Between 13-15 September 2022, the Municipality of Veszprém hosted the international team of the ISTER project, about 40 representatives of 15 partner organisations from 8 countries came to Hungary. It was excited to have the opportunity to look at the city’s values and surroundings. The three-day meeting achieved its aim, the planned and hoped-for professional progress was made, and the participants could better know next year's European Capital of Culture and its region as the delegations visited Baláca and Balatonfüred in addition to Veszprém.

On the first day of the meeting, we focused on the current issues of the project, and the conference room of the Hangvilla Multifunctional Community Space provided a worthy venue for this discussion. The meeting was also attended by the Interreg Danube Programme Secretariat representative, Mr Stephen Halligan, so that burning questions were answered first-hand.

In the afternoon, the delegations were welcomed by the Mayor of the City in person at the City Hall. Gyula Porga said that Veszprém has always been a city of culture, heritage and tourism, and it is no coincidence that Veszprém will be one of the European Capitals of Culture next year.

On the second day of the meeting, the participants were guided through the archaeological park of Villa Romana Baláca by the scientific director of the National Archaeological Institute, Oliver Loránd Kovács. The guided tour was followed by a series of presentations on the thematic cultural routes, as a concrete example, the Iron Age Danube Route was presented with the help of heritage conservation expert Katalin Wollák and archaeologists from the Hungarian National Museum.  Bálint Havasi gave an insight into the digital exhibition at the Keszthely-Fenékpuszta site and, thanks to VR glasses provided on-site, the everyday life of the Baláca villa in the Roman period became tangible thanks to a national museum development.

The presentations were concluded by Brigitta Péterváry-Szanyi, director of the Dezső Laczkó Museum, which provides the professional background for the project, who described the Roman settlement in Veszprém County, with special reference to the trial excavations that have been prepared.

After Baláca, the road led to Balatonfüred, where Ádám Pátkai, archaeologist, presented the Roman origins of the Papsoka church ruins. The stunning view of Lake Balaton rounded off the experience. 

On the third day, everyone returned to Veszprém to continue exchanging ideas on the programme's planned tangible products: the online atlas, the related mobile application, the trial excavations and the Roman-inspired landmarks to be placed along the ISTER road.

We had beautiful days in Veszprém and looking forward to our next meeting in Cluj at the end of November.