European Paganini Route aims at sharing the values of the Council of Europe, especially human rights and demo- cracy. Established in many European countries, the Route helps to preserve the cultural heritage around its key figure, Niccolò Paganini, and also enhances intercultural dialogue. The places, connected in different ways, to his figure work together to promote knowledge of this unique musician and to reinforce the idea of a shared European identity in artistic, scholarly, touristic and educational projects.
EPR supports and collaborates with communities and local authorities both for the monumental heritage that many of them hold (in particular theatres), and for the intangible heritage, re-evaluating ancient know-how and, through these, the identity of the territory.
By sharing methodologies and initiatives, European citizens from different countries adhering to the Route rediscover their common European belonging, following in Paganini’s footsteps, re-evaluate their local heritage and develop it with others members of the Route’s networks, in a process of permanent intercultural dialo- gue, which sees the active participation not only of local administrations (at various regional levels), but also of the cultural world (through the involvement of bodies mana- ging theatres, museums, interpretation centers, schools of all levels, universities, and the tourism sector.
All this according to the Recommendation 929 (1981) adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 8 October 1981, in which it appears that the music, in all its forms, is an important means of human expression and also an accepted part of the cultural heritage of Europe.
The Cultural Routes Program of the Council of Europe
The Cultural Routes Program of the Council of Europe is an initiative promoted by the Council of Europe in 1987 with the aim of enhancing and promoting European cultural heritage through a series of thematic routes that connect various significant cultural destinations across the continent.
Today, there are 47 cultural routes recognized by the Council of Europe, covering diverse fields such as art, architecture, history, folk culture, religious traditions, natural environment, and more.
Projects of the Cultural Routes often involve different countries and local communities, encouraging transnational cooperation and contributing to the promotion of sustainable cultural tourism. These routes also represent a recognition of the importance of European cultural heritage and its role in building a common identity for Europe.
https://www.coe.int/en/web/cultural-routes
