Thousands of Europe’s small historic towns face long-term threat due to remoteness, depopulation, economic decline and changing technological/lifestyle trends. Activating their cultural heritage for their sustainable development remains a challenge for museums, businesses and administrations. As innovation is undertaken in major EU city museums and heritage sites, a lack of resources, skills and institutional backing at the municipal level often means that local museums lag behind in embracing innovation. Their services and presentations of heritage thus become static, out-dated and unattractive, while interaction with audiences remains limited and traditional.

This issue brought together 4 cultural organisations that represent small historic towns in Slovenia, Italy and Serbia and 5 sector networks as associated partners. The partners believe that presenting intangible (hi)stories of buildings, streets and markets using new digital technology, coupled with close relationships with audiences and learning among partners, can enable local administrators to take a big step towards greater town recognition. The project objective is thus to better exploit the potential of ICTs for improving the ‘digital’ attractiveness of cultural heritage and to promote interaction with ‘new digital audiences’ in small historic towns.

Though joint learning processes, local cultural teams in participating towns will develop and pilot a unique innovative approach to digital communication with their audiences and interpret the ‘tangible and intangible’ heritage of small historic towns using the ’digital Story‘ concept, which will be disseminated and later applied in other small historic towns across Europe. Only in this way will small historic towns and their cultural actors be able to step from under the shadow of large historic cities and sites. Also in this way, the project is to contribute to the revival of small historic centres. (Source: EC)