The Council of Europe was created in 1949 to bring together the States of the continent with the aim of promoting a spirit of peace, of respecting democracy and defending the Rights of Man. Culture, education and dialogue between peoples who come together through their common heritage thus contribute to the emergence of a sense of belonging to a citizenship of Europe.
The Cultural Itineraries of the Council of Europe participate in the construction of Europe by being based on heritage.
They promote appreciation of the European collective memory, history and heritage, and encourage educational exchanges.
They encourage the contemporary practice of culture and the arts, respect for democracy and development of sustainable tourism.
Introductory leaflet
In 1984, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, following approaches by the Spanish association "Amigos de los Pazos" proposing that "the Saint James Way" should be recognised a "a cultural property belonging to Europe", recommended that an international safeguarding and promotion exercise based on cultural tourism should be undertaken.
That same year, Spain and Portugal became members of the European Community.
In 1987, the Council of Europe, anxious to promote a spirit of peace between Europeans through awareness of their shared history, therefore recognised the eminent role played by pilgrimage routes in this intermingling of people and knowledge.
On 23rd October 1987, the Santiago de Compostela Ways launched the programme of The Cultural Itineraries of the Council of Europe.
Declaration of Santiago de Compostela, 23rd October 1987
Recommendation of the Council of Europe of the 28th June 1984 relative to the European Pilgrimage Itineraries.
The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela constitutes one of the main cultural manifestations of European identity in the Middle Ages. Its influence was a determining factor in the development of numerous Western European countries through the circulation of ideas, skills and the arts, the meeting between peoples and the building of a collective memory.
In fact, the pilgrim underwent an exceptional cultural experience. S/he had the opportunity to discover different customs, languages and ways of life, and to return home enriched with ideas which were rare at a time when long-distance travel was a dangerous undertaking. From the pilgrimage, this unique anthropological structure, has poured a vast heritage, both material - places of worship, of medical care and of hospitality, bridges - and immaterial - myths and legends, songs….For the "jacquets" or pilgrims of today, the route, the events and the encounters with others which take place along the way are as important and enriching as the goal itself.
Something which was for centuries a religious phenomenon has become, thanks to the Declaration of the Council of Europe in 1987 and the implementation of a common European form of signposting, an itinerary-cum-symbol, alive and experienced by many, and a vector of cultural cooperation for Greater Europe.
The proclamation of European Cultural Itinerary status on 23rd October 1987 sets out the responsibility of each and every one of us to preserve and bring to life the itineraries in the 21st. C.
Today, there are more than 30 officially recognised cultural itineraries. They are not all intended to be concretised in the form of a network of footpaths.
Since 2010, the European Union has been seeking to promote the tourist destination "Europe" through a structured offer based on "cultural itineraries". The European Institute of Cultural Itineraries has the responsibility of ensuring that this initiative remains coherent.
http://culture-routes.net/
On the trail of St. Martin of Tours
Laissez-vous conter les sites martiniens de Tours (Let us tell you the story of the places in Tours linked to St. Martin)
www.saintmartindetours.eu
Les chemins de la vigne et du vin (Vine and Wine paths)
www.itervitis.fr
The Via Francigena
www.viefrancigene.org/fr/
Dans les traces d'un écrivain voyageur (In the footsteps of a writer and traveller)
www.rlstevenson-europe.org/fr
L’itinéraire des Chemins de Saint Olav (The itinerary of the Paths of St. Olav)
Présentation (presentation leaflet)
