Chair: Eugen Scherer
The topic of financing projects of cultural heritage was included in this year’s conference for a special purpose. The Working Community of Danube Regions, the Chair of which the City of Vienna has held in 2005, is dedicating its energies among others to the restoration of its member-regions’ rich cultural heritage as an instrument of regional development beside its undisputedly independent historical and artistic value. An endeavour of this nature requires the concerted efforts of more than one professional area, starting with the scientific and artistic domain. It is the experience of the tourism-branch of economy, that can give most valuable basic information on the feasibility of any national or regional investment following the scientific work. Furthermore, as well in any new project the factor of starting – errors should be calculated and how they can be avoided in order to ensure a maximum of economical procedure. This is, where the exchange of Know-How is advisable, especially for the former countries of the political „Eastern-Europe“ with their need of funds for any investment outside the regular infrastructure, which opinion-leaders and politicians on all levels are easier to convince of than by an archaelogical site. Financing cooperation-projects is also backed regulary by various funds of the European Union, not the least the INTERREG –Program and others, which this conference will also deal with.