The Via Regia, a diagonal road across Europe, has been a major axis of communication linking Eastern and Western Europe for centuries. The ambitious revival project of this historical road was introduced in March 2005 with the name “Major Cultural Route of the Council of Europe.”

Many different partners across Europe – associations, territorial groups and tourist organisations - work together on the project in the aim of formalising the network and developing united action.

the via regia, a diagonal from east to west

The VIA REGIA is the longest and oldest road link between the East and West of Europe. It crosses Spain, France, Belgium, Germany and Poland and leads to Ukraine, linking many towns and places from Santiago de Compostela, Bordeaux, Tours, Paris, Reims, Metz, Saarbrücken and Mainz to Brugge, Gent, Antwerpen, Frankfurt/Main, Erfurt, Leipzig, Görlitz, Wroclaw, Krakow, L’viv and Kiev.

The ancient Via Regia near Erfurt

The entire length of the road is known as the VIA REGIA. This name originally referred to a section of the road through Germany and Poland, which was then extended further East and West. It was under royal protection and it is known in other European regions as Rue Royale, Black Road or simply Road to Frankfurt or Krakow. While the intersections and layout of the road have changed over time, the general direction has remained constant. Over the centuries the road has witnessed many of Europe’s crucial historical events and has been the main route for the transportation of goods between eastern and western Europe. Until now this road has lost none of its importance in Europe, whether it has been known as the Pan-European corridor of circulation IIIC, or the highway A4 and E40.

allowing the europeans to rediscover europe

Relic of the frontier between GDR and FRG

From the end of the 1980s onwards the Federal Republic of Germany and the Democratic Republic of Germany have been working together to create an exhibition about the VIA REGIA between Frankfurt-am-Main and Leipzig. Initiatives have multiplied since the fall of the Berlin wall and collaborations have been able to increase greatly in the West as well as in the East such as in Erfurt. In 1992 the European Centre of Culture and Information in Thuringia published a review called Via Regia. This review was dedicated to cultural cooperation. It was under this framework that the association “Via Regia – Kultur für Europa” was founded in 1998, working at the heart of the cultural route project.

Taking as a starting point the observation that, within the Europe of European Union, the majority of information regarding history, tourism, economics and journalism is more concerned with Western Europe, and that, as a greater focus is put on the East, prejudices increase and the knowledge of the citizens decreases, the project-leaders aim to make the Via Regia a way of “allowing the Europeans to rediscover Europe”.       The possibility of a sustainable development through cultural tourism constitutes a major issue in this project. Indeed, many towns, cities and villages situated in weaker areas are participating. They all have their own problems to solve. In many areas unemployment levels are continually a problem and there is an ever-increasing number of older people without jobs.

Sign of the restaurant Via Regia in Görlitz (D)

aims and fields of work

For several years the association “Via Regia – Culture for Europe” has undertaken research in collaboration with universities and researchers of all different disciplines – from history to history of art, urbanisation, archaeology, geography – focusing on the history and the layout of the Via Regia. This research is continual and involves young people and citizens, especially in the daily gathering of data. It has allowed the creation of important works emphasizing the route: a film made in 2003 and two exhibitions. The most recent, called “Via Regia 2005 – what we are, we are thanks to others” was shown in more than fifty towns in Ukraine, Poland, Germany and France. This exhibition received around 24000 visitors as it made its journey across Europe over the space of nearly four months.

The long-term objective is to promote European identity using communication and promotional tools based on the important symbolic value of the Via Regia. This aim supports the politics of the European Union. However, it is also a matter of conservation, restoration and increasing the prestige of the route. Fourteen sites and monuments along the length of the Via Regia are already registered on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. One of the main questions for the future is how to classify significant sites which symbolise not only the history of the “road” but also the history of Europe. One of the first missions for the project-leaders is the development of urban tourism and green tourism.

developing the network

Since the creation of the association Via Regia – culture for Europe, a number of structures and organisations have been formed while others which previously existed have grown to include the development of the Via Regia – whether it be one aspect or one geographical area of it. In order to develop synergy and to pool objectives and means of other organisations, and in the aim of creating a pan-European network, an international symposium was organised in 2004 for the project “ From Galice to Galicie: Via Regia – the Royal road of Europe”. 140 representatives from 54 towns in Ukraine, Poland, Germany, France, Belgium and Holland met at Erfurt and discussed a future collaboration in the following areas:

1. Exchange of information,

2. The networking of existing and anticipated projects,

3. Development of new and secondary aims,

4. The creation of structures of collaboration which are economically viable and durable.

The baroque hall of the Thuringian State chancellery. Photo Andreas Wagner, Gotha. © 2004

The association Via Regia – Culture for Europe is currently working to formalise and to extend towards the West – France and Spain – of this network as well as the creation of meeting points and activity centres along the Via Regia. Partnerships are expected with other networks of cultural routes which intersect the Via Regia such as the route of Saint Martin of Tours, a European character, the symbol of sharing, and also with the associations in charge of the paths of Santiago de Compostela.