Tag: Cultural heritage fortresses

Hans-Rudolf Neumann, Dirk Röder, Hartmut Röder

Abstract

Fortresses are architectural pearls, cultural sites, event locations, experience places and memorials, mostly situated at breath-taking places on mountains, rivers or in the under-ground. Fortresses are monuments of common European history, they mirror the past into the present, connect cultures and offer deep insights into the historical conflicts. Fortified monuments are part of what makes Europe unique and attractive.

This cultural heritage has to be preserved and made accessible for the culture tourism at the same time. The Iberian fortified heritage has great potential for new culture touristic topics and travel routes away from mass tourism. Therefore, cultural routes are a useful instrument. The European Culture Route Fortified Monuments -FORTE CULTURA®- is the European umbrella brand for fortress tourism. It offers useful instruments for international marketing of fortified monuments.

The implementation of the attractive “architectura militaris” of the Iberian Peninsula into the culture route FORTE CULTURA® makes it possible to network this culture asset touristically, make it visible and experienceable on international tourism markets and market it Europe-wide. By implementing a new touristic regional brand “FORTE CULTURA - Iberian Fortified Heritage” the qualified culture tourism will be addressed. This supports a balance between over and under presented monuments and extends the sphere of activity of local actors onto whole Europe.

1. introduction

More than 150 fortresses dating from the late 15th to the 19th century still exist on the Iberian Peninsula. There are also medieval fortresses, Castello's, lines of defence such as the tower lines on Spain's southern coast, and countless fortifications of the twentieth century. Only the southern tip of Spain was fortified between 1940 and 1944 with 498 bunkers, machine gun nests and artillery positions.

This unique fortified heritage holds great potential for sustainable cultural tourism, which has so far not been fully exploited. Between world-famous fortresses such as the Alhambra in Granada with 2.7 million visitors per year, well-known fortresses in Barcelona, Alicante, Jerez, Lisbon or Torres Vedras and almost unknown fortresses such as Elvas (UNESCO), Badajoz, Tabarca or Roses is a very high perception difference.

The creation of entire and networked offers for fortress tourism on the Iberian Peninsula is supposed to act against this descent and at the same time create a compensation and decentralisation of excessive tourism flow on the hotspots.

Often, diverse and individual culture programmes are already offered for a large target group at fortress locations. The common and joint marketing as part of an international brand for fortress tourism increases the individual reach and creates increasing publicity of the participating fortresses, image improvements and economic effects.

Therefore, the authors developed the European Culture Route Fortified Monuments FORTE CULTURA® and found the European Fortress Tourism and Fortress Marketing Network. The creation of territorial or themed fortress clusters as marketing partners is an important principle to define and underline regional and local identification characteristics.

2 Fortified heritage on the Iberian Peninsula - Basis for Culture Tourism

The Iberian Peninsula has great potential for the implementation of culture touristic offers of Iberian fortresses into international tourism markets with FORTE CULTURA®.

The “architectura militaris” of the Iberian Peninsula is shaped by the influence of important historical epochs and their ruler, traditions, technical knowledge and skills. From the city walls of Phoenicians to the bunkers of the Cold War, the fortification architecture has steadily developed and adjusted to the progress of weapon technology.

2.1 Mapping of Iberian fortification heritage

To get important insights into the localisation and the diverse fortress types, ECCOFORT developed a map of the Iberian fortification heritage. For the first time the whole historical spectrum of fortified monuments over the important epochs until the Cold War is collected. This is not finished.

The Iberian fortified heritage concentrates along the coasts, in the Spanish-Portuguese border area and along the Pyrenees for protection against the European Great Powers.

Especially the following epochs of fortification architecture are strongly represented on the Iberian Peninsula:

Middle Ages

• Moorish fortresses, mostly medieval palace fortresses with detailed defence and provision systems, such as Granada, Jerez, Ronda, Sevilla, Cordoba, Malaga.
• Castles, palaces and sacral buildings with architectural defence elements.

