danube connects – the magazine for the danube countries, 1/2016

danube connects 01I 16 1

connectsdanubethe magazine for the danube countries

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Hidden treasures

Discoveries between source and delta

danube connects 01 I 162

Editorial

ODear reader,

pen borders and the freedom to travel have become natural in today’s Europe. My grown-up children only know the “Iron Curtain” through stories told in our family or through history lessons. I myself, ho-wever, still remember queuing for miles in a line of cars at the Hungarian border when we went on holiday. Also, my grandfather used to be scared of potential border controls whenever we had brought back souvenirs

from Hungary.

In the face of the many problems Europe deals with at the moment, be it the refugee crisis, the Euro crisis, youth unemployment or natural di-sasters, solidarity and communication – between people of diff erent origins and between their

governments – are more important than ever.

Travelling broadens the mind, culture bridges borders. If tourism and culture become more intertwined, new chances for personal and econo-mic growth arise. Concrete examples are illustrated in the articles on a city tour through Beograd in a Fićo (p. 14/15) or on the initiative “Good things from Viscri” (p. 18/19).

Trust can only be developed if we get to know each other. That’s why our new issue focuses on “Tourism and Culture”. We encourage all readers to explore our neighbouring countries along the Danube and meet their inhabitants. Young adults and students, such as the project participants of “Creative Danube” (p. 20/21), are starting to discover the southeast alrea-dy; for them cities like Bratislava, Budapest and Beograd are just cool.

We invite you on a journey of discovery and interesting encounters along the Danube. Welcome! Dobrodošli!

Enjoy reading!

Sabine Gellereditor-in-chief and founder of danube connects

the magazine for the danube countries

Tel. +49 (0)731 153 75 05Fax +49 (0)731 153 75 [email protected]

www.danube-connects.euwww.facebook.com/danube.connectstwitter.com/DanubeConnects

We offer information and images from the international press on politics, tourism and culture in the Danube region. Furthermore, we keep you on track about the Danu-be Strategy and the various events alongside the Danube. Come and take a look!

You want to share interesting infor-mation on the Danube region?

Just send a link to [email protected].

danube connects is on Facebook and twitter!

DANUBE'S SOURCE SHINES FRESH!See the birth of the Danube from up close...............................6–8

600 UNIQUE FESTIVAL FLAGS – DIVERSE LIKE THE PROGRAMThe International Danube Festivalcelebrates its 10th anniversary..10–11

THE FUTURE IS UNDISCOVEREDStudents from Osijek and Stuttgart explore the creative scene .........................20-21

FICO – A CAR AS A METAPHOR FOR LIFEWhat time travel through Belgrade feels like......................14–15

CULTURE >>

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EUROPE'S AMAZON An expedition through Kopacki rit park.....................22–23

500 YEARS OF PURITY LAW FOR BEERHow towns like Ehingen and Ingolstadt celebrate their cultural heritage beer........................18–19

ARTS AND CULTURE AS AN ECONOMIC FACTORHow to create an artists' network in the Danube region................... 12

TOWARDS AN OPEN SOCIETY IN THE DANUBE REGIONFinding new ways of cross-border cooperation.................................. 13

MARKETING THE GERMAN DANUBEAn interview with tourism expert Raissa Benchoufi............ 7–8

UNDER THE BRIDGEA photo project shows the world of the homeless..................11

THE TASTE OF FRIENDSHIPBread, herbs and wine at the Danube bridge breakfast.............22

FELT SLIPPERS FOR A BETTER FUTUREHow Roma women fight poverty........................................14

<< TOURISM

KOPACKI RIT– Network of Nature Protection

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BOOKS.........................................25

EVENTS......................................19

IMPRINT.......................................8


Something great often comes from something very small! The Danube holds a prominent place in European history, but has its origin in an unas-suming beautiful little place in Germany. Recently, this enchanted corner of the world was reopened to visitors. The source of the Danube is fresher and more accessible than ever and ready to welcome those eager to discover the origin of the mighty river that flows eastwards. To mark the end of rehabili-tation works of the source, the city of Donaueschingen invites its residents and tourists to a festival, the DonauquellFest. The event will take place on Saturday, 25 June 2016, from 11 am.

The Source of the Danube Shines Anew

The work done at the source of the Da-nube was a major investment that be-gun in 2013 and was completed at the end of 2015. Craftsmen builders and restorers, money and patience of the in-habitants were involved in the effort to create a more visible tourist attraction. The reconstructed area consists of the spring itself, 16 items including the 12 signs of the zodiac, an upper railing of stone and the patron statue of "Mother Baar", showing her daughter, the Danu-be, the way towards the Black Sea.

"This refurbishment of the source of the Danube was really important because the enclosure was saturated with water. The last treatment of the stone happe-ned more than a 100 years ago and over the years the water came through. Not the water from above, the rain, but from the ground,” explains Annika Engel from the Tourism and Marketing Office of the City of Donaueschingen.

Because the whole assembly was af-fected by water infiltration, everything had to be disassembled, dried and pro-cessed by stonemasons. Those items that were too strongly damaged were replaced with new ones, respecting the old form. Also, significant work has gone into the wall supporting the struc-

ture of the church St. Johann. Moreover, the city of Donaueschingen invested in a redevelopment of the whole area, which is probably the most important tourist attraction in the entire region of the young Danube, thereby providing modern access while nevertheless re-specting the traditional local aspect.

“In Donaueschingen we have around 200.000 accommodation nights per year, which is quite a lot, and we have many day tourists. During restorati-on works they asked ‘What can we do here? Where can we see the source of the Danube?’ We explained to them why the source had to be restored and directed them to other sites. For exam-ple, on the edge of town the junction of the rivers Brigach and Breg forms the Danube. People can literally see the bir-th of the Danube”, says Annika Engel. But where the "Danube begins" tourists are provided with many more attrac-tions: the old beautiful historic buil-dings, the fountains of Diana, Hansel and the Musicians, the imposing Palace Fürstenberg with its charming park, old churches and modern spaces, such as the Museum for Children and Youth, which provides interactive science and technology experiments. And, do not forget, the renowned artistic events!

