📅 Implementation: 10 Jun 2025 – 9 Jun 2027 (24 months)
💶 Total Budget: €1,494,992.52 | ERDF Contribution: €1,195,994.01
🤝 Partners:4 organisations
🎯 Type: Standard project | Culture & Sustainable Tourism | RS04.6

Summary

SPIRITRAILS celebrates the shared cultural and spiritual heritage of Romania and Hungary by creating a cross-border route of folk religiosity that connects sacred places, traditions, and local communities across Timișoara, Arad, and Szegvár.

The project combines cultural preservation and sustainable tourism, transforming traditional places of devotion into accessible destinations that tell the story of faith and everyday spirituality along the border.

It develops a digital cross-border tourism platform, rest and service points for travellers, and a joint plan and quality management system based on Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) standards. The route invites visitors to experience heritage through modern, eco-friendly, and participatory tourism.

Through community participation, educational programmes, and cross-border partnerships, SPIRITRAILS promotes cultural understanding and ensures that local traditions continue to inspire future generations.

Project Aim

To establish a sustainable cross-border cultural tourism route that promotes folk religiosity, connects local heritage sites, and encourages participation through digital and community-driven solutions.

Key Activities & Results

🔹 Cross-Border Cultural Route: Design of a tourism circuit linking major religious and heritage sites across Timișoara, Arad, and Szegvár.
🔹 Digital  Tourism Platform: Creation of an online tool with interactive maps, self-assessment instruments, and sustainability resources for tourism providers.
🔹 Tourism Infrastructure: Installation of multifunctional rest points and service areas along the route.
🔹   Joint Action Plan and Quality Management System: Implementation of a cross-border quality framework aligned with GSTC principles.

🔹 Community and Cultural Engagement: Involvement of local institutions, NGOs, and religious organisations in preserving and promoting shared values and experiences.

Partnership

Lead Partner: Society of the Divine Saviour (RO)
Project Partners:  Order of Minors Arad (RO),  Network for Regional Development Foundation (HU) and Tűzköves Heritage Keeper, Educational and Cultural Foundation (HU)

SPIRITRAILS turns cross-border heritage into a living cultural journey. By connecting communities, sacred spaces, and sustainable tourism, it builds a bridge of faith, identity, and cooperation between Romania and Hungary.

For more details, consult the project fact sheet. 

📝 Disclaimer: The banner image is AI-generated and for illustration only.