The European Fairy Tale Route is a journey between imaginary worlds and real places, and it showcases European fairy tales, myths, folklore and oral tradition.
Croatian participants in the cultural route include Ivana's House of Fairy Tales from Ogulin and the associations Professor Balthazar and Wave of Culture from Zagreb, while the Federation of European Storytellers (FEST) is one of European partner organisations.
The European Fairy Tale Route was certified in early October, together with the Women Writers Route and the Historic Cafés Route, so there are currently 48 cultural routes certified by the Council of Europe.
The president of the association Professor Balthazar, Tatjana Jakšić, expressed satisfaction with the certification of the cultural route, saying that the association's mission was to prolong the life of Professor Balthazar and that they were convinced the route would help with that.
Professor Balthazar is a Croatian animated television series for children about an old inventor that was produced between 1967 and 1978. It was created by animator Zlatko Grgić.
Cultural routes promote the fundamental principles of the Council of Europe: human rights, democracy, cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue.
The European Fairy Tale Route was designed by the Fondazione Nazionale Carlo Collodi and it is managed by the international non-profit organisation European Fairy Tale Route Association in Collodi, Italy. It consists of a network of cultural associations, foundations and research centres dealing with fairy tales, their authors and characters, which are part of the European literary and cultural heritage.
Each route represents European values common to at least three countries, and by presenting European memory, history, heritage and identity it contributes to the interpretation of the diversity of contemporary Europe.