By combining contemporary culture with its ancient monuments, Donaue-schingen proves that, despite its long history, it can keep up with the times. And in this summer's programme, the first edition of DonauquellFest offers musical and culinary highlights.

Laura Piperiu, journalist,Tuttlingen

Source of the Danube


Young Danube

Who determines the contents, who finances the “German Danube“, who are its members?The “Working Group German Danube“ promotes tourism along the German part of the Danube. Its members are tourist organisations from the towns and districts on the Danube in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The members fund the Working Group German Da-nube through their annual membership fees and contribute to further develo-ping the product “Danube”. Every four months, 15 Danube stakeholders and representatives gather for meetings of the working committee. Together, they discuss marketing concepts and conti-nuously enhance the product.

What's the role the German Danu-be wants to play among all the other stakeholders in the promotion of tou-rism along the Danube? Which target groups does it focus on?Only the Working Group German Da-nube links all Danube stakeholders in Germany and promotes the whole German Danube region as a tourist de-stination. Of course, the members also promote their own destinations and attractions separately on a local level. But when it comes to supra-regional and international marketing, a common presentation of our region is a clear ad-vantage. Through theme marketing, the Working Group aims at presenting each region and town individually and in a special way. We don't want to list the steeples in every town – we show the consumer what makes each place unique. We propose theme-oriented routes, depending on whether you're interested in short or long holidays, city tourism, hiking, bicycle tours, rela-xation or wellness. Germany's Danube

region is interesting for many different target groups. It's a multifaceted trend region, off the beaten path of mass tou-rism, and has many undiscovered tre-asures.

What projects are you currently wor-king on?Last year, the office of the Working Group German Danube moved from Neuburg on the Danube to Ulm, after 25 years. Now, the members want a breath of fresh air and modern marketing stra-tegies. We've reorganised the Working Group, changed its image, edited a new print brochure and also merged with the

campaign “The Young Danube”. This comprehensive marketing campaign was launched by the Tourismus-Mar-keting GmbH Baden-Württemberg, the Bayern Tourismus Marketing GmbH and the German National Tourist Board. It was further developed with the mem-bers of the Working Group German Danube. The campaign “The Young Da-nube” and the Working Group promote the German Danube region together. Consumers can discover the attractions of the Danube region in our print bro-

danube connects spoke with Raissa Benchoufi, head of the tourism organi-sation “The German Danube“, about the organisation's goals.

Raissa Benchoufi in Ulm does marketing for the Danube.

Creating the Danube: confluence of rivers Brigach and Breg.

A jewel in the Princely Park: the newly renovated source of the Danube


chure or on the website www.die-junge-donau.de. Right now, we're working on diff erent blog projects and on a Danube workshop with all Danube stakeholders, which will take place during the Danube Festival. This summer, we will also be shooting many new pictures of the Da-nube region for the new edition of our brochure. Another important project is improving the Danube Cycling Route. In 2017, it will most likely be classifi ed as a 4-star cycling route by the General Ger-man Bicycle Club (ADFC).

What's your personal favourite spot on the Danube?I think the Danube promenade in Ulm and Neu-Ulm is very special. That's probably because I live in Ulm and go there every day for a nice walk with my dog. My offi ce is just a few minutes away from the promenade and nothing is more relaxing and inspiring than a lunch break on the sunny banks of the Danube.

Interview by Thomas Zehender, journalist, danube connects

Impressum/imprint

danube connectsdas magazin für die donauländer/the ma-gazine for the danube countriesTel. +49 / (0)731 / 153 75 05Fax +49 / (0)731 / 153 75 [email protected]

Herausgeber/publisher:European Journalists Association,Sektion Ulm (section of Ulm)

Verlag/publishing house:Süddeutsche VerlagsgesellschaftNicolaus-Otto-Str. 14, 89079 Ulm

Konzept und Gestaltung/concept and design:Sabine [email protected]

Redaktion/editor:Thomas Zehenderdanube@profi textulm.de

Social Media:Thomas Zehender

Anzeigenleitung/advertisement:Sabine [email protected]

Bildnachweis/photo credits:Titelbild/Cover: © Tobias Raphael AckermannSofi ja Balac, George Dumitriu,Elvira Eberhardt, Sabine Geller, Peter Lindel.

Illustration: Ida Mayer

Übersetzung/translation: Christiane Hadamitzky, Meike Westerhaus,

Autoren/authors:Sabine Geller, Daniel Hirsch, Mirella Sidro, Nina May, Doris Orgonas,Natasa Saru, Thomas Zehender


Fermented juice was already popular in ancient Egypt and Sumer. “The oldest evidence of beer was found in China. But if by “beer” you mean the beve-rage we know today, which is made from barley, then historians are not sure whether it comes from Syria or Egypt. In both cases, we have evidence of it da-ting back to around 3500 BC,” Barbara Link explains. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary, Link, an Egyptolo-gist, brewed beer as it was made during the time of the pharaohs. It tastes very different from today's beer, as no hop was added and it was not carbonated.

Ehingen – a Cultural capital of Beer“…nothing is to be added to or used in beer other than barley, hops and water. Whosoe-ver knowingly disobeys this decree will be severely punished by the court having juris-diction over him by having his barrel of beer confiscated whenever this offense occurs.“

This rule found in the regional ordi-nance issued by the Bavarian duke Wil-liam IV in Ingolstadt on 23 April 1516 is still valid today. “With its simplicity and consumer security, the purity law is probably more interesting than ever. It guarantees a high quality of beer and prevents the haphazard use of raw ma-terials,” says Ulrich Zimmermann of the Berg brewery in Ehingen.

