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A guide for the Lower Danube, and more notably focusing on the old border of the Roman Empire will be luring tourists to explore the rich heritage of this part of Europe. The project has been launched by the museum of history in the Bulgarian Danube city of Rouse and has been selected in a tender of the American Research Center, America for Bulgaria Foundation and The Field Museum – Chicago. It will get implemented this and next year and tts core activities have to do with mapping the sites along the Danube limes. An education module has also been planned and the development of a game based on a search for artifacts. The project is linked to the objectives of the International Limes Congress in Roman Archeology held in Bulgaria last year. It seeks to expand knowledge about the River Danube and the Roman Limes so that a few archeological sites could be incorporated in tourist destinations thus bringing benefits to the local communities. Associate Prof. Nikolay Nenov, CEO of the Regional Museum of History in Rouse, says more about the project:
“The strongholds along the River Danube in fact delineate the Roman Limes. Over time they have been accepted by new generations and today they more or less coincide with contemporary Bulgarian towns. The City of Rouse has such a fortress, Sexaginta Prista. The Roman polis Nove was very close to the present-day town of Svishtov. The town of Silistra lies over the ruins of the ancient city of Durostorum, and a stronghold is found not far from the town of Tutrakan. This section of the Lower Danube is of great importance because it has been thoroughly researched and the strongholds are found in urban contexts meaning easy access of tourists to this part of the heritage of the Bulgarian lands. For example the Jatrus Fortress at the delta of the River Jantra has been researched for forty years already by Bulgarian and German teams and we hope to see keen interest from tourists too. There are many unknown locations along the Danube and it is important to place them on Bulgaria’s tourist map. The Museum in Rouse jointly with the Municipality and with partners from Austria and Germany, is working to provide an opportunity to all visitors and travelers close to the river to use a special software that can be obtained free of charge on a smart phone device. If they direct a smart phone to the ruins of a stronghold tourists will be able to see it on their phones. This new guide will describe old fortresses and historical localities. And the presence of visitors in them will act as a kind of prevention against treasure looters and other criminals. In the meantime we will present the traditional food along the Lower Danube given that some villages in that region have strong fishermen colonies. We will also try some recipes from Roman times, the way they have been preserved in military camps. It was very simple food but its ingredients are suggestive of how the Mediterranean diet had certain influence here. The towns of Oryahovo and Tutrakan are known for their strong traditions in fishing and boat-building. We are also working on a project focused on museum education. Under it we will release a book with an instructive value targeted at teenagers. Our purpose is to show clearly and convincingly that the museum is a worthy place to visit more than once in a lifetime.”
