Discovering the mining historical heritage: Belval

Belval is a former industrial town that until recently was not oriented towards tourism, but which has managed to make its industry the strength of its cultural influence.

Today, thanks to technological advances and innovation, the Belval Fund, which has been constantly developing since 2020, is a perfect example of the revitalisation of a former industrial site that now hosts services, shops, scientific and educational institutions, sports facilities, cultural and leisure centres, providing positive externalities for locals and tourists alike.

By visiting the Blast Furnace, following the fascinating route through the heart of the steel production, where iron ore and coke were loaded, or by exploring the City of Science, renowned for the diversity of its contemporary architecture, which blends in perfectly with the impressive industrial heritage, visitors can delve into the history of Fonds Belval thanks to the thorough and passionate guidance of the local guides.

Why is it regenerative?

The transformation of Belval from an industrial site into a diverse cultural and recreational centre is regenerative tourism at its core. It shows the revitalisation of a once declining area, which now offers a range of services and attractions that benefit both locals and tourists. While preserving the industrial heritage and adding contemporary elements, it invites visitors to engage with the history of the place, fostering a sense of connection to the region’s past and future.

Project partners met in Aveiro on the 14th and 15th of September 2023. It was the perfect opportunity to visit the destination with regenerative glasses on, to understand its many assets but also some of the challenges the destination is facing. Face to face project meetings always provide the partners with the unique opportunity to learn about the work of the hosting partner and get valuable insights about the destination. In this case partners were hosted by the dedicated team of management and tourism professionals of the University of Aveiro who shared a wealth of insights about a city that was new to many of the participants.

The Enforce project is well on track when it comes to the project work plan, which means that after having completed the Best Practice collection of innovative examples about storytelling for regeneration and also the Storyteller’s Guide, partners used the meeting to discuss the development of the Enforce Training Programme.

For the next few months partners will be working on developing the content in line with guidelines provided by the University of Usak, our project partner from Turkey.
The course should be available for piloting in January/February 2024 and will also be available in the partner languages once all translations are finalised.

The ENFORCE team met in the beautiful city of Luxembourg for its kick-off meeting. It took place at the premises of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg (also known as CCIL), which opened its doors to warmly welcome all partners.

The team was aware of the importance of this first meeting and approached it with the same enthusiasm, as it plays an important role in building strong bonds that will contribute to the success of the entire cooperation. With the common goal of building a solid foundation, the participants discussed in depth the first steps required for the project ENFORCE.

During this visit, the project objectives were discussed in depth to ensure that each partner has a comprehensive understanding of the overarching goals. The outcome of the kick-off meeting was extremely satisfying for all partners and generated enthusiasm among the team. It was a success and left everyone inspired and energised.

The journey of ENFORCE has officially begun and with the collective expertise of the committed partners, there is no doubt that it will thrive and achieve remarkable results.

Enforce

“The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein”

Project N: 2022-1-LU01-KA220-VET-000089887

© 2024 Enforce Project
Skip to content