Maribor - Capsule Stories #5
20/12/2018
Barbara Izlakar
Member of the Team Maribor is the Future!
-What is your connection to the project?
Via Sancti Martini leads through the city of Maribor and circles it around. As the member of the team »Maribor is the Future!«, where my specific task is to establish network connections among stakeholders in tourism in Maribor and its surroundings, and where my job is to co-create new integral tourist products, I am interested in each and every story, that could get integrated in tourist offer. As Via Sancti Martini connects with cultural heritage, of which we have many in Maribor, it is our aim, to connect its cultural heritage in the part that embraces the city, that is from Grušova till Razvanje, with contents, suitable for local inhabitants, hikers, pilgrims and other tourists. Being a local tourist guide, it is in my power to conduct the tours on Via Sancti Martini and raise awareness about the importance of St Martin.
-What has impressed you about the project NewPilgrimAge?
I see huge potential, presented in the European cultural way Via Sancti Martini, as its infrastructure is already established – but in the local environment, where I live, it lacks the content, the raison d’être. This project gives us the opportunity to co-create attractive touristic offer with different suppliers along the way. I believe, that there is already a variety of interesting products and contents available on the way itself, that could get included in different touristic packages or shorter thematically shaped paths, interesting for visitors. Project has value for me as it combines different perspectives – values, heritage and tourism. Through that the visitors grasp the sense of importance of preserving the heritage as well as understanding and kindness among people on a simple, yet interesting, way.
-I like the most …
… that the project with the same idea of St Martin connects 4 countries – Hungary, Croatia, Italy and Slovenia (the way itself includes more countries, though) – each of them with different habits, customs and cultural heritage, pointing out the equality and diversity of Europe at the same time. As St Martin communicates values such as solidarity and hospitality, it represents the excellent starting point for better understanding and coexistence of nations. Through understanding of St Martin’s behaviour and actions with help of stories and established European cultural way, these two values can thrive and get disseminated in the local environment, which – on the other hand – enhances the harmony and life quality of certain area. This project has potential, to actively reinforce the quality of living.
-What has changed for you?
European cultural way Via Sancti Martini has inspired me to come up with ideas, how to include it into the special tourist offers of Maribor. It will be my great joy to create a guided tour on one part of the way, which will connect the suppliers and other touristic stakeholders around this path with joint products and offer; thus enabling preservation of natural and cultural heritage and raising awareness of the visitors. The Via Sancti Martini incorporates potentials to organize different events – sports, cultural, humanitarian. I hope we will be able to realize at least some of them.
Barbara Izlakar
Članica tima Maribor is the Future!
-Kako si povezana s projektom?
Pot svetega Martina vodi skozi mesto Maribor oz. na njegovem območju napravi okljuko. Kot članico projektne skupine "Maribor is the Future!", kjer sem zadolžena za mreženje akterjev v turizmu v mestu in okolici, in kjer se ukvarjam tudi s soustvarjanjem novih integralnih turističnih produktov, me zanimajo vse zgodbe, ki bi jih na našem območju lahko vključili v turistično ponudbo. Ker se Pot sv. Martina navezuje na kulturno dediščino, ki je v mestu ne manjka, bi želeli slednjo na odseku, ko le-ta zaobjema mesto, tj. od Grušove do Razvanja, napolniti z vsebinami, primernimi tako za lokalno prebivalstvo, pohodnike, romarje ali "običajne" turiste. Ker sem hkrati lokalna turistična vodnica, lahko čisto praktično na terenu izvajam vodenja po evropski kulturni poti sv. Martina, in na tak način ozveščam ljudi o njegovem pomenu.
-Kaj te je k projektu pritegnilo?
Pritegnil me je predvsem potencial, ki ga evropska kulturna pot sv. Martina nudi, saj je slednja že fizično vzpostavljena, v lokalnem okolju, kjer bivam, pa ji primanjkuje vsebin. S projektom sem zaznala priložnost za aktivno participacijo pri sooblikovanju atraktivne turistične ponudbe s ponudniki ob poti. Menim, da je ob sami poti, ki obkroža Maribor, veliko zanimivih vsebin oz. produktov, ki bi se lahko vključili v oblikovanje turističnih paketov oz. v krajšo tematsko pot, ki bi bila zanimiva za obiskovalce poti. Projekt je zanimiv tudi zato, ker združuje več različnih aspektov - vrednote, dediščino in turizem. S tem lahko obiskovalcu na poljuden način približa pomen varovanja in ohranjanja dediščine, kakor tudi pomen razumevanja in dobrote med soljudmi.
-Najbolj všeč mi je pri projektu ...
Všeč mi je, da projekt z isto rdečo nitjo, tj. sv. Martinom, čezmejno povezuje štiri države, in sicer Madžarsko, Hrvaško, Slovenijo in Italijo (sama pot pa še nekaj več evropskih držav), z različnimi navadami in običaji ter kulturno dediščino, ter tako nakazuje na hkratno enakost in raznovrstnost Evrope. Ker sv. Martin komunicira vrednoti solidarnosti in gostoljubnosti, je slednje odlično izhodišče za boljše sobivanje in razumevanje med narodi. Z razumevanjem delovanja sv. Martina preko zgodb in vzpostavljene evropske kulturne poti se lahko omenjeni vrednoti okrepita in razširita v lokalnem okolju, kar bi doprineslo k večjemu sožitju in dvigu kakovosti življenja nekega območja. Projekt ima tako potencial, da pozitivno doprinese h kvaliteti bivanja.
-Kaj se je zate spremenilo?
Evropska kulturna pot sv. Martina me je navdihnila z idejami, na kak način slednjo vključiti v turistično ponudbo Maribora. Zelo bom vesela, če bomo iz dela poti uspeli izdelati tematsko vodeno pot, ki bo povezovala ponudnike, pripomogla k ohranitvi naravne in kulturne dediščine, ter ozaveščala obiskovalce poti. V poti vidim tudi potencial za organizacijo raznovrstnih dogodkov, od športnih, kulturnih do dobrodelnih. Upam, da vsaj nekaj od tega v prihodnje realiziramo.