Tourists visiting Germany this year should definitely try some beer, even if they are not normally used to it. “For beginners we would recommend a composition of four: export, pilsner, unfiltered export and wheat beer are always a good starting point,“ Ulrich Zimmermann of Berg brewery and Karl Miller of Schwanen brewery in Ehingen explain.

Anniversary in Ingolstadt The anni-versary of “500 years of purity law” is celebrated in many places, but especial-ly so in Ingolstadt: The Bavarian purity law was enacted in Ingolstadt. Tourists can choose from many activities and events over the course of the year and approach the topic from different per-spectives: some are more artistic, such as special exhibitions in museums, others are more culinary such as the many beer festivals and fairs. During the traditional promulgation and sub-sequent beer tasting at Ingolstadt’s beer fountain, visitors can delve into history.

Interestingly, the Danube has always been closely connected to beer tradi-tions: the oldest documented sources of hop cultivation date from the early middle ages. In the year of 736 AD, the first cultivation of hop is mentioned in Geisenfeld in the region of Hallertau, Bavaria. Today hop is mostly grown in regions with moist soils high in nitro-gen, such as floodplains as they can be found alongside the Danube in the area around Ingolstadt.

Mirella Sidro, Journalistin

500 Years of Purity Law for Beer2016 marks the 500th anniversary of the German purity law for beer. Towns like Ehingen and Ingolstadt are seizing the occasion to celebrate their world-renowned beer, a cultural heritage of the region.

Living history and traditional trade: the art of brewing along the Danube.

Events at a glance

EHINGEN: www.bierkulturstadt.info

Ulrich Festival in Ehingen-Berg8 - 11 July 2016

Open Air Theatre in Ehingen-Berg20 July to 4 August 2016

INGOLSTADT: www.reinheitsgebot-ingolstadt.de

Historical 'Schanzer' Beer-Tour9.7./23.7.30.7./6.8./20.8./3.9./17.9./1.10/15.10.

Autumn Fair with parade and regional beer specialities 23 September to 3 October

The art of brewing


The Danube Festival would not be the same without its characteristic artful flags! In 2012 the flags were designed by Vladimir Frelih from Osijek (Croa-tia) and this year, they will be created by Dragan Matić from Novi Sad (Ser-bia). Matić was born in 1966 and stu-died at the academy of the arts in Novi Sad, where he is now a professor for fine arts. He is a member of the artistic groups Multiflex and Happy Trash and his artwork has been shown in various exhibitions, projects and film festivals. In his flag design Matić combines the national colours of the Danube coun-tries with a rhythmically repetition of herringbone pattern. "It is my intenti-on to create an installation that is both comprehensible and visually attrac-ting," Matić explains his artistic concept, which he has realised in co-operation with students at the academy. Every one of the 600 flags is unique, designed and

produced individually and hand-pain-ted. After the festival, the weather-proof flags will be sold on Ulm's Mün-sterplatz on 12 July from 5 pm.

The 10th Danube Festival's, with a more extensive and versatile programme than ever, is far more than a mere festival for those interested in culture. A symposium, for example, will discuss the economic perspectives the cul-tural scene can offer. In face of recent nationalist tendencies in some of the Danube countries, intercultural encoun-ters will gain even greater importance in this year's festival.

600 unique festival flags –diverse like the program

Prof. Matic and students from Osijek with plenty of Danube festivals’s flags

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Culture

He met homeless people from different cultural backgrounds and listened to the stories of how they ended up on the street. Often he heard similar reasons: al-cohol, drugs, loss of job or family. After three months on the street, the way back into a normal life is getting difficult. Ho-wever, many general assumptions about homeless people do not hold true, in Eberl's experience. "Homelessness is not always obvious. These people live in a parallel world but often lead very struc-tured lives."

To get in touch with them and gain their trust, he often co-operated with street workers during his research trips. He ne-ver took photos without permission and many shots were preceded by half-hour long conversations. "The photographs are never voyeuristic and I hope that I succeeded in depicting a deeper level," Eberl elaborates. He started the project "Under the bridge" a while ago and was, as he says, "thrown into" the current is-sue of displacement, which made him doubt the relevancy of homelessness as a societal issue. His photographs address this topic in their own way. They portray the many faces of poverty in Europe but are highly reminiscent of the situation in the third or fourth world.

"Under the bridge" does not end with the Danube Festival. Udo Eberl will con-tinue his travels, wants to extend them to Bulgaria and is thinking about a chari-ty project. "I'm not done with this issue," he states.

Thomas Zehender, journalistdanube connects, Ulm

Eberl's works are shown in two corresponding exhibitions:

VERNISSAGE AT JULY 4 THThe exhibition at Edwin-Scharff-Haus in Neu-Ulm opens on 4 July. At 7 pm, Udon Eberl will present lyric renderings of his experiences and the Austrian musician Matthias Loibner will play the hurdy-gurdy. Additionally, Eberl's works will be displayed in an open-air exhibition in different, sometimes hidden, places throughout Ulm and Neu-Ulm.

Among the Homeless:

„Under the bridge“Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade and Bucharest are only some of the cities that the Ulm-based journalist Udo Eberl visited for his photography project "Under the bridge".


Culture

Supported by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation's programme "Perspec-tive Danube: education, culture and civil society", the symposium wants to result in a network of artists rather than unspecifi c resolutions. It aims to create "a joint perspective for develop-ment and commercial opportunities." Put simply, it explores the sustainable economic and job potential of the crea-tive scene, from design and marketing agencies, galleries and art agencies to IT companies.

The event is mainly aimed at artists, members of the creative industry and teachers. They will target four subjects in regards to the Danube region: prac-tical and theoretical education, arts and design in practice, social relevance and resonance of arts and design, and net-work potential. The network aims at being more than a web-directory that lists actors and projects. Practical expe-rience is aimed to be combined with di-dactic approaches and co-operations are to be formed.

The symposium will end with a public round table. Arts professors from So-fi a, Osijek and Pécs will discuss with Munich-based architect and journalist Dr. Oliver Herwig. The event will be

accompanied by composer and violinist Alexander Balanescu. For the Danu-be Festival, Balanescu has composed a choreographed musical piece for solo-violin, string quartet, orchestra, dancers and singers. The work will have its de-but performance at Theater Ulm on 1 July.

The round table, will on the one hand, deal with abstract questions such as the role of design and arts for processes of identity formation. On the other hand the participants will assess the develop-ments in the Danube region and give concrete examples for possibilities for the creative industry. Just as other eco-nomic fi elds in the south-eastern regi-ons of the Danube area the creative in-dustry is suff ering from brain drain. The panel will look for incentives for artists to stay in their home countries and re-fl ect on their own decision.

The symposium "Source of creativity: design and contemporary art in the Danube region" is a co-operation of Do-naubüro Ulm/Neu-Ulm, Hochschule für Kommunikation Ulm, Consultant Cultural Aff airs for Southeast Europe at Donauschwäbisches Zentralmuseum Ulm, HfG Archive Ulm, Stuttgart Media University and the academies for the

arts in Pécs (Hungary), Osijek (Croatia) and Sofi a (Bulgaria).The Hochschule für Kommunikation will also display a traveling exhibition during the festival. 53 works by 39 ar-tists from six Danube countries will be shown. The pieces span from photogra-phy and collages to paintings and video installations of highest artistic stan-dards. The project is realised by Baden-Württemberg's ministry for science, research and the arts and Consultant Cultural Aff airs for Southeast Europe at Donauschwäbisches Zentralmuseum Ulm; they are supported by the Hunga-rian cultural institute Stuttgart and Do-naubüro Ulm/Neu-Ulm.

Thomas Zehender, journalist,danube connects, Ulm

Arts and Culture

as an Economic FactorAs an international event for culture, arts and exchange the Danube Festival's aim is to foster the creative scene in the Danube countries. As part of this effort, the symposium "Source of creativity: design and contemporary art in the Danube region" will be held at Hochschule für Kommunikation on 8 July from 10 am to 5.30 pm.


Civil Society

How can we succeed in building good cooperation and a diverse, vivid ci-vil society in the Danube Region? Finding answers to this question is the purpose of the specialized confe-rence “Open Society in the Danube Region”, which is integrated into the programme of the 10th International Danube Festival Ulm/Neu-Ulm and organised by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation.

Thanks to its venue, the Edwin Scharff House, the conference is located at the centre of the Danube Festival. On the evening before the event, the exhibition “Under the Bridge” by artist Udo Eberl will be opened there. On Tuesday, July 5th, the conference participants – main-ly representatives of civil society and politics in the Danube Region – can look forward to presentations by selected in-ternational experts from various subject areas.

Dr Reinhard Johler, the main speaker, will identify similarities and diff erences within the Danube Region that he con-siders to have the potential to connect people. Johler is the scientifi c head of the Institute for Danube Swabian Histo-ry and Regional Studies in Tübingen.Anthony Soares of the Centre for Cross Border Studies in Ireland, which speci-alizes in cross-border and transnatio-nal studies, will show opportunities of confl ict management and discuss under which circumstances cooperation and a peaceful future in the Danube Region are possible.

The project Mikser House in Belgrade, presented by Ivan Lalic and Professor Dr Boris Kühnle, is a trendy example of a creative centre in the Danube Region both globally oriented and anchored in its home city and region. Based on this popular multifunctional creative location in Serbia's capital, the speakers will analyse the potential, chances and challenges of the creative scene in the Danube Region.

Professor Dr Ellen Bos has been tea-ching at Andrássy University in Buda-pest since 2004 and followed the de-velopment of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region since its beginnings. Bos will present the conditions for cross-border cooperation.

In the afternoon, a so-called world café will call for the participants' active in-volvement. They will be asked to deve-lop and discuss common ideas and fi nd their own strategies for problem resolu-tion. A qualifi ed moderator will guide the participants during debates in small changing groups. In those groups, they will exchange their knowledge and in-terdisciplinary experiences, make or deepen contacts and networks and dis-cover common solutions. The issue of funding projects will also be given en-ough space.

The event will take place within the framework of the Baden-Württemberg Foundation's programme “Perspective Danube: Education, Culture and Civil Society” and is organised in coopera-tion with the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg, the Bavarian State Chan-

cellery and the Danube Offi ce Ulm/Neu-Ulm. During the fi nal panel, participants can discuss the conference results with Dr Beate Merk (Bavarian Minister for European Aff airs), Gisela Erler (State Councillor for Civil Society and Citizen Participation in the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg) .

Doris Orgonas,Manager of Culture

Exchange, Cooperation, Networking: Towards an Open Society in the Danube Region

Christoph Dahl, Head ofBaden-Württemberg Stiftung

„ I expect a lot of creativity, new ideas and especially hands-on recommendations from those who know the Danube Region best – the people whose projects we fund. "


The car gives its characteristic buzz when my guide Neno starts the engine. We go on a Beograd adventure and I am excited to see the capital of Serbia and former capital of Yugoslavia from the perspective of a Fićo.

Fićo, also called Fića in Serbia and Fićek in Crioatia and Slovenia, is the nickname of the models 600 and 750 by the Yugoslav company Zastava. It is a licensed reproduction of Fiat 600 and, similar to VW Beetle in Germany, was soon popular with the population of Yugoslavia. It was fi rst introduced in 1955, however, the model that is so well-known today is that built between 1968 and 1985. "One of its assets surely was its price," says Peđa Milosavljević, president of Beograd's association of Fićo drivers (Beogradsko Udruženje Fićista – BUF). "The Fićo was the fi rst car of many Yugoslavs. It brought them to their families and relatives, drove them on holiday within and outside the country. They picked up their fi rst love in it, drove to weddings and funerals in it. And a fi ćo stayed in the family, was given from one generation to the next."

It has gotten dark already. I am surprised how comfor-table and spacious the Fićo is. Whenever we stop at a red light, people are coming to our window, waving and taking pictures. Even traffi c policemen are glancing happily at the little bubble car. "Every day driving the Fićo through Beograd is a dream come true. Every drive is a good deed for my fellow ci-tizens," says Neno cheekily. When we get out of the car in the city centre, I am sad to leave it behind. We head towards Skadarlija, the bohemian quarter in the historic old town. With its restaurants and music it is reminiscent of Monmar-tre in Paris. "Where are you from?", the harmonica player Marko asks. "From Sarajevo," I reply. "Aaaaaahhh, then we gipsies will play a nice Sevdalinke for you!" He smiles at me and says: "You have not been brought up in the Balkan, right?" I nod. "For us, gipsy music is not a bad word, don't worry." He winks at me and his band begins an old Bosnian song.

The next day I wake up in a good mood. We are going on a tour of the town. "Let's see how far it'll take us." This is not an afterthought, sometimes the Fićo just stops. But this is not too big a problem for a Fićo driver. "It's very compact and clearly arranged. No su-perfl uous electronics, no unnecessary gadgets. If something is broken, I can usually fi x it on the spot." On our tour, the car only stops once and, indeed, it is fi xed quickly.

We drive to the House of Flowers, visit Tito's grave in the posh district Dedinje and again, we seem to travel into the past. The villa was built in 1975 and is spacious and bright. However, it is slowly deteriora-ting. One wall shows a fi gure of how visitor numbers have changed over the last decades. During the Balkan Wars 25 years ago and afterwards, it has been a constant number of zero. In the last couple of years, more and more people are visiting. The Fićo is also part of that nostalgia. "We were used to peace and wealth in Yugoslavia. Then came the Balkan Wars. It's not surprising that people associate the car with a time when they were happy and untrou-bled," Peđa Milosavljević explains and adds: "The Fićo shows us clearly how stupid we have been 25 years ago."

Fico ´If you want to travel in time in Serbia's capital Beograd, explore it in a Fi�o. The legendary Yugoslav car is seeing a revival and is at least as popular in the countries of former Yugoslavia today than it was in Tito's days.

Travel


Now we are heading for Neno's favou-rite place, the car museum of Beograd. It is an insider tip. Founded by car coll-ector Bratislav Petković, is displays around 100 objects from different times and is located in Beograd's oldest gara-ge. Of course, it shows a Fićo, too. "But this one isn't as nice a mine," Neno em-phasises.

Afterwards, we drive to Tesla Museum, which is located in the city centre in a beautiful villa from 1929. Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) was tall and lean, as a suit in the exhibition shows. The name of the ingenious inventor, physicist and engineer is nowadays the name of a game-changing American e-car.

As a last stop, we head for the splen-did main street Knez Mihajlova. The buildings along the street were built in the late 19th and early 20th century. "Do you see the fountain over there? It has the same significance your fountain in Sarajevo has! If you drink from it once, you will always come back to Beograd," Neno explains. I drink from it - more than once.

The last day of my visit is dedicated to the Danube city's waters. Our first des-tination is Ada Ciganlija, an island on the south side of the Sava, which flows into the Danube in Beograd. Broad be-aches attract sun worshippers. We rent bicycles and ride along the water. From Kalemegdan Citadel a beautiful view of both rivers and their merging unfolds.

We are spending the last hours of our trip in a cafe in a historic building. Neno uses the Fićo as a metaphor for life itself: "Driving a Fićo is close to the essence of life. It either brings you for-ward, or it stops. Just as our lives. You fall down and get up again." I nod and smile. As I have learned, a Fićo is easily fixed and continues on its way. Just as life itself.

Mirella Sidro, journalist, danube connects

– a Car as a Metaphor for Life

On the streets of Belgrade: our author Mirella Sidro as passenger in Neno’s Fićowww.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Ki83gX1Nw

Contact to Neno: [email protected]

Travel


The Roman Emperors and Danube Wine Route spreads through four countries – Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania – encompassing 20 ar-chaeologic sites and 12 wine regions. Located in the middle and lower Da-nube region, the Roman Emperors and Danube Wine Route is a part of the European network of cultural routes.

Visitors will easily discover the great value of the sites along the most exci-ting and second longest European river. You can try the overwhelmingly beauti-ful long-distance experience of crossing the entire area from the Adriatic Sea to the Danube Delta (the Black Sea), or you can spend your holidays discove-ring only parts of the Route – it’s up to you.

Whether you’re hiking, driving, cycling, travelling by boat or train, or combining the lot, the cross-border journey along the ancient Roman Danube Limes will reveal the outstanding natural beauty of the river Danube and hidden historic and archeological treasures, still mostly

unknown in the western and northern Europe - some of the archeological sites have been discovered, excavated and scientifically researched only recently, during the last two decades. You will be amazed by the abundance and quality of evidence of ancient Roman presence in this part of Europe.

Viticulture here is over two thousand years old. The wines produced in the region were among the best in Euro-pe in the 19th century. Vineyards will keep beckoning you to come and taste local dishes and wines along the way.

Wine tasting is offered in perfectly re-stored and modernized wineries, many of them boasting hundreds of years of grape growing tradition. Definitely ta-ste the big brands but never forget the small, family-run wine cellars – they are an experience in itself! Local and regio-nal food and wine will convince even the most skeptical gourmets and wine enthusiasts.

If you are still not convinced, consider the unbeatable hospitality and friend-liness of the people living along the Route. So, pack up, come and enjoy our Route and take home unforgettable me-mories.

published by theDanube Competence Center, Belgrade

Explore the Roman Emperors and Danube Wine Route

The Danube Competence Centre (DCC) contributes to the development of su-stainable tourism in the Danube region through advocacy at regional, national and European level. It is initiating and im-plementing relevant tourism development activities, marketing tourism services and products of high quality and promoting the mutual interests of its members. Fur-thermore it successfully cooperates with 70 members. These are directly engaged

in the everyday work of the DCC , which includes the National Tourism Organiza-tions of several countries as well as na-ture protecting organsiations, like ICPDR (International Commission for Protection of the Danube River), DanubePARKS, ECF (European Cyclist Federation) but also with community based business and or-ganizations, such as family wineries, pen-sions, info centers, NGOs.

