RURITAGE project by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, which will develop north of İzmir through culture, nature and tourism, continues.

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality held a meeting with women producers in highland villages in the coordination centre built in İzmir, Bergama County, Kozak Plateau, Yukarıbey District, within the scope of the efforts for “RURITAGE-Rural Regeneration through Cultural Heritage Led Systemic  Strategies” that will contribute to economic and social development of Bakırçay Basin under the HORIZON 2020 Program of European Union. Six innovative areas within the scope of the project; “faith tourism”, “rural food”, immigration”, art-festivals”, resilience” and “landscaping” and nine action plans built around these areas were shared in the meeting.
Under the faith tourism, it is planned to promote major religions centres on Selçuk-Bergama Line as the faith tourism route, creating information points and boards on stations of the İZBAN line and creating RURITAGE İzmir cycling route as a sub-route under EUROVELO.

Under “local food”, topics such as ensuring continuity of local agriculture product festivals, geo-food production, conducting literature and field studies for local food culture and branding strategies and benefiting from activities of Kozak Plateau Natural Life Village in Bergama come to the fore.

For the “art-festivals” topic of the project, it is planned to create region specific and contemporary festivals, increasing local artisan workshops such as basket weaving and raising new basket weavers.

Under “landscape” topic, efforts will be for working for six forest schools with children with cooperation with experts and positioning the region as a geopark. For this purpose, first geo-park potential of the area will be determined and application to UNESCO European Geo-Parks Network will be initiated.

Application for photography contest continues
Application to international photography contest under the scope of RURITAGE project is open. Photography enthusiasts from Turkey will participate with photographs of Bergama, Kınık and Dikili. Application deadline for the contest is October 31^st.