Pigeon railway participates in EstLat programme project "Industrial heritage"

 
Project name: Revival of Industrial heritage for tourism development
Short name of project: Industrial Heritage
Programme: Interreg Estonia- Latvia, 2nd priority Clean and valued living environment

Project objective:

is to revive industrial heritage for the tourism development through:

• Awareness raising about the industrial heritage value and importance in diversification of tourism offer in our regions;
• Establishing the cooperation network among  tourism related stakeholders of the  industrial heritage in Latvia and Estonia and building the bridge with European Network of Industrial heritage;
• Development and improvement of industrial heritage sites according to the nowadays visitors’ needs and expectations - in a live, attractive way both - with entertainment and education elements;
• Combining the sites into joint  industrial heritage route and promoting among the local and foreign target markets

Project results:

In total 26 industrial heritage sites shall have improvements and will develop tourism products:
1) Mills and hydroelectric power stations - 5 sites that show and demonstrate, how energy was produced historically and how it was used to produce products f.e. flour. Tourists are attracted by authentic machinery, preserved buildings, locally made products.
2) Old manufacturing sites - These sites are former factories of industrial era (19th /20th century), that attracts visitors by enabling them to explore production process, to participate in workshops, buy the products. Project unites 9 sites - the one, which still have ongoing production, and the one, which serve only for tourism purposes and offer to explore industrial heritage history.
3) Railway heritage - Railway history in Latvia and Estonia is dated back in to 19th century. It completely changed concepts of overland traffic and considerably encouraged the development of manufacturing. Impressive railway stations, railwaymen's dwelling houses and other civil engineering structures prove the significance of the railway lines of those times. Project involves 5 sites related to this thematic of industrial heritage.
4) Lighthouses are landmarks of the coastline, and important industrial heritage, because of the ways they were manufactured. More and more lighthouses are turned to tourism sites, open for visitors to see marine and coastline landscape and learn about navigation. 4 sites are involved in project.
5) Water towers - nowadays watertowers are witnesses of former water-supply systems and may satisfy curious visitors - they can serve as watching towers, meanwhile offering for visitors also explanation, how water supply was ensured to the area's households. In the project 3 water towers are included with the tourism product development activities.
 
Marketing activities:
are aimed to provide greater awareness about the whole region and to increase number of visitors. The approach of content marketing is selected - everything begins from awareness, then visitations and finally good emotion - fresh stories, photos, creative map and image guide, virtual tour, Weekend tours, joint marketing networking activities and prmotional tours for mass media will be implemented.

Project partners:
1. Kurzeme planning region /project lead partner/
2. Rīga planning region
3. NGO West-Estonia Tourism
4. Vidzeme planning region
5. Foundation South-Estonian Tourism
6. NGO Alatskivi nature center
7. NGO Altveski
8. AS Räpina paper factory
9. AS Generaator
10. NGO Hellenurmes watermill museum
11. LTD Limbažu tīne
12. Jaunpils Municipality Council
13. Ķekava County local government
14. LTD Saule Bīriņu pils
15. LTD Rideļu dzirnavas
16. Freeport of Ventspils authority
17. NGO "Airītes stacija"
18. Aizputes municipality council
19. Kuldīgas municipality council
20. LTD Vilnas fabrika
21. Līgatnes municipality council
22. LTD Ķoņu dzirnavas
23. Kocēnu municipality council
24. LTD Gulbenes – Alūksnes bānītis
25. Lääne-Nigula administration
26. Estonian Lighthouse Society
27. LTD Limex
28. Foundation Haapsalu and Laanemaa museums
29. NGO Estonia Peat  museum
30. Pöide municipality

Riga planning region tourism objects involved in the project:

Rideļi mill built in 1863 was restored in 1996. In the result of the project, the Rideļi mill will develop an interactive programme for children, pupils and families to learn and participate in the workshops facilitated by the miller. During the visit the film will be demonstrated  how grain is turned into flour, visitors will see different stages of grain grinding and will participate in pancake cooking in authentic environment. The project will add on attractiveness and interactivity of the visit: video film to visualize the process, different type of grain growing, harvesting, etc; improving the quality of exposition (signs about objects, signs to orientate in the mill, lightning, parts to restore equipment (renovation of nets), sanitary point, renovation of floor and wall painting.

Jaunpils mill was built in 1791. Its complete set of watermill’s equipment and  hydro technical constructions located close to Jaunpils medieval castle -  a magnet of tourists attraction in the area. Within the framework of the project the mill equipment will be reinstalled to involve the mill visitors in educational and attractive workshops of grain grinding process and joint cooking of meals from historic recipes (pancakes, porridge and dumplings).

The wool processing factory Limbažu tīne was established on the basis of Limbažu filcs in 1876. Nowadays, wool and linen processing on historic equipment with traditional technologies is operating and run as business. The result of the project activities: all mobile/rotating parts are sepratated form the visitors’ area thus offering visitors safe access to observe and acknowledge with the production process of yarn and different woolen products on historic machinery.

Baloži peat museum railway - an area where peat extraction plant was established in 1947 with extensive narrow gauge (750 mm) railway network to transport peat from fields to the near built factory, and further to the Baloži station (broad gauge railway line Rīga-Jelgava). This project will help to develop all necessary infrastructure and equipment for the guided tours – establishment of the mini-exhibition, production of historical uniforms for the guides, preparation of visual materials, and most importantly – will increase the capacity of the train – by building an open-air passenger carriage. An interactive guided tour will be provided for the visitors of the railway, which will include a ride with the train from the peat factory area till the peat field, with trained guides introducing the visitor with the world of swamps and peat – educating on history of swamp forming, telling the story of peat extraction from first peat bricks dug out of swamp.

Bīriņi Manor Water tower (built in 1870) - is part of the manor building complex. A poligonal three-storey tower-shaped building with a single-storey extension - a pumping station. The project will result in restored wind rotor/turbine of water tower to restore original look and functionality of the tower, tower entrance will be improved to ensure safe access to tower and model of the water tower to demonstrate principles of hydraulics for water pumping using wind power will be developed to demonstrate to visitors.

Project total partners budget:
1 149 470 EUR (Ķekava County local government 30 000 EUR)
Project duration:
01.05.2017 - 30.04.2019

Project coordinator in Riga planning region: Jana Briede, e-mail: , tel: +371 26558085