OOCR Región Šariš invited municipalities, tourism experts, castle administrators and owners of historical buildings to a professional and networking meeting „Šariš Castle Route - from restoration to tourism product“. The event took place on 24.10.2025 in the Hotel Lineas in Prešov and was implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Slovak Republic. The aim of the mini-conference was to present the vision and development of the tourist product Šarišská hradná cesta, which connects castles, manor houses and historical monuments of the region into a unified experiential product.
The focus of the mini-conference brought a view of castles and manor houses as living elements of cultural tourism - spaces for experiences, events and sustainable forms of tourism. The conference also created a space for sharing experiences, presenting successful models of cooperation and discussing the use of restored historic sites for tourism, joint marketing and the creation of regional experiential products.
The programme was opened with an introductory speech by the Executive Director of OOCR Region Šariš Ing. Peter Halaj.
Bc. Runa Tkáčiková, destination coordinator of OOCR Región Šariš, presented the activities of the Šariš Castle Route project and offered the possibilities of cooperation in the product of the Šariš Castle Route. The ŠHC project wants to highlight the beauty of historical monuments such as castles, manor houses, castles, castles and town fortifications, of which there are more than 80 in the Šariš region. This tourism product uses tools such as the web, social networks, print, mobile application, maps and Outdooractive. The aim of this product is to give an identity to the region, to connect the castles into one story, to create experiences, to develop product and experience tourism, to increase the number of visitors to the region, to attract new resources and to develop cooperation and networking. The key in the development of tourism in Šariš is to be the cooperation of municipalities, KOCR, OOCR, entrepreneurs, OZ volunteers and other CR actors. It is also important to link with regional activities. The results of marketing are the growth of outreach, web, app, booklets and social networks.
The main activities of the OOCR Region Šariš are marketing (identity, social networks, photo bank and PR articles), products (the Night of Castle Ruins event and 3D postcards), infrastructure (signage, furniture, telescopes and trails) and education through conferences, workshops and info tours.
Ing. Zuzana Jóbová, PhD., Destination Marketing Specialist and Executive Director of KOCR Banská Bystrica Region, showed on the example of Pohronska hradna cesta that cooperation brings results. She explained the functioning from the Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region, through the Development Agency BBSK Good Region to KOCR Banská Bystrica Region Tourism. She explained the aid scheme of the BBSK Development Agency, which was used in the implementation of projects, for example, at the Castle of the Desert, the Žiar nad Hronom Manor House or in Revišti. The Pohron Castle Route also currently offers 