Touristic projects of Danube Competence Center

Travel


The Lord's Prayer says"Give us today our daily bread...". Nowadays we of-ten take bread for granted. Especially in Europe it is, however, more than a food product. That's why pedago-gue Carmen Stadelhofer from ILEU e.V. Ulm wanted to dedicate part of the project "Tastes of Danube. Bread, Herbs, Wine" to bread. "We were loo-king for a topic that was both interge-nerationally and culturally appealing and that would allow everyone intere-sted to participate. That's how we de-cided on "Bread, Wine, Herbs". Bread is highly important in Europe and part of our staple foods. It was central in religious rites and many cultural tradi-tions," she explains.

With its 2900km the Danube is Europe's second longest stream and connects east and west. The region is a Mecca of diff erent cultures which, unfortunately, rarely communicate with each other. "The iron curtain led us to believe that 'those others' were diff erent from us. On both sides there were stories of how bad the other sys-tem, capitalism or socialism, was. The project allows us to see that we have been connected for centuries. This be-comes apparent through the example of bread, the fi rst staple food in all of the countries. We want to emphasise that there is great diversity

and individuality in the Danube regi-on, but that there is lots of mutuality as well. In Bulgaria and Romania, for example, there is a bread festival for certain saints or villages. We are ex-ploring traditions that are new to us," Stadelhofer elaborates.

The project is also intended to deepen the co-operation between the coun-tries and to create personal encoun-ters within a peaceful Danube region. It was launched in January 2016 and unites participants from the areas of education, culture, environmentalism, schools and universities. People of dif-ferent ages and ethnicities from twelve Danube countries take part in the so-cial project. For example, bakery ap-prentices from Ferdinand-von-Stein-beis-Schule Ulm have prepared dough for the project. This initial dough was shipped to all participants along the Danube who added ingredients, such as herbs, typical for their region and processed it traditionally. Thus, a ver-satile culinary tie of friendship was created along the blue lifeline that also relates to the long cultures of each of the countries. And how do you counter stereotypes eff ectively? With a drink and good food! That is why a Danu-be Breakfast will be held as part of the project on 10 July on Ulm's Herdbrü-cke to give the participants from all

over Europe the opportunity to get to know the various types of bread. “On a personal level I would hope tha-our project makes a small contribution to a peaceful Europe”, Stadelhofer ex-plains.

Mirella Sidro, Journalistin danube connects

www.tastes-of-danube.euconference.tastes-of-danube.eu

Together with various partners along the Danube, pedagogue Carmen Sta-delhofer from the Institute for virtual and face-to-face learning in adult education at Ulm University (ILEU) e.V. and Danube-Networkers for Europe (DANET) e.V. have initiated the project "Tastes of Danube. Bread, Wine, Herbs" that connects cultures from western and eastern Europe along the Danube.

The Taste of Friendship Civil Society


One horse-drawn carriage after another is turning into the cobbled street to-wards Viscri’s fortified church that sets off beautifully against the wide-span-ning green hills. Just as village’s historic centre, the church is one of Romania’s UNESCO heritage sites. Entering Viscri is like time travel to the middle ages but it is also a model village for doing things

differently: no beggars and no discrimi-nation of Roma can be found here. The coachman and the woman knitting at the roadside are on par with each other. “Almost all children here go to school, which is very different from other vil-lages,” Tina Bing announces happily. Together with Annette Schorb – both of them German “dropouts” who have come here on the quest for a simpler life – Bing is working with socially dis-advantaged people. When they started, things were very different in Viscri. To-day however, initial projects like a street school or meals for the poor seem out-dated.

Since the fall of communism, approx. 70% of Viscri’s inhabitants are Roma. Due to the lack of job and educational opportunities and the missing transport connection, many of them are stuck in a vicious circle of poverty – or leave for the West. However, Viscri is an excep-tion. “Indeed, it has to be emphasised

how attached people here are to their region,” says Tina Bing. “Most of them would give a lot to be able to stay here!” Change in Viscri is a slow progress of many small steps, not a perfect so-lution. Annette Schorb explains how everything started 15 years ago, with a pair of socks made from unravelled pul-lover yarn given in exchange for food. Today, an association of 80 women is knitting and felting. They are creating socks, caps, hats, and colourful slippers from natural wool to be sold in a small shop behind the church or to be sent to Germany. For many of the women and their families this is the only source of income.

Support for the project from GermanySince 2007, the project is supported by InSoPro, an association from Stegen in Germany. “I don’t know if it was by chance or fate, but I arrived just in time as the founders of ‘Viscri Incepe’, Maria and Harald Rise, went back to Germa-ny,” Gabriele Gottschall, who heads the association, remembers. Thanks to her, the project “Good things from Viscri” received a grant from Baden Württem-berg Foundation. Now, they want to expand and stabilise sales through a web-platform and marketing, and form networks with projects in other villages, such as in Stejarisu where people have now been felting for a year as well. “We are very open for connections, even if it is with potential competitors,” says Tina Bing. The women of “Viscri Incepe” have learned that they are stronger if they work together: Ungrudgingly, they have taught others how to felt. Clan-like thinking has been replaced by a new sense of community. “The most impor-tant thing is for the women to learn how to be self dependent,” Anette Schorb emphasises. They attend courses on

Knitting, felting and their potential for synergies: Viscri as a model in the fight against poverty

Felt Slippers for a Better Future

Roma project

Purely handmade products from Viscri: a new perspective for jobs


marketing, communication and organi-sation. Synergies are created with youth work, homework mentoring or commu-nal school transport. The community has even employed a nurse who makes daily house calls. What makes the in-itiative special is its broad range of of-fers and the emerging networking with other villages. For example, a group working with handicapped youths will soon cooperate with a partner organisa-tion in Cobor and a self-help group in Daisoara. “What’s very unique is that

we don’t have a separate Roma-pro-ject,” Tina Bing explains.Lots of visitors have come to the open day at the historic spinning mill. The rain has transformed the street into a muddy path and the visitors are crow-ding into the mill’s courtyard which is today used as a youth centre and a meeting place for the women. One girl is giving a felting demonstration while another is presenting the new storage

room. Only judging from the façade, one might merely see poverty. When looking into people’s eyes, however, Viscari is full of pride, joy and hope!