Late Middle Ages

• Architectural adjustment of existing castles, palaces, sacral buildings and medieval fortresses to upcoming fire weapons, such as Alhambra in Granada, Segovia, Castalla.
• Large signal and defence networks, such as Almenaras towers of Malaga coast.

Sixteenth to nineteenth century

• Construction of newly bastion-like fortresses, ideal fortified cities under military aspects and territorial fortification systems, such as Cadiz, Lisbon, Elvas, Cartagena, Gibraltar.

Twentieth century

• Bunker buildings and defence lines of World War I and II and the Cold War, such as La Línea de la Concepción, Tarifa.

3rd World of Experience - Rich cultural and experience offers in fortresses

Many of those fortified monuments are today open for tourism and offer a rich world of experience. This includes events, museum and exhibitions, family and children offers, art and culture, military history, medieval spectacles, recreation and enjoyment, accommodation and life, sport and leisure, nature, parks and gardens, secret architecture, memorials and monuments.

There are scenic tours on the citadel of Jaca, where the guests follow actors through the fortress and learn about the history of the citadel. In La Línea de la Concepción three centuries of Spanish architectural history are connected with the Spanish-English conflict of Gibraltar. In La Villajoyosa, Alicante, Denia and many other cities the festival of the Moors and Christians is celebrated every year.

Profound research of fortresses in their building structures, their history of development and use and the history of their architects, residents, attackers and defenders showed diverse content

for culture touristic approaches. Modern technologies allow fascinating application virtually, in reality and between both. Fortresses and culture historical experience offers build a “perfect match” which addresses and fascinates all generations and target groups.

4th Travel world - Implementation of the European Culture Route Fortified Monuments FORTE CULTURA® as touristic brand on the Iberian Peninsula

FORTE CULTURA® is a new European brand for culture tourism in fortifications. As European cultural route, FORTE CULTURA® markets fortified monuments in all of Europe with its touristic offers, architectural specialities and the joint European history.

Sub brands like “Iberian Peninsula”, “Andalusia” or “Campo de Gibraltar” connect local spirit, individual history and regional specials with the European brand. This is shown in the FORTE CULTURA® travel recommendations and the tours by certified FORTE CULTURA® guides, such as

• Fortification giants on the south-west coast of Spain: A journey through 1000 years of religion, culture and “architectura militaris” in famous Andalusian coastal cities (Cadiz, Tarifa, (Gibraltar), La Línea de la Concepción, Malaga)
• Arabian Nights in South Spain: The Moorish fortified heritage and the hispanomusulman art in Andalusia, Discover the unique bastions as witnesses of the Moorish occupation and their rich cultural offer (Granada, Loja, Málaga, Ronda, Jerez, Sevilla, Córdoba)
• The Algarve Fortresses - cliffs, islands and invasions: from Ferragudo to Ilha do Pressegueiro

The creation of micro and macro regional fortress clusters as organizational levels is an important element to emphasise the regional identities and to develop authentic travel and experience offers for the international tourism markets. In Spain, this will happen under the lead of the city La Línea de la Concepción in the tourism region Campo de Gibraltar.

5. transnational cooperation: European Fortress Tourism and Fortress Marketing Network

“FORTS-2-MARKET” is the self-explanatory strategy of the “EUROPEAN FORTRESS TOURISM AND FORTRESS MARKETING NETWORK” which was founded in 2014 from 9 fortifications in 7 nations.

This association of fortified monuments is a non-government organisation and wants to raise the quality level of the European fortress tourism and fortress marketing. Tourism shall generate new income in order to preserve and use the cultural heritage fortified monuments. The network manages the European culture route FORTE CULTURA® and the transnational cooperation of fortresses in marketing activities.

The organisation and execution of Europe-wide marketing initiatives like the “European Fortress Summer 2018” or “75 years end of World War II in fortresses” is as much part of the spectrum of the network as the planning and execution of transnational funding projects.

5. conclusion

The Iberian Peninsula has a high potential for development and implementation of fortress tourism on international level. Tourism generates income and an investment friendly climate, which can contribute to the protection and preservation of the cultural heritage fortresses.

The European Culture Route Fortified Monuments FORTE CULTURA® is available as an attractive European brand for fortress tourism, which provides a large spectrum of instruments for individual marketing of fortresses under a common label.

FORTE CULTURA® stimulates the regional cooperation of fortified monuments, forms regional clusters and integrates existing regional fortress networks without them losing their sovereignty or authenticity. (www.forte-cultura.eu)

The implementation process of the culture route will be accompanied by the European Fortress Tourism and Fortress Marketing Network and offers new possibilities for international cooperation, knowledge transfer, joint (support) projects and innovation.

The fortified monuments of Europe are welcome to use the European Culture Route FORTE CULTURA® and the offers of “FORTS-2-MARKET” profitably as a network member. (www.forte-cultura.network)

References:

FRANCO, Álvaro López: Dirk Röder: “Los monumentos fortificados hacen a Europa única y atractiva”; in: Descubrir la Historia, Número 23 / Nov.-Dec. 2019; San Roque / Cádiz, pag. 29 - 33

NEUMANN, Hans-Rudolf: Capitalising on Fortified Heritage: The FORTE CULTURA project in Central Europe; in: JAIN, Shikha / HOOJA, Rima (Ed.): Conserving Fortified Heritage. The Proceedings of the 1^st International Conference on Fortifications and World Heritage, New Delhi, 2005 (ICOFORT Conference documentation); Cambridge (Cambridge Scholars Publishing), 2016; pag. 207 - 219

NEUMANN, Hans-Rudolf: Gibraltar - Tarifa - La Línea de la Concepción. Fortificatory excursion report of a study trip from 15.09. to 22.09.2018 (= Fortification report of a study tour from 15^th until 22^nd September 2018); Regensburg (S. Roderer publisher's), 2019

NEUMANN, Hans-Rudolf / RÖDER, Hartmut: EU Funding project FORTE CULTURA - on the Way to a European culture route of the fortified heritage; in: NARĘBSKI, Lech (ed.): Fortyfikacje nowożytne w Polsce - Badania, Realizacje, Projekty. Zagospodarowanie do Współczesnych funkcji (= Modern fortresses in Poland - investigations, realisations, projections. Deployments for contemporary functions). Collective work under the editorship under Lech Narȩbski, ed. Urząd Marszałkowski Województwa Kujawsko-Pomorskiego i Toruńskiego; Toruń, 2013, pag. 257 - 265

SÁEZ RODRÍGUEZ, Àngel J. Sáez: Un par de horas en ... las torres almenaras del Campo de Gibraltar (= Guías del patrimonio del Campo de Gibraltar); Tarifa, 2017

TÉLLEZ, José Martinez: Arquitectura Linense (Series: El Cuartel de Infantería Ballesteros, El fuerte Tunara, La Comandancia militar, La Línea de Contravalación, Torres Vigía, Torres Vigías); in: La Verdad del Campo de Gibraltar, March - September 2014

VALDENEBRO GARCÍA, José Vicente / ELIZALDE MARQUINA, Esther (Coord.): Proceedings of the International Conference on Fortified Heritage: Management and Sustainable Development. Pamplona, 15-17 October 2014; ed. Pamplona City Council - Ayuntamiento de Pamplona / Bayonne City Council - Mairie de Bayonne; Pamplona, April 2015

ZAUZIG, Oliver: Küstenbatterien und Befestigungen an der Strait von Gibraltar von 1936 bis heute (= Coastal batteries and fortifications on the Strait of Gibraltar from 1936 to the present day); in: Fortification. Journal of the Studienkreis für Internationales Festungs-, Militär- und Schutzbauwesen e.V., N° 27 / 2013; pag. 3 - 56

Research - Tourism - Marketing - Networking

Dirk Röder

The cultural heritage of fortified monuments belongs to the most important contemporary witnesses. It's a built history of today's Europe in an extraordinary architecture. It has a high potential for cultural tourism, as an economic factor, as a living cultural and historical space for the needs of modern society.

