The anniversary European Cooperation Day 2021 unfolded a new opportunity for the Latvia-Russia Cross-Border Cooperation Programme to involve a maximally diverse group of local citizens giving them a unique and long-lasting experience of true cooperation within the brand-new environment created by #latruscbc projects.
A rally of photo-orienteering games took place in Latvia offering locals and visitors a profound introduction into the dear past and inspiring future of Riga, Jelgava, Kuldiga, Cesis and Rezekne. The joint work of four Interreg and CBC programmes in Latvia made the cooperation reach a new level with the European Cooperation Day travelling all over the country. Over hundred teams of friends and families enjoyed a good walk, an intriguing puzzle and wonderful gifts to keep warm memories of meeting the impressive results of project work.
In Rezekne, the game took place in and around the new promenade along the city river which came to life due to diligent work of Rezekne City Council (Latvia) and Administration of Ostrov district (Russia) supported by universities within ‘Sticky Urban Areas‘ project. And now, we can enjoy a new shape of our cross-border cities – definitely green, entertaining and fit!
Pavlovsk Park (St Petersburg, Russia) welcomed guests joining a quest game to reveal the wisdom of cooperation – the only way to have a friend is to be one. This idea lies in the basis of the project ‘630 Versts Full of Feelings‘, where Pavlovsk Museum, Izborsk Museum, Aluksne Municipality and Latvian Association of Castles, Palaces and Manors work together to create a Sense Tour – by bridging together nature, culture and history.
In Pskov (Pskov region, Russia) teams of project partners, tourist guides, friends and families set off for a cultural and historical quest around two project results – the Bekleshev Manor and the ‘Four Corners’ Square, both renovated by the Pskov city Administration (Russia) in close cross-border cooperation with Daugavpils City Council, Cesvaine County Council and State Joint Stock Company “State Real Estate” (Latvia) within ‘LV-RU Heritage‘ project; and Rezekne City Council (Latvia) within ‘Shaping Cities‘ project. Travelling around the city center, the players got a new prospective of the well-known landmarks and discovered a phrase that drives many great ideas in Pskov: to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
An important result of the European Cooperation Day 2021 with Latvia-Russia Programme is the capitalization strive that went through all our activities. The games materials can be used many more times to entertain family guests, and extra copies were forwarded to several local tourism support organizations to be offered to cities visitors. Thus, #latruscbc projects become not just an example of newly developed infrastructure that helps people to move around, but a part of cultural fabric of the joint cross-border cooperation territory of Latvia and Russia.
