Within the second tourism task force meeting in Esztergom (Hungary) on November 28th-30th, the basic steering lines were laid down for a future focal point of communication: The DANUBEPARKS visitor centre.
The Duna-Ipoly National Park has recently received the managing right for a property including a beautiful old building and 2 hectares garden area. The plan is to establish a DANUBEPARKS visitor centre, including an indoor exhibition and an outdoor study trail, on this property. Additionally - but not linked to the DANUBEPARKS STEP 2.0 project - a forestry school, accommodation, an exhibition about the Duna-Ipoly National Park and several other services will be installed there as well.
The property is situated in Dömös, a small village at the Danube Bend, in the middle between Esztergom and Visegrad, the two main attractions in this area and highly frequented every year by tourists. The future DANUBEPARKS visitor centre will also be well connected by the main road along the Danube, a planned regional cycling trail, an existing very popular hiking trail, and the ferry connection in the direct surroundings.
During the meeting end of November, the overall plans for the DANUBEPARKS exhibition and study trail were presented and the property visited by all partners. Several presentations by Hungarian experts in museum pedagogy and visitor centre / nature trail design at the beginning of the meeting helped to inspire for the development workshop afterwards. The overall plan is that the indoor exhibition will focus on general aspects of transnational aspects of the Danube and in nature protection, as well as the activities of the DANUBEPARKS network. The study trail should then give the chance to discover the specific heritage and species of all the Protected Areas within the Network.
During the development workshop, the first focus was put on a mission for the visitor centre, as well as possible messages that could be transported within the exhibition, including topics of our international cooperation that they are linked to. The last session then concentrated on the development of innovative ideas for both the exhibition and the study trail, as an inspiration for the further work of Duna-Ipoly and its contractors.
The planning for the DANUBEPARKS exhibition and study trail should be finished by summer 2013. In the meanwhile, another tourism meeting in March as well as continuous communication by phone and email will be used for updating the partners on the progress and integrating their feedback.