This potential is not sufficiently mobilised. Only very few fortifications are playing in the first class of well-managed, financed and promoted monuments at the tourist markets. It needs instruments and common transnational activities to capitalise this heritage in all regions. The European Cooperation Center of Fortified Heritage -ECCOFORT- in Berlin develops and practices a PROGRAMME FOR CAPITALIZING OF FORTIFIED MONUMENTS with 4 pillars:

• NETWORKING - to manage the tourism, marketing and transnational cooperation
• RESEARCH - for a market-oriented systematisation, inventory and mapping
• TOURISM - based on a powerful tourism brand and route “FORTE CULTURA”
• MARKETING - with tailor-made instruments and campaigns for fortified monuments

Introduction: Fortified Heritage - potential for capitalising

Europe as a continent has the largest cultural heritage and it is important to take care of this CAPITAL, to use it and to refine it socially. It is not for nothing that cultural tourism is a constantly growing economic branch, employer and innovation engine with income effects for cultural sites, cities and municipalities, retails, service, hospitality, catering, transport, guides, etc.

Culture routes are an important instrument to present this regional, national and European cultural heritage and to mobilise it as an economic factor. The culture route programme of the European Council strengthens this strategy. Themed culture routes make the cultural heritage visible and experienceable.

1. programme to capitalize the fortified cultural heritage in Europe

The cultural heritage of fortified monuments belongs to the most important contemporary witnesses. It's a built history of today's Europe in an extraordinary architecture.

It has a high potential for cultural tourism, as an economic factor, as a living cultural and historical space for the needs of modern society.

This potential is not sufficiently mobilised. Only very few fortifications are playing in the first class of well-managed, financed and promoted monuments at the tourist markets. It needs instruments and common transnational activities to capitalise this heritage in all regions.

The European Cooperation Centre of Fortified Heritage -ECCOFORT- in Berlin, develops and practices a PROGRAMME FOR CAPITALIZING OF FORTIFIED MONUMENTS with 4 pillars:

• RESEARCH - for a market-oriented systematisation, inventory and mapping
• TOURISM - based on a powerful tourism brand and route “FORTE CULTURA”
• MARKETING - with tailor-made instruments and campaigns for fortified monuments
• NETWORKING - to manage the tourism, marketing and transnational cooperation

2. fortress RESEARCH for a market-oriented systematisation, inventory and mapping of fortified monuments

Experts estimate the occurrence in Europe at around 5,000 fortified monuments from epochs after the introduction of fire weapons in the 14th century^th and 15^th century. That includes fortresses, fortified cities, fortified ideal cities, large fortification systems, fortified castles and palaces, fortified sacral buildings, fortified border and defence lines and bunker and bunker systems. It needs a typification of the monuments under the aspect of the tourist markets, as well as a mapping. 

ECCOFORT developed a uniform system of types and icons for graphic recognition of fortified monuments, oriented on the demands of tourist markets. This is on the way to becoming the standard in Europe.

3. fortress TOURISM based on a powerful tourism brand and cultural route “FORTE CULTURA”

Fortified monuments have a very high touristic potential, but until today only a few of them benefit from that. They are uniting diverse offers/attractions at one place and are often a touristic unique characteristic, which fascination spreads over all generation. They are emotionalising, authentic, incisive, cultural speciality with interesting history, tradition, nature and architecture, independent of trends, cycles and demographic development.

The European Culture Route of fortified monuments -FORTE CULTURA- provides for the first time a specialised touristic product for fortress tourism in Europe and furthermore, to experience the rich cultural offer.

Different travel recommendations such as sightseeing tours, study tours and excursions, cultural trips or adventure tours, car or bike tours address diverse target groups. The culture route is permanently developing and expanding with new themes and journeys with a high experience value.

More than 100 fortresses from 12 European countries are implemented. It generates economic effects for the fortresses with more tourists, incomes and market presence.

4. fortress MARKETING with tailor-made instruments and campaigns for European fortified monuments

The fortress heritage needs a new quality of market presence. The quality and the marketing determine the economic success of tourist offers on the market.

With the marketing programme for the Cultural Heritage Fortified Monuments, a significant gap will be filled. Fortress architecture and its experience value are for the first time presented nationally and internationally under a uniform brand and a coherent design. A new dimension of market presence of the fortified monuments is now possible. For this case there are two fields of acting:

1. marketing of the tourism product Culture Route “FORTE CULTURA”

2. marketing of single fortresses with its tourist offers

Both are linked closely but can also be used separately.

The most important marketing goal is the placement of the Culture Route and its experience offers on the national and international tourism market. This way touristic economic effects for the participating fortified monuments and fortified cities are to be gained. Especially the number of visitors is to be increased and this way an economical, financial, social-cultural and memorial preserving impact for the fortified cities is to be initiated. 

Furthermore, it is a goal to make the meaning of the rich, wide-spread cultural heritage visible and to improve the understanding in public, politics and the economy.

Via the portal www.forte-cultura.eu, the digital prints and publications are distributed, like the FORTE CULTURA-travel guide, the image prospect, newsletter etc. The portal links with the participating fortified monuments and the tourism organisations. Further e-marketing tools such as an event calendar, interactive maps, etc. are provided or are in development. At first, the campaign “EUROPEAN FORTRESS SUMMER 2018” in the European year of cultural heritage was successfully carried out. It's a signal for European cooperation of fortified monuments, as well as the best practice to show the fortified heritage at the tourist markets.

5. fortress NETWORK to manage the tourism, marketing and transnational cooperation

“FORTS-2-MARKET” is the self-explanatory strategy of the “EUROPEAN FORTRESS TOURISM AND FORTRESS MARKETING NETWORK reg.ass., which was founded in 2014 from 9 Fortification in 7 nations. This association of fortified monuments is a non-government organisation and wants to raise the quality level of the European fortress tourism and fortress marketing. Tourism shall generate new income in order to preserve and use the cultural heritage fortified monuments. The network manages the European culture route FORTE CULTIRA and the transnational cooperation of fortresses in marketing activities.

6. capitalising effects of the fortified heritage

With these 4 pillars, there are many capitalising effects for the fortified heritage, such as:

Economic effects:

• Increase of income of fortified monuments by stronger touristic demand
• Increase of income of communal regions by higher utilization of touristic infrastructure and tourism economy, absorption of purchasing power
• Strengthen the competitiveness on the competitive tourism market
• Improvement of profitability of (public) investments into the touristic infrastructure, the touristic offer and the fortification
• Stimulating the expansion of tourist infrastructure
• Tendential relief of public budget and refinancing effects on public expenses
• Preservation or creation of employment and income
• Management of the monument, therefore preservation by usage

Social cultural effects:

• Pulling effect on touristic operators and therefore enrichment of cultural offers also for locals
• Integration of fortified monuments into the modern life of city and region
• Inclusion of fortified monuments into the local city and region development
• Strengthening of identity and life quality in the city/community
• Image win for fortified monuments, city and region and defining of unique characteristics

7. conclusion

The programme for capitalizing is on a successful way with benefits for all participating fortified monuments. There is a good chance to use this initiative in the Mediterranean region as a chance to maintain, to use and to experience the rich and attractive cultural heritage fortified monuments, as well as to organize a strong and powerful transnational cooperation.