Nina May, journalist, Bucharest

Step by step in felted shoes: the business of the Roma women is growing. If you are interested in purchasing

or distributing products from Viscri, please visit: www.viscri.de

or [email protected],

Roma project


The students explored Ulm, Regens-burg, Plzen, Linz, Vienna, Bratisla-va, Budapest, Pécs, Maribor, Zagreb, Osijek, Novi Sad, Beograd and Timisoa-ra. The project resulted in a book and an app which can be used tourist guides - but that they are more than that! The main intention of the project was to put a spotlight on local artists who are highly profi cient in their authentic line of work, but are not able to make a li-ving out of it.

From Idea to ExplorationLecturers from Stuttgart Media Uni-versity started the project and gathered students who had shown interest in art, but also a curiosity and enthusiasm towards adventure and exploration. Working in pairs, students visited ci-

ties, explored their hidden nooks and alternative underground locations. Still unknown to most people, these hidden gems were the real treasury of the whole region. Now, artistic loca-tions, cafés and artists are within reach to everyone, whether they would like to visit a conceptual café with plen-ty of books in Bratislava, a gallery in Regensburg or underground clubs in Timisoara. All of this is now available in an application which can be used as both tourist guide and notebook.It was a challenge for many of the students to dive into the unknown. Jessica Turk, a student from Stuttgart, visited Maribor in Slovenia. Getting there was diffi cult, she said, considering Maribor is already well known for its cultural heritage.“The most diffi cult task was to defi ne

what we really wanted to fi nd. What is creativity exactly? I went to Maribor, but I had no clue what I would fi nd the-re. We got to know a cultural scene that was so diff erent from that in Germany.] It was diffi cult to put all of the twelve people we met and places we visited into a single short report. The most im-portant thing the project has taught me is how to be more organised," Jess ex-plained.

Tanja Veber, who went on “Mission Ti-misoara”, had a more challenging task, since Timisoara’s alternative scene is more demanding and hidden. “It was kind of scary, to be honest. We didn't know the country's language, culture or mentality, and were suppo-sed to speak with locals about their hid-

Creative Industries

A number of students from Osijek, Croatia, and Stuttgart, Germany, have worked together for a year, visited 40 locations in 14 cities, and met many creative people. They travelled into the cities and discovered a whole new world of exciting artistic places and coffee shops. This journey was part of the one-year project “Crea-tive Danube” which aimed to promote creative industries of small artistic districts in cities connected by the Danube. The project was supported by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation and it's fi nal presentation was held in Beograd's Mikser House.

Creative Danube:

Future still undiscovered


den creative artistic places. It was a gre-at test-run for being a real journalist”, Tanja elaborated. Ivona Maršić from Osijek also was one of the project participants. She was loo-king for unusual and artistic places in Bratislava and, though the city was one of the better-known destinations, disco-vered was more than she expected. “I realized that people who live and work in Bratislava are the best source to fi nd out how everything works around here and where to fi nd those cozy corners. For me, the designer Dana Kleinert was most helpful. She showed me “The Bridge”, a place where Slovak artists gather to search for inspiration. And there is Gorilla café, a great mix of coff ee shop, library and book store," Ivona said.

Future of the Creative IndustriesBesides tourism the project focused on the developing creative industries in cities of the Danube region. The initia-tors of the project from Stuttgart Media University realised the signifi cance of small creative districts and artists who make art that is still aff ordable but not suffi ciently visible in public. The keynote at the fi nal meeting was held by Sanda Šimić, assistant to the Di-rector of Serbia’s European Integration Offi ce, who is in charge of cross-border and transnational co-operation pro-jects. She explained why it is high time to realise projects in the cultural sector. Although there are already 300 similar projects in Serbia, she admitted at the beginning of her talk that she had her-self not known the concept of "creative industries”.

“I have a confession to make! I had never heard of the concept of creative industry before, until I came here and discussed it with the professors from Stuttgart. I would encourage you to use the next application phase for IPA funds for trans-national cooperation in the region. I can announce that one try-out between Serbia and Croatia will begin soon," said Šimić.

As Iva Nenadić, one of the organizers at Mikser House, said, the meeting was not only about the presentations, but a chance for the participants to develop ideas for further projects.“This meetup is the last stage of Cre-ative Danube, but it’s not the end. Beograd's artists who are gathered here can continue their cooperation. The book and the app are all about the stories of the cities and artists as percei-ved by the students. They travelled all around the region and they have writ-ten their reports. They found people who do something diff erent, and places far beyond the usual”, said Iva.

Professor Boris Kühnle from Stuttgart Media University said that students who participated in this creative explo-ration of Danube cities had the specifi c task to identify places with economic-al potential. Therefore, he believes, the project was important for increasing public visibility of those places and people.

"Creative Danube is an opportunity, for those who live in Beograd, to discover their creative quarters and places and local artist. The project has contributed to many discoveries.”, Kühnle said.

“Creative Danube – place to see, place to be” was a fi rst project to deal with the small bout existential problems of the cultural scene. It connected young peo-ple and exceptional artists, uncovered unusual place and presented it to the public. Thanks to the eff ort of curious students and their mentors, alternative culture has become more visibility and gained a chance for economical sustai-nability.

