From April 28 to 30, 2025, the official kick-off meeting of the Interreg Danube Region project ROMAN LEGACY took place at the University for Continuing Education Krems. The meeting was organized by the university's Center for Cultural Heritage Protection, which is also the lead partner of the project.

The project partnership consists of 19 full project partners from ten Danube countries and 35 strategic associated partners. Over the next three years, a cross-border cultural route and a thematic region covering the entire Roman Danube region are to be created, combining, among other things, the western segment of the Danube Limes (Germany, Austria, Slovakia) with the eastern section (Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania), which is currently still on the UNESCO Tentative List.

The meeting in Krems marked the start of this extensive international collaboration.

The first day of the meeting was devoted to the project partners getting to know each other personally, as they were meeting in this constellation for the first time. This initial phase was characterized by an open exchange about their respective expertise, expectations, and regional perspectives. Each partner institution also presented a local or regional tradition and a Roman site from their country and brought a small regional specialty to the meeting to create a “Danube Region Specialty Buffet” together.

In the evening, the group met for dinner in Krems-Stein to round off the day in an informal atmosphere.

The second day was more technical in nature: several meetings and presentations were held to discuss the project's objectives and work packages, as well as the methodology for cooperation, communication and management structures, and planned outputs. There was a particular focus on international cooperation and the involvement of national stakeholders during all phases of the project.

On the third day, the participants visited us in the Roman town of Carnuntum, where we gave them a warm welcome. In the Roman quarter, they gained a comprehensive insight into ancient life, including a guided tour of the reconstructed houses. Our innovative communication concept was presented to all project partners. At the same time, a public kick-off event took place, during which school classes worked together to develop creative designs for the costume of the Roman theme region's mascot. This mascot will help shape the visual identity of the cross-border cultural route in the future.