European Heritage Days Stories is an annual initiative which shares the work of those who have held EHD events and provides funding to develop their activities further. Grants of up to 10 000 EUR are available for projects which link to European Heritage Days priorities such as education, community participation and diversity amongst other criteria, alongside other benefits such as a youth orientation or inclusion of cross-frontier aspects.

One organisation awarded a grant for the 2024 call for European Heritage Days Stories was the cultural studies platform CULTstore in Serbia for a project exploring railway heritage across Central Europe.

The European Heritage Days Story

This Story explained the development and subsequent decline of railways in the Vojvodina province in northern Serbia across the 19th and 20th centuries, and explored links to Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary through the context of the railway network of the former Habsburg Monarchy. Describing abandoned stations and railroads, it outlined CULTstore’s aims to bring attention to these spaces using digital technology to travel through space and time.

The project approach and audience

The grant from European Heritage Days Stories was used for the ‘V4+V Virtual Train Journey’ project. The main goal of this was to connect and engage with young people about railway heritage and to help them feel empowered to interpret this history for themselves through a range of participatory events and immersive activities. The approach showed railway heritage in a social and cultural context, drawing links between past and present through themes such as trade, movement and belonging, while the project’s use of modern technology also highlighted the role of digitalisation in preserving and promoting cultural heritage for the future. Attracting participants from multicultural and rural regions and across national borders, the project also aimed to build communities and include perspectives from diverse linguistic and cultural identities by providing a platform and space for expression and dialogue.

Engaging and empowering young people

The project was intended to create a safe, inspiring and accessible space for younger audiences to discover and participate in cultural heritage. The methodology bridged structured education and informal learning, presenting heritage not only as a subject to be studied but also using it as a tool for personal and social development. During the project, organisers were particularly pleased to see strong interest from the audience aged 16-26 and responded by tailoring plans to particularly focus on the creativity and curiosity of this age group. The voices of these young people were central to the project, and by focusing on their role in heritage advocacy they took part as creators who led discussions and presentations rather than as passive participants. The project also emphasised the broader European cultural community, promoting intercultural dialogue and fostering pan-European values of democracy and cultural diversity through active citizenship and social inclusion.

Immersive activities and active participation

A key project output was the creation of a virtual railway route, transforming historic journeys into contemporary digital ones accessible via QR codes and projection. Now available online, it features written narratives and videos alongside both archival and modern-day photos of infrastructure such as tunnels, bridges and depots in an interactive experience connecting heritage railways sites across national borders.

Many of the activities also called for active participation and personal reflection in creating the content, with concepts emerging such as connecting neglected built heritage to economic decline as well as other themes of nostalgia, innovation and sustainability. Through a photo competition, participants were encouraged to document not only the physical structures of railway stations but also articulate emotional aspects of this history. These ‘photo stories’ were then curated into a photo exhibition which toured across towns in Serbia. A series of ‘Youth Talks’ events also took place which brought students together to discuss their experiences of railways through perspectives such as travel, memories and art. Moderated by the young people themselves, topics they chose to discuss included architectural restoration, sustainable development and experiences of interrailing across Europe.

Connecting countries across Europe

Reflected in the project’s name, ‘V4+V’, which refers to the Visegrad countries and the Vojvodina province in Serbia, the international aspects of the project were rooted in the legacy of the railway network of the former Habsburg Monarchy. Based on this shared history across borders, the project’s European dimension aimed to provide a meaningful platform for collective memory across Serbia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary and highlight how a common infrastructural past could be used for future cooperation. The digital nature of the map also allowed free and open access to the information generated, supporting inclusivity and intercultural dialogue and reflecting on how railways provide connections for people and culture as well as physically between places.

Project feedback and future plans

Feedback from young participants demonstrated increased feelings of ownership and interest in railway sites as part of their cultural identity, while visitors to the exhibition expressed that it helped them reconsider the value of neglected industrial spaces and stations in their area. The digital journey remains online and continues to attract visitors, while the photo stories and event materials have been made available to youth workers and teachers for educational purposes. A publication with advice and examples of ways to engage young people in railway heritage was added to the project’s website, and several universities are in conversation about how to integrate the project approach into their architectural curricula going forward.

To further expand the scope of the project, organisers are now considering collaborations with schools and cultural centres to explore additional topics such as women in railway history and environmental sustainability, while follow-up events are also being planned which will widen the project’s geographical impact to youth from Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro.

More information about the project, as well as resources and the virtual train ride map can be found on the project’s website at rail4v4v.com. The work of CULTstore can also be followed on Instagram.