Revival of old traditional fruit, vegetable and ornamental plants and their products: Heritage Gardens Tour (Heritage Gardens)

There is an increasing interest in old horticultural plant cultivators and their products as natural and cultural heritage objects across Europe as well in Latvia and Lithuania. Potential tourists in the Program area are lost due to lack of information and lack of developed routes. Potential horticultural heritage objects are not prepared for tourists’ needs. The overall objective of the project is to increase the attractiveness and accessibility of old horticultural plant collections as cultural and natural heritage. The best experience and specific competencies of research institutes, rural tourism associations and museums from both countries will be combined for the achievement of the project aims. The target groups of the project are: the public, national and international tourism service providers, educational organizations, administrative institutions, and SMEs. During the project implementation a new tourism product – Heritage garden tour with 6 route itineraries will be developed and promoted during the exhibitions, seminars, media tours, project events. Heritage sites, that were selected and inspected by horticultural and tourism experts, include estates, manor house, memorial homesteads, Botanical gardens, private collections. The Heritage Gardens tourism product development guidelines will be prepared including practical information for horticulture tourism product and best practices from Lithuania and Latvia heritage sites.
Infrastructure of heritage orchards will be improved at horticulture research institutes in Latvia and Lithuania as well as in Kaunas region museum. New historical orchard will be planted at the Rundale Palace Museum. Both institutes planed enriched collections of heritage fruit trees, old vegetable, herb and ornamental plants.
Brochures “Heritage Gardens: cultivar catalogue” and “Obelynė History and the Present” and booklet “Ancient Latvian and Lithuanian recipes with modern twist” will be prepared giving information on natural and cultural heritage objects in Latvia and Lithuania, showing their historical value in the need for preservation of horticultural objects.