From September 23–28, 2024, Vasilka Dimitrovska, Creative Director of HAEMUS, conducted an intensive training program in Durrës, Albania, as part of her project “Reviving Via Egnatia: Heritage Interpretation, Storytelling, and Gamification.” This initiative was supported by UNESCO through an individual grant she received under the Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans (CC4WBS) programme.
The training was a collaborative effort between HAEMUS and MuZEH Lab, a local partner organization and host in Durrës, Albania. It brought together heritage professionals and the local community to explore the ancient Roman road, Via Egnatia, through innovative interpretation techniques. This event was also part of the European Heritage Days celebrations, with additional support from Interpret Europe.
The programme, designed by Vasilka Dimitrovska, highlighted value-based interpretation techniques developed in collaboration with UNESCO, transforming cultural and natural heritage sites into inclusive and engaging spaces. Participants, including tourism professionals like Floria Marini from Tirana, expressed heartfelt appreciation for the actionable insights, emphasizing the transformative potential of these approaches for Albania’s tourism sector.
✅ “Reviving Via Egnatia” was funded by UNESCO through the EU-supported CC4WBS project, which fosters dialogue and strengthens the cultural and creative sectors across the Western Balkans for greater socio-economic impact.
Read the latest article in the Interpret Europe newsletter, co-authored by Vasilka Dimitrovska and Inesa Sulaj from MuZEH Lab, to discover how storytelling and interactive techniques can preserve and bring the ancient European landscape to life. The full article is available online.
To cite this article: Dimitrovska, Vasilka & Sulaj, Inesa (2024) ‘Reviving Via Egnatia: Heritage-based interpretation, storytelling and gamification’ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 3-2024, pg.22.
