Today, in the era of rapidly expanding cities many archeological sites are under the threat of being destroyed by new infrastructure and real estate developments. Endangerment of historical sites is an irreversible process, which could potentially lead to the loss of not only significant educational resources, but also a rich cultural heritage. Thus the question arises: How can we, as professionals and as citizens, collectively protect and preserve, but also further develop and benefit from our cultural heritage?

Cities are palimpsests, representing layers of social stories, political reforms, cultural developments as well as advancement in research, technology and architecture. These fragments, overridden century by century by changing behaviour, lifestyle and values are important elements of collective memory and inform our daily, contemporary life from the way we behave in our private spaces to the decisions and actions we take in our public spheres. Cities, however, are also expanding. This process is not new, yet it is intensifying and with the rapidly increasing amount of global population there is much more pressure to provide innovative infrastructure solutions for living, housing and transport in a very short amount of time. This increasing stress creates a 'build by destruction' attitude and many of the existing urban stratas, such as archeological remains, are under the threat of being replaced by modern construction. Knowing that these ancient remnants are not only a window to the past, but also enrich the city's cultural and educational value, we must take on the responsibility of using the available tools to not only save, but also place new values on sites of cultural heritage.

One of the tools, which can be used to face this conundrum is the engagement of specialists, who can seek methods of preserving and promoting archeological sites. This strategy is currently being employed in the EU-funded Interreg-project ArcheoDanube, in which  professionals from the Danube region collaborate to enhance heritage sites. One of the participating partners is the Municipality of Centar Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The historical sites of Sarajevo are rich with objects and monuments  of immense cultural value. However, not unlike other cities, the municipality faces the urgent pressure of having to find ways in which these remains can be integrated into the continuously growing modern urban environment. The task is proving challenging due to the lack of comprehensive strategies, policies and resources, however by means of knowledge sharing within the ArcheoDanube community, the municipality and its partners jointly created the groundwork for an inner-city archeological site, which includes new tools for heritage valorisation. The purpose is to maintain heritage and boost tourism that supports the community at the same time.

Another way to protect cultural heritage is the engagement of all citizens, who inhabit the city. As mentioned before urban spaces, as well as the process of urbanisation itself, is the reflection of constantly evolving directions of human development and urban spaces often take forms, which represent the wishes of the majority. The common problem is, however, that the majority becomes the exact power that drives the exponentially growing economy and the construction of modern high-rise buildings, which more often than not dwarf the ancient archeological remains. A way to prevent this process is to attract citizens to discover and enjoy cultural heritage sites in the pursuit of evoking within them the desire to support a more controlled and sensible urban growth, one, which does not jeopardise historical sites.

In order to do that on a decentralised, wide-scale basis and involving as many potential actors as possible, many cultural and educational institutions such as museums and urban planning initiatives turn to digital methods of knowledge sharing. Creating rights to information about and to historical sites themselves through an on-screen system is efficient and has in recent years become the most popular way of communication. It is thus a logical conclusion that digital tools, which allow for more interactive and autonomous visits to archeological sites and cultural institutions, is a worthwhile outreach method, which ArcheoDanube also engages in. The project developed a mobile application called ArcheoTales. Soon available to the public on Android and iOS, it acts as a digital scavenger hunt, where users are given various site-specific tasks, allowing for a more immersive and playful touring experience. The app is currently being implemented in various regions in Europe. Besides Sarajevo, where a scavenger hunt leads users along the river Miljacka through various cultural sites, scavenger hunts are about to be implemented in Szombathely (Hungary), in Vienna (Austria), and at the archaeological outdoor park and Game-of-Thrones scenery of the Medieval town of Cherven (Bulgaria).

ArcheoTales helps users to become acquainted with a certain area in a lively and interactive manner along with being able to do it at one's own pace. This allows for a formation of new layers of associations and memories with cultural heritage sites, which in turn have a higher chance of becoming integrated within the modern-day cities.

Author: Zuzanna Zajac, Sustainication e.V.

Disclaimer: This article has been written in the framework of a Programme co-funded by European Union funds (ERDF, IPA, ENI)