With significant success the International Scientific Symposium “City Ports From The Aegean To The Black Sea. Medieval – Modern Networks” has been completed, which has been organized from 22 until 25th of August during a “cultural cruise”.

Filling 2 years of successful implementation of project “LIMEN: Cultural ports from Aegean to the Black Sea”, the European Centre for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments (E.K.B.M.M.) has co-organized with Istanbul University the Symposium that was realized “on-board” in a cruise that begun from Piraeus port and crossing Aegean sailed through Bosporus to the Black Sea and going from Constanta and Varna ended in Istanbul.

Project LIMEN is co-financed from the Joint Operational Program “Black Sea Basin 2007-2013” and national resources and is being coordinating by EKBMM. 7 bodies from 6 countries are collaborating as partners to this project: Istanbul University and Koç University of Istanbul (Turkey), Municipality of Kavala (Greece), Museum for National History and Archeology for Constanta (Romania), Odessa City Council, Department of Culture and Tourism (Ukraine), G. Chubinashvili National Research Center for Georgian Art History and Heritage Preservation (Georgia) and Municipality of Varna (Bulgaria).

Assisting and supporting every activity and try the Organization of The Black Sea Economic Cooperation the Business Council of the Organization of The Black Sea Economic Cooperation, the Black and Azov Seas Ports Association and the International Black Sea Club.

The Official Symposium opening was set at the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus on 21st August with the inauguration of the Exhibition “Ode to the Sea” with works of contemporary art from students from the laboratories of Painting and of Engraving of the Department of Visual and Applied Arts of the School of Fine Arts of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

The Symposium aim was to discuss extensively for the cultural heritage and cultural tourism in the areas of Aegean and Black Sea. The coordinators has brought closer specialists from the field of cultural heritage, cultural tourism, cultural routes, history and ecology of coastal areas of the region. About 100 eminent invited people have participated, archaeologists, art historians, scientists specialized in the field of culture and tourism and representatives of international organizations of cultural and tourism bodies from Greece and Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia and Romania along with experts from European Institutions in Brussels.

During the Symposium 60 speakers form all countries have presented their field researches, good practices, ideas and plans regarding the promotion (cultural and tourism) of Black Sea city-ports but for social and financial issues in relation with the promotion of these areas.

The Symposium proceedings are expected to be edited on November 2015.

The Symposium’s main concern, as project’s LIMEN was the Institution of Cultural Port of Black Sea” and the conditions for it’s pilot operation and establishment. The establishment of this new and promising Institution aims to connect the region of Aegean and Black Sea with cultural terms and support every effort within the framework of cultural tourism.

The Symposium has ended in Istanbul on August 28th with the inauguration of the photographic exhibition “3 seas 7 Ports: Cultural Routes from Aegean to Black Sea”, that was realized in the special place of Koç Museum.

More for the projects “OLKAS” (www.olkas.net) and “LIMEN” (www.limenproject.net).
Also find us https://www.facebook.com/CulturalPorts

Contact Persons:
• Dr Flora Karagianni, Archaeologist, Project’s Scientific Responsible.
• Anastasia Chatzinikolaou, Architect, Project Coordinator.
tel. 2310 889830
e-mail: info@ekbmm.gr