The Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Serbia participates as a partner in the international project SHARITAGE – Digitally-enabled, community-based European shared cultural heritage engagement, implemented within the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. The project focuses on developing inclusive and digitally supported models of cultural heritage interpretation through active community involvement and collaboration between professionals, educational institutions, and citizens.

The SHARITAGE project aims to make cultural heritage more accessible, open, and connected by applying modern technologies and innovative communication methods. Its core idea is to view heritage not as a static value, but as a living process of shared creation and knowledge exchange, in which all participants — from professionals to local communities — play an active role.

As an institution with decades of experience in the protection and study of Serbia’s cultural heritage, the Institute contributes to the project with its expertise in conservation, documentation, and interpretation, as well as with the development of models for collaboration with local communities. Within the project, pilot activities in Serbia will be implemented to promote new digital tools and approaches for the presentation and appreciation of cultural heritage.

The project brings together ten partner institutions from six European countries, including universities, research institutes, and cultural organizations. It is coordinated by the ArchaeoTrail team, developers of an innovative digital platform for creating and sharing cultural heritage tours via smartphones. During the SHARITAGE project, this platform will be further enhanced to allow users to independently create and share thematic routes and content related to cultural heritage.

Through its activities, SHARITAGE will:

• develop a free, open-access digital platform for interactive engagement with cultural heritage,
• create a comprehensive set of educational and teaching materials for higher education institutions,
• implement pilot projects in the Czech Republic, Serbia, and Spain, showcasing community-based approaches to heritage interpretation.

The project results and digital tools will be publicly available through the official SHARITAGE website and social media channels, ensuring long-term visibility and accessibility.

More information:

• https://archaeotrail.org/sharitage/
• Instagram: @sharitage_eu
• Bluesky: @sharitage.bsky.social

The SHARITAGE project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, under the priorities Inclusion and Diversity and Digital Transformation.