Preservation of cultural heritage and development of tourism

Preservation of cultural heritage and development of tourism in the Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe Gulnara Roll, Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation Tartu, Estonia Foto: Peeter Unt

Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation is an international non-profit institute, which works to promote balanced development of border areas, especially in Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe region. Main directions: - environment and water management; - local development; -cross-border and development cooperation Foto: Peeter Unt

Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe is shared by Estonia (44%) and Russia (56%). Finland Estonia Sweden Russia Lake Peipsi TARTU Estonia Tartu , Estonia Denmark PSKOV Latvia Lithuania Poland Russia

Challenges to the regional development The lake area is large, not accessible everywhere • due to the wetlands and weeds on the lake coast • Mostly rural periperal areas with poor economic infrastructure – roads, internet, tourist infrastructure • Young people leaving the peripheral areas • Lacking skills for enterpreneurship and service sector Foto: Peeter Unt

Praaga - peculiar place where people live without roads - there are only waterways Foto: Arne Ader

There are over a milion birds passing Peipsi areas Foto: Peeter Unt

Mustvee - Little town with 4 churches

Mustvee oldbelivers museum - History of Russian oldbelivers - History of Mustvee Foto: Peeter Unt

Rajaküla oldbelivers sanctum

Russian oldbelivers villages near Peipsi - Unique way to experience different culture Foto: Peeter Unt

Värska - the center of historical Setomaa - famous with it´s mineral water and healthy mud Foto: Merlin Lõiv

What has been done so far?

Lakes Life Room Permanent exhibition in Kallaste Foto: Peeter Unt

…neck of the Peipsi woods are tourism paths… Foto: Kärt Leppik

Cross-border cooperation summer school aiming to promote intersectoral and cross-border cooperation between Euroregions, NGOs, local municipalities and state institutions Foto: Peeter Unt

BEN - Baltic Euroregional Network to promote spatial development and territorial integration in the Baltic Sea Region by strengthening Euroregions as competent partners with national authorities and international institutions Foto: Peeter Unt

Plans - Application of the creative businesses concept for the local development projects - Establishing a local museums’ network around the lake - Long term objective of establishing thematic tourist routes around Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe Foto: Peeter Unt

Planned activities: • Mapping needs of the museums • Support to developing capacity of the museums’ specialists to build their capacity in organization management, marketing, publicity, services etc. • Infrastructure development • Feasibility studies for the tourist routes’ development • A film about the region’s cultural heritage Foto: Peeter Unt