Nataša Šaru, journalist, Novi Sad

Creative Industries

Prof. Kühnle and Iva Nenadic with the project "Creative Danube" at Mikser-House, Belgrade.


The water makes its way over the broad fi elds and nature takes the space it needs. Birds are gliding over the wetlands and entire fl ocks are sitting in the trees. Standing here, one can see and feel fl ora and fauna taking a breath and replenishing their powers.

Around the Slavonian village of Kopačevo, where the Drava meets the Danube, Kopački Rit (wetlands of Kopač) can be found with its wetlands, woods and fl oodplains. The region has been preserved in its original state by continuous fl oods. As part of the larger biosphere reserve Mur-Drava-Danube it is known as “Europe’s Amazon” and under statutory protection: 23,000 ha in size, the national park has been pro-tected under the Ramsar Convention since 1993 and was nominated as a UN-ESCO natural heritage site in 1999. Within the park a zoological reserve of 7,700 ha was created in which any hu-man intervention is prohibited; even experts only enter the area twice a year. Due to this protection, the wetlands

have a rich fauna with more than 2,000 species. Most astonishing is the diver-sity of birds: Experts have registered 300 diff erent species, among them rare ones such as the white-tailed eagle, the wood ibis or the white-eyed pochard. The park is an important refuge for mi-gratory birds who rest and feed up the-re. At the same time, the wetlands hold more than 55 diff erent fi sh species such as the rare sturgeon. Beavers and ot-ters can be found at the waters and the woods are populated by deer, wildcats and grey wolves. While the Danube’s wetlands shows many riverside forests and white willows, the Drava attracts softwoods and the northern part of the park around Tikveš Castle hardwoods.

Tours on Foot, Water and BicycleAt the entrance to the national park a visitor centre can be found. In 2015 a system of plank paths was added on which visitors can walk directly over the water. From this starting point one can embark on guided tours on foot,

boat or canoe. The centre also off ers mixed tours on land and water. The wetlands are located along two interna-tional bicycle trails (“Pannonian Peace” and “Danube Route”) and can be explo-red by bike. Furthermore, hunting- and fi shing-permits can be obtained for spe-cifi c areas. Despite a large tradition, commercial fi -shing is generally forbidden. Kopačevo was founded as a fi shermen’s village in the 13th century. Even during the Otto-man Invasion its inhabitants have been living on fi shery. Only the straightening of the river in the 19th century and the foundation of the national park in 1967 limited fi shing. In 1982, it was generally prohibited. Today, the locals depend on vegetable cultivation and tourism. Sin-ce 1998 the former tradition is honoured with the “Kopačevo Fishing Days”. Every year in September the gastrono-

“Europe’s Amazon”

On the nature trails visitors can explore the

Kopacki rit close to the water without getting

their feet wet.

´

Croatia is famous for its lush nature and abundance of water which has been under statu-tory protection since 1891. One of the most beautiful and interesting regions is the national park Kopacki Rit, one of Europe’s largest wetland habitats in the tri-state-area of Croatia, Hungary and Serbia.

´


mic festival offers local delicacies such as fish goulash or grilled fish. In 2012, a petition against a Croatian government project signed by over 20,000 people was an enormous vic-tory of environmentalists. According to activists the Croatian Department of Environment had planned on straightening the river along the Cro-atian-Serbian boarder which would have endangered the damageable con-nection between the wetlands and the Danube. Thanks to the continuous in-ternational protest, the ministry aban-doned its plans in spring 2014.

Cross-border Co-operation – Towards an “International Park”?Located only 25km from the Hun-garian border, experts consider the wetlands a “natural continuation” of the Hungarian national park Duna-Dráva. The wetlands span across a larger area to Hungary and even the Serbian natural reserve Gornje Podu-navlje (“Upper Danubian Lowland”). Nevertheless, it does not form a con-tinuous protected area. As Part of the European Co-operation Programme “Instrument for Pre-Accession Assi-stance” (IPA) 2008-2013, a Hungarian-Croatian sub-programme tackled this issue. Joint projects were implemen-ted in the areas of environmentalism, (eco-) tourism, infrastructure, and also worked on the clearance of land mines that still remain on both sides of the border after the Yugoslav Wars.

The bicycle-trail project “Greenway Baranya” covers a 247km long tour from Osijek through the national park and alongside the Danube via Pécs to Bakonya and from September 2014 to November 2015 a cross-border envi-ronmental projects worked on develo-ping the biosphere reserve Mur-Dra-va-Danube, which the national park is

a part of. Six Croatian Župas and the Hungarian administration of the nati-onal park Danube-Drava co-operated on the project. The budget of 930,000 Euro (791,000 Euro of which were EU grants) were used on the rehabilitation of the landscape, on building a moni-toring system and creating new facili-ties as well as sites for ecotourism.The migratory birds seem to have had a cross-border approach all along: the migration line, mapped by the Inter-national Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources spans across the national park Duna-Dráva, Kopački Rit in Croatioa and Gornje Podunavlje in Serbia.

Daniel Hirsch, journalistBudapest

More than 23000 hectares of flooded land are serving

as livelihood of numerous animal and plant species.

Accommodation:

A well-known booking platform shows a number of 40 accommo-dations around Kopacki Rit, among them the 4-star-hotels “Hotel Osijek” (175 Euro/night) and “Apartman Cesarc” (87 Euro) in Osijekt, “Hotel Lug” in Bilje (47 Euro), or “Apartment Vunica” (65 Euro) and “B&B Majhen” (75 Euro) in Kopacevo.

Bicycle rental:

For the exploration of the park on one of the many bicycle trails, the national park’s visitor centre offers bicycles at a fee of approx. 10 Kuna/hour. Several trail maps are availa-ble as well.

Nature

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danube connects – the magazine for the danube countries, 1/2016

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