Art for Tourism. Art Historical Themes as a Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Tourism of Eastern Slovenia

The research project aims to systematically research and study the art heritage of a part of a cohesion region of Eastern Slovenia (the area of the municipalities of Maribor, Slovenska Bistrica, Poljčane, and Makole). The art heritage of this area has not yet been comprehensively and scientifically researched and evaluated, which is one of the main reasons that many art monuments have not been included in the tourist offer. The results of the research carried out in the scope of the project will be used for the preparation of an art topography of the region, especially Slovenska Bistrica and Maribor, and will then be converted into contents that will be of interest for tourists. Based on this material, new tourist routes (itineraries) will be prepared in cooperation with the local tourist agency that participates in the project as an economic partner. Primarily, these will be based on the art heritage, while they will also include other parts of the region that have tourist potential (e.g. thematic cultural routes, city centres, the architectural heritage of gardens, hiking trails, cycle routes, natural sites, cuisine, traditions, customs, and festivities). Two new itineraries will be pilot tested in practice. The chosen project area is historically extremely important not only on a regional level but on the level of entire Slovenia and in wider Europe. Numerous preserved monuments show that this area was important as early as the antiquity, while its intensive development began in the Middle Ages and especially in the modern period. Owing to noble families, whose presence is importantly reflected in profane and religious architecture and other art monuments in the area, this space can be placed in a wider European context. Worth mentioning among these families are the Attems family, the Herberstein, and the Brandis family. In connection to these families, the art monuments of the area form part of a wider European context also through the creativity of Baroque artists, such as Johann Martin Schmidt, Franz Ignaz Flurer, Philipp Carl Laubmann, Philipp Jakob Straub, and others, whose works are presently found in religious and profane buildings in the project area as well as in public collections. Thus, the region is extremely important and holds great potential for the development of cultural tourism; however, owing to the gap between scientific results and tourist economy, it has not yet been recognised as attractive for tourism. It can be especially interesting for tourists from German-speaking areas, with which it is connected through joint historical and art space. The project thus builds on an in-depth study of art monuments, which will then be connected with various stories into attractive tourist products, also on the model of neighbouring Austria. The stories connected to noble families and important artists who worked in this area have the highest potential. The challenge of the project is in bridging the gap between science and economy, which will lead to the design of innovative and topically rich, sustainable cultural and tourist products. These will have an important long-term influence on further economic development of the region as well as on further scientific research work. The expected results of the project will increase the recognition of the area and the region of Eastern Slovenia as a destination for sustainable and cultural tourism.