National Networking and Expert Meeting in Austria

On 5 November 2025, the Center for Cultural Property Protection (University for Continuing Education Krems) hosted an expert and networking meeting on Roman heritage in the Danube region. Organized within the ROMAN LEGACY project and its synergy project Roman Trails (Interreg AT-CZ), the event gathered specialists in monument preservation, tourism, research, and cultural management from across Austria. It underscored the importance of the Roman Danube Limes – part of the UNESCO World Heritage “Frontiers of the Roman Empire” – and explored the fascinating narrative of Roman presence north of the Danube.

The morning session offered in-depth perspectives on historical and archaeological contexts, from the borders of the Roman Empire and World Heritage management to interactions between Romans and Germanic tribes in today’s Lower Austria. Contributions by René Ployer (Federal Monuments Office), Christian Hemmers (Forum Donaulimes), and Stefan Groh (Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences) highlighted current challenges and future opportunities.

In the afternoon, project lead Raffaela Woller presented the ROMAN LEGACY and Roman Trails projects, which share strategic objectives: fostering sustainable cultural tourism, shaping a thematic region around Roman heritage, and developing modular branding tools. Sarah Kiszter (Universalmuseum Joanneum) reflected on the evolution of cultural routes from project concepts to real-world experiences.

Breakout sessions encouraged lively discussions on innovation, knowledge transfer, and regional cooperation, generating ideas for joint branding and communication strategies – laying the basis for a vibrant thematic region centered on Roman heritage.