Strategies for monumentalized (pre)historic landscapes in the Danube Region

The Iron-Age-Danube project (Monumentalized early iron age landscapes in the Danube river basin), co-financed by the Interreg Danube Transnational programme, is focused on the research, protection and sustainable touristic use of the archaeological heritage from the Early Iron Age in the Danube region. In the frame of the project two strategies, one on research and heritage protection and other on heritage promotion and touristic usage of archaeological landscapes, have been adopted. The strategies are combining a bottom-up analytical approach by incorporating the SWOT analysis from the eight micro-regions in four countries with a to-down approach by integrating the recommendations of the European Cultural Heritage Strategy for the 21st century (Strategy 21). The analysis showed 24 major challenges faced by the Iron-Age heritage, which can be tackled by 12 recommendations in the field of research and monument protection and 9 recommendations in the field of sustainable cultural tourism, divided into the S-D-K components introduced in Strategy 21 and a newly established location component. Additionally, concrete courses of actions for stakeholders are listed, which enable the practical implementation of recommendations. The strategies are accompanied by four national action plans for their implementation in Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia