During the ceremony, the certificate was given to the director of the Zagreb-based Archaeological Museum, Sanjin Mihelić, who is the president of the Iron Age Danube Route Association, and Croatian Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek.
The Council of Europe decided to certify this route last year.
"The Iron Age Danube Route represents one of the most fragile, but imposingly attractive prehistoric archaeological remains: the Iron Age landscapes, characterized by monumental constructions, e.g. fortified settlements, burial mound cemeteries, flat graveyards, and complex organization of space, roughly dated to the era between the 9th century BC and the end of the 1st century BC (Hallstatt and La Tène periods)," the Council of Europe says on its web site.
"The Iron Age is also a period marked by outstanding examples of intangible heritage as well as movable heritage, presented in numerous museums and archaeological parks in the Danube region, including the most important regional and national institutions."
The Zagreb-based Archaeological Museum is the main partner in this international cultural route. The initiative has brought together 38 partners from seven countries: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary and Slovenia.
In Croatia, this route covers several archaeological sites from the northwestern area of Hrvatsko Zagorje to the Vučedol site in the east and to the island of Korčula in the south of the country.
Iron Age landscapes belong to the period between the 9th and the end of the 1st century BC.
Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe
Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (EPA) was established in 2010 and seeks to reinforce the potential of Cultural Routes for cultural cooperation, sustainable territorial development and social cohesion, with a particular focus on themes of symbolic importance for European unity, history, culture and values and the discovery of less well-known destinations.
Croatia has been an active member of EPA since 2016. Croatian partners participate in 17 cultural routes and the Iron Age Danube Route has its main offices in Zagreb.
"Over 45 Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe provide a wealth of leisure and educational activities for all citizens across Europe and beyond and are key resources for responsible tourism and sustainable development," the Council of Europe says on its web site.