On 27 May 2026, the Dolenjski muzej in Novo mesto hosted a strategic meeting of the Slovenian members and partners of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe. The atmosphere was working and forward-looking: instead of a series of isolated presentations, the day was designed as a shared planning session, with every contribution feeding directly into a common framework.
Contributions that deepened the cooperation
Jasna Dokl Osolnik (Dolenjski muzej) and Irena Marš (Ministrstvo za kulturo) opened the meeting by setting out the structural framework for national coordination — clarifying roles, responsibilities and the institutional support available to certified routes and candidate initiatives in Slovenia.
Dr. Petra Stipančić and Dr. Matija Črešnar presented the growth of the Železnodobna pot po Podonavju (Iron Age Danube Route), highlighting its geographical expansion, its genuinely interdisciplinary approach linking archaeology, science and local communities, and the concrete collaboration opportunities it opens for other Slovenian partners.
Dr. Maja Turnšek (Univerza v Mariboru) argued convincingly for stronger synergy across the network: shared research, shared visibility and shared audiences instead of parallel efforts.
Dr. Zrinka Mileusnić and Dr. Neža Čebron Lipovec (Univerza na Primorskem) demonstrated participatory approaches in heritage practice, showing how residents, students and visitors can become co-creators of interpretation rather than passive recipients.
Mag. Dušan Vrban (European Cemeteries Route) asked a direct question in his presentation “Križišča evropskih kulturnih poti: ali jih znamo in želimo izkoristiti?” — do we know how, and do we want, to make real use of the crossroads where European cultural routes meet?
From presentations to operational plans
The afternoon open debate turned the focus to tactical and operational questions for the rest of 2026: joint activities, shared communication, common digital tools and coordinated presence at events. The result is a structured, group-driven framework that optimises resource sharing and allows the network to present visitors with one unified, multi-layered historical narrative — across periods, regions and disciplines.