The revitalising story of Haasberg Castle Park

On the southern slope of Planinsko polje, where the first blanket mists are born, lies a small womb of nature which, because of its wonderful diversity, has earned the name “Land of the Dwarves”. Here, during heavy rains, many almost imperceptible springs of the Cerkniško lake come to life, which emerge from the Škratovka Cave (Dwafr Cave). The ruins of one of the most representative Baroque buildings in Slovenia rise above the gorge in the southern part of Planinsko polje. Hošperk (Haasberg) Castle was built by the Lords of Eggenberg at the beginning of the 17th century at the foot of an old mediaeval castle, which was destroyed by an earthquake. The Škratovka Haasberg Association, together with the municipality of Postojna, is revitalising the degraded area. During the cleaning of the castle ruins, the remains of the former terraced garden were also uncovered. Now there is a magical grassy courtyard where various exhibitions, concerts, workshops and activities for children are organised.

Why is it regenerative?

The “Land of the Dwarfs” and the revitalization efforts led by the Škratovka Haasberg association exemplify regenerative tourism through the restoration of natural and cultural assets. They have improved the environment by converting a neglected area into a thriving centre of nature and culture, benefiting the community and attracting visitors.

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The Enforce project partners met in the Slovenian city of Ljubljana on 30 and 31 May. Hosted by the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce (CCIS), the meeting was carefully organised and offered participants a mix of business talks and leisure activities.

Two regenerative experiences were at the centre of the meeting. These immersive sessions allowed partners to recharge their creative batteries and better connect with the city. You can find the two experiences on the map!

The next steps centred around the next steps of the project, which equipped the team and partners with the necessary tools to continue working on Enforce. The Enforce journey continues and the partners are determined to deliver results of the highest quality.

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
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