Description
Description (EN): This project will create a new cultural route "St Olav Waterway" from Finland (Turku) via the Archipelago to Åland Islands and to Hudiksvall in Sweden, combining this route with other St Olav routes in Sweden and Norway. This new route will be unique: it is the only Pilgrims Route which also will use the possibility to move on the water. The project will increase the attractiveness of the region, especially off-season, and generate visitors, a platform for new services and jobs and a better earning capacity for local entrepreneurs.
In Europe over 200,000 of Christian pilgrims and many others set out each year from their front doorsteps or from popular starting points across Europe, to make their way to Santiago de Compostela.
Many take up this route as a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth. The popularity of the routes in Norway and Sweden is also increasing: 20 % more people every year!
"St Olav Waterway" route is planned to be a unique possibility for them who are interested in having new experiences in the huge archipelago between Finland and Sweden, especially in spring and autumn. Digital solutions will be used as often as possible instead of paper and signs/posters (=sustainable tourism). Most travelers are nowadays online. Delivering market-ready products increases the potential for sustainability, which is very important especially in this region.
Discussions about applying for inclusion into the network "European Cultural Route of St Olavs Ways" have already started. Application 2017.
Other organisations will start projects creating a St Olav Way from Turku to the east. These new routes, connected to each other, have in this case both a possibility to be parts of "Route of Saint Olav Ways" within some years. Maybe it´s possible to have a St Olav route all the way from Novgorod to Nidaros/Trondheim as 1000 years ago.
Read more Achievements (EN): St Olav Waterway created 600 km pilgrimage route through the archipelago:
One of the biggest global trends of today is outdoor tourism, and specially wandering. St Olav Waterway wanted to create The Nordic Camino, a peaceful alternative crossing three countries. Olav Haraldsson (995-1030) was the King of Norway, and after his death he became one of the most important medieval Nordic saints. There are very many St Olav’s churches in the north of Europe.
St Olav Waterway created a 600 km pilgrim route for wandering and sailing from Turku Finland across the archipelago area and Åland Islands to Hudiksvall city in Sweden. The route shows Nordic history combined with culture and nature. St Olav Waterway represents sustainable tourism because slowly hiking and walking is sustainable. One important objective from the beginning was to extend the tourist season and attract visitors to these rural areas and islands also off-season.
There are a lot of attractions along the route, and the project made some of them more visible (ancient monuments, medieval churches, stories, etc). The project was successful with many partners and a lot of external and media interest. Thanks to the project the route was certified by Council of Europe as (the eastern) part of the "European Cultural Route of St Olav’s Ways" in December 2018. The route opened in May 2019 with a seven-week pilgrimage walk from Turku to Trondheim with a message from the Finnish archbishop to the bishop in Trondheim.
The route is in use, maintained by cities, parishes, and volunteer groups. A new association called ”Olofsleder I Finland - Suomen Olavinreitit” will maintain the route in Finland and Åland Islands after the project. Many Visit-organisations in Sweden, Åland and Finland are marketing the trail.
The project inspired others to plan for new/more St Olav related routes and tours in Finland. The overall plan is that there will be a St Olav route all the way from Novgorod in Russia to Nidaros and Trondheim in 2030, as there was 1000 years ago.
As a result, there is also an ongoing project for the first pilgrimage centre in Turku since medieval time, to be a meeting place, highlighting all existing routes in Finland, being a link to the European pilgrimage routes and answering to the increased interest of walking and reflecting.
There were also students involved in many ways, doing market research, testwalks and assignments.
There is a website in three languages with digital maps available. The website is maintained by one of the partners, city of Parainen.
https://stolavwaterway.com/en/.
The maps for Vikingaleden, teh Swedish part of St Olav Waterway, are avilable here and maintained by VisitRoslagen.
The first Pilgrim from abroad walking all the way from Turku to Trondheim was from Portugal and he started in April 2019. After that people from many countries have visited parts of the route.
2 min video following a group of local pilgrims along the pilgrimage route St Olav Waterway on the island Sottunga
Read more
Website: http://centralbaltic.eu/
Expected Results (EN): R2.1. More sustainable joint natural and cultural heritage based tourist attractions
Expected Outputs (EN): The main result is a new certified route "St Olav Waterway" and more visitors off-season giving new job opportunities and new services in the area. Entrepreneurs in the whole region will after the project have much more international contacts and are offered new networks in the Nordic countries and in Europe.
Along the route there will be created some entirely new tourist attractions conserning the time 1000 years ago and the medieval period. But many attractions are there already, and this project make them more visible (ancient monuments, medieval churches, stories, visual art). Also in english, which is important for the visitors from abroad.
One result is that the project will strengthen the sustainable tourism in the region.
Read more
Thematic information
Specific Objective:
Natural and cultural resources developed into sustainable tourist attractions
Thematic Objective:
(06) preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency by:
Investment Priority:
(06c) Conserving, protecting, promoting and developing natural and cultural heritage
Partners (8)
Lead Partner:
Åbo Akademi
Department:
Centre for Lifelong Learning (CLL)
Address:
Domkyrkotorget 3, 20500 Turku, Finland
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.abo.fi
Total budget:
EUR 297 896.82
ERDF budget:
EUR 223 422.62
-
Östhammar kommun
-
Name:
Östhammar kommun
Department:
-
Address:
Box 66, 74221 Östhammar, Sweden
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.osthammar.se
Total budget:
EUR 190 452.30
ERDF budget:
EUR 142 839.22
-
Sottunga kommun
-
Name:
Sottunga kommun
Department:
-
Address:
Kommunkansliet på Sottunga 0, 22720 Sottunga, Åland, Finland
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.sottunga.ax
Total budget:
EUR 106 146.76
ERDF budget:
EUR 79 610.07
-
Pilgrimstid Sverige
-
Name:
Pilgrimstid Sverige
Address:
c/o Andersson, Fältvägen 6, 82065 FORSA, Sweden
Legal status:
private
Website:
http://www.pilgrimstid.nu
Total budget:
EUR 89 228.00
ERDF budget:
EUR 66 921.00
-
Pargas stad
-
Name:
Pargas stad
Department:
Department of business development
Address:
Strandvägen 28, 21600 Pargas, Finland
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.pargas.fi
Total budget:
EUR 284 416.73
ERDF budget:
EUR 213 312.55
-
Föreningen Franciscus
-
Name:
Föreningen Franciscus
Address:
Överboda 0, 22730 Kökar, Finland
Legal status:
private
Website (not verified):
http://franciskusfesten.com/
Total budget:
EUR 107 000.00
ERDF budget:
EUR 80 250.00
-
Söderhamns kommun
-
Name:
Söderhamns kommun
Department:
-
Address:
Rådhuset, Oxtorgsgatan 19, 82680 Söderhamn, Sweden
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.soderhamn.se
Total budget:
EUR 269 702.25
ERDF budget:
EUR 202 276.69
-
Yrkeshögskolan Novia
-
Name:
Yrkeshögskolan Novia
Address:
Nunnegatan 4, 20700 Turku, Finland
Legal status:
private
Website:
http://www.novia.fi
Total budget:
EUR 158 350.70
ERDF budget:
EUR 118 763.02
