The route is 3,500 kilometres long and passes through Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. It encompasses 20 archeological sites related to the lives of 17 Roman emperors and 12 wine regions, a member of the project expert committee, Vlasta Klaric, told a press conference on Thursday.
Each country has selected five most significant localities, with even more selected in Croatia, including the Varazdinske Toplice mineral springs - Aquae Iasae, Scitarjevo - Andautonija, Pula and the Brijuni National Park, Split (Diocletian's Palace) and Solin, Zadar and Nin, Vid - Narona and the Ilok and Baranja vineyards.
Klaric explained that cultural routes were a tourism product with great potential, noting that Germany alone has 20 million people in search of sophisticated content, inspiration, contemplation, creativity and finally, responsibility toward the local community. This is an effort to attract a new category of tourists, she said.
The project was welcomed by the director of the Narona Archeological Museum, Tony Glucina, who underscored that even though the locality was far away from the Danube, its inclusion in the network was more than justified because Narona had been a very important site in the Roman Empire and was expected to be one of the most significant destinations along the route.
The Roman Emperors' Route and relevant localities will be promoted within the framework of the European Institute of Cultural Routes as one of 33 cultural routes selected by the Council of Europe and it will be highlighted in an appropriate brochure and promoted at all of the Institute's events.
The project was developed with the assistance of the Tourism Ministry as part of the European Commission's transnational cooperation in developing European cultural routes in cooperation with Romania and Bulgaria and the Danube Competency Centre from Serbia as the project leader.