5th Partners meeting & Final conference | May 2026

From 11 to 13 May 2026, partners of the COMMHERITOUR project gathered in Jászberény, Hungary, for the final partners’ meeting and Final Conference. The event marked an important milestone in the project implementation, bringing together project partners, associated strategic partners, local stakeholders and external experts to reflect on the achieved results, share experiences from pilot activities and discuss the long-term sustainability of heritage craft valorisation in the Danube Region.

The first day of the programme was dedicated to the final partners’ meeting. Hosted by the Lead Partner, the Municipality of Jászberény, the meeting opened with a management section focused on administrative and financial updates, final conclusions and the remaining steps towards the official closure of the project. The Steering Committee meeting followed, providing space for partners to align the last implementation tasks and agree on the final project timeline.

A key part of the morning session focused on thematic progress, especially the Joint HCV Strategy and Action Plan. Partners shared their experiences and discussed how the project’s results can support stronger local and regional ecosystems for heritage craft valorisation. Communication activities and the status of the HeriCraftMarket platform were presented by RERA, highlighting the platform’s role as one of the main tools for promoting traditional crafts, heritage-based products and tourism experiences beyond the project lifetime.

The meeting also included a thematic summary of the project’s main conclusions, delivered by the Knowledge Providers and the Lead Partner. The discussion reflected on the work carried out under the project’s specific objectives, including stakeholder engagement, local pilot development, action planning and the transferability of results across different Danube regions.

In the afternoon, participants visited several local places connected to Jászberény’s cultural and community life. The programme included a meeting at the Town Hall, a visit to the Jász Museum and an introduction to Roomli, the local creative hub. These visits provided partners with a better understanding of the local context and showed how cultural heritage, community initiatives and creative spaces can support local development.

An important moment of the day was the opening ceremony of the COMMHERITOUR one-month thematic exhibition. The exhibition presented selected outputs, stories and craft-related materials from the project regions, offering visitors a visual overview of the diversity of heritage crafts in the Danube Region. The day concluded with a joint evening programme at Levendulás Major, including traditional music and folk dancing.

The Final Conference took place on 13 May 2026 at Lehel Movie in Jászberény. The event opened with greetings from the Mayor of Jászberény and representatives of the Interreg Danube Region Programme and the EU Strategy for the Danube Region Priority Area 3. The introductory part of the conference presented the COMMHERITOUR project, its main activities, achieved results and sustainability perspectives.

The conference also introduced the HeriCraftMarket online platform, followed by presentations of selected local pilots. Partners presented examples from Montenegro, Romania, Slovenia and Hungary, demonstrating different approaches to craft heritage valorisation, including training a new generation of carpet weavers, presenting wool processing in an authentic museum environment, developing herbal heritage-based tourism services, and using traditional patterns for product design and brand building.

Further synergies were explored through the presentation of the People Power Tourism project, another Danube Region initiative connected to tourism, heritage and local communities. The afternoon programme included a panel discussion on heritage valorisation, local networks and the potential of craft heritage as an economic resource in the age of AI. The panel brought together experts from Slovenia, Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina, linking practical experience from craft centres, heritage institutions, tourism development and academic work.

The final part of the conference featured thematic presentations on the role of heritage-based cultural attractions in Danube Region tourism, community-based branding rooted in tradition, and the connection between heritage and modern design. These contributions underlined one of the key messages of COMMHERITOUR: traditional crafts are not only part of cultural memory, but also a living resource for communities, tourism, entrepreneurship and contemporary creative development.

The event concluded with the official closing of the conference and the project. By bringing together project results, pilot experiences, strategic discussions and the public exhibition, the final meeting in Jászberény provided a meaningful conclusion to COMMHERITOUR and opened space for further cooperation among partners and stakeholders committed to the valorisation of heritage crafts in the Danube Region.