Meet the Five Twinning Pairs Behind PlaceCRAFT’s Twinning Actions

Meet the Five Twinning Pairs Behind PlaceCRAFT's Twinning Actions

PlaceCRAFT's Twinning Actions connect rural communities from outside the project's five pilot regions with one of those regions, so they can learn from a real placemaking solution and, eventually, adapt it at home. Five pairings have now been confirmed, linking villages and organisations across Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria.

Kemence Municipality (Hungary) ↔ Bigăr, Iron Gates Natural Park (Romania)

Twin partner: Kemence Municipality, Hungary (represented by Mayor Pongrácz János)
Matched pilot region: Bigăr, in the Iron Gates Natural Park, Romania (led by partners EBA and UPT)
Core topics: preserving authentic rural fabric, building sustainable tourism in peripheral villages, and upgrading underused sites.

Kemence's kick-off is planned for October 2026, with on-site visits along the touristic routes of the Iron Gates Natural Park, enriched by the micro-interventions built during UPT and EBA's July Building Camp (including the one in Bigăr itself). The visit also includes a meeting with local community representatives and the mayor of Berzasca, and participation in the Czech Festival in neighbouring Eibenthal.

The main event is set for spring/summer 2027, when Kemence joins the Building Camp organised by UPT in Bigăr, before wrapping up the exchange in mid-August 2027 with a presentation of activities and lessons learned.

Bilje Municipality Tourist Board – Kopački Rit Nature Park (Croatia) ↔ Ivanovo (Bulgaria)

Twin partner: Bilje Municipality Tourist Board, in the region around Bilje, Croatia (represented by Director Senata Majić)
Matched pilot region: Ivanovo, Bulgaria (led by partners NTC-BG and IECS)
Core topics: integrated nature-culture loops, event-based tourism to reduce seasonality, and professional visitor information systems.

The detailed programme for this pairing's kick-off and main events will be announced as the exchange takes shape.

To be confirmed (Bulgaria) ↔ Belo Blato (Serbia)

Twin partner: To be confirmed, Bulgaria
Matched pilot region: Belo Blato, Serbia (led by partners PWB and RDAB)
Core topics: wetland tourism (birdwatching and eco-education), fishing and boatbuilding heritage, and riverfront placemaking.

The schedule for kick-off and follow-up events will be shared once confirmed.

NomadAKtiv Association, Jimbolia (Romania) ↔ Beli Manastir, Baranja region (Croatia)

Twin partner: NomadAKtiv Association, based in Jimbolia, Romania (represented by President Sorina Rîpa)
Matched pilot region: Beli Manastir, in the Baranja region, Croatia (led by partners BARA and NDC)
Core topics: adaptive reuse of heritage buildings, creating educational and cultural space for youth, and community ownership.

This pairing's kick-off took place in mid-September 2026, built around two strands: an art intervention — a mural inspired by local industrial heritage, painted on a kindergarten wall by students from the Academy of Arts (an associated partner) — and the development of a cultural and educational route through the Šećerana settlement, worked out together with local stakeholders. The main event, planned for April/May 2027, centres on an Art Residence, followed by a closing presentation of activities and lessons learned around late August or early September 2027.

Municipality of Nova Crnja (Serbia) ↔ Szigetzug, Ráckeve region (Hungary)

Twin partner: Municipality of Nova Crnja, Serbia (represented by Goran Lakic, Independent Advisor for Economy and Local Economic Development)
Matched pilot region: Szigetzug, in the Ráckeve region, Hungary (led by partner KÉK)
Core topics: redefining rural identity, multicultural collaboration — notably the Serbian heritage of Lórév — and mobile artistic interventions.

Nova Crnja's kick-off is scheduled for September 2026, centred on the tourism pilots taking shape in the Ráckeve region. Alongside this event, a field trip is also being organised to Kemence, in the pilot region, where the building camp and installations there have already been completed. The main event and the training/adaptation phase are planned for spring/summer and end of summer 2027 respectively, with further details to follow.