress architecture from 10 European countries discussed with ECCOFORT the possibilities for intensive cooperation in the culture route FORTE CULTURA.

The participants came from the Fortified Ideal
Cities (from left to right): Josefov (CZ), Ston (HR), Coevorden (NL), Neuf Brisach (F), Terezin (CZ), Daugavpils (LAT), Karlovac (HRO), Timisoara (RO), Kirovograd (UA), Fredericia (DK) and Zamosc (PL).

Impressive show of the unique cultural heritage Fortified Ideal Cities

More than 50 cities in whole Europe belongs to the type of the “Fortified Ideal Citiy”. Some belongs to the so called Star Cities – the pearls of the fortress architecture in perfect geometry. Such cities were planned from military architects and engineers of absolutist princes of the Renaissance. The military towns had a regular star-shaped or chessboard geometry of the streets and the surrounding fortress building.

One important point of the conference was the implementation of the Fortified Ideal Cities into the development of the European culture route fortified monuments FORTE CULTURA.

The European Cooperation Centre of Fortified Heritage -ECCOFORT- offers concrete measures to participate in the culture route and in the common marketing. 7 tourist travel programmes were discussed. Such as trips around the Adriatic Arc, to the French Fortified Ideal Cities of Vauban, to the South Scandinavian Fortified Ideal Cities or to the Netherlands well preserved Fortified Ideal Cities. This type of fortification should have a own label under the culture route FORTE CULTURA.

Declaration of Josefov was signed

The participants of the conference signed a “DECLARATION OF UNIQUE CULTURAL HERITAGE FORTIFIED IDEAL CITIES FOR EUROPEAN COOPERATION AND PARTNERSHIP IN THE FRAME OF THE EUROPEAN CULTURE ROUTE FORTE CULTURA”. The conference participants intent to set a signal for the continuation of cooperation as a contribution to the European integration and should stimulate the cross cultural dialogue for a common responsibility to the fortified cultural heritage. The DECLARATION OF JOSEFOV contains four action fields of cooperation:

• Monument protection, conservation and heritage
  label
• Monument compatible utilisation of historical defence architecture and nature
• Branding, successful marketing and fortress tourism
  as economic factor
• Initiation of effective partnership and networking

The representatives of the Fortified Ideal Cities used the conference for intensive exchange of experiences.

The next conference of European Fortified Ideal Cities should be organised in Fredericia.