NewPilgrimAge: 21th century reinterpretation of the St. Martin related shared values and cultural heritage as a new driver for community-sourced hospitality

Saint Martin, the symbol of sharing, is one of the most popular saints in Central Europe (CE) with thousands of monuments dedicated to him, as well as rich intangible heritage (folk traditions, legends) keeping his memory alive.

The European Cultural Route of Via Sancti Martini links his birthplace, Savaria (present-day Szombathely, the Hungarian city leading this project) with Tours in France where he became a bishop. Partner cities of NewPilgrimAge (NPA), situated along the road or their branches, are committed to safeguard and via a 21th century reinterpretation to revive this cultural heritage (CH) and promote the common European values of solidarity and hospitality linked to St Martin.

Cities and cultural organisations from 5 CE countries will, through NPA, be equipped with up-to-date knowledge due to specialised trainings delivered to them, and will mobilise their citizens, most of all young people and small enterprises, to propose and jointly work out new creative initiatives to valorise the untapped heritage potentials (e.g. voluntary services in CH preservation and cultural tourism, digitisation, “reuse” heritage through creative and cultural industry). NPA will develop and pilot IT applications to promote the heritage-driven cultural products and services, thus also reaching out to younger generations of our digital age. The novel solutions will be summarised in the ‘Community-sourced CH Valorisation Model’, replicable in any CE city with similar profile or ambitions.

Partners, together with local stakeholders (from e.g. culture, education, innovation, community), will develop local roadmaps to define the next strategic steps on the way to sustainable CH management schemes, also empowering local communities. NPA will lay the foundation of a transnational network of St Martin Cities, to be fostered by a common brand and a Joint Visibility Strategy, aiming at enhancing responsible cultural tourism contributing to boosting local economies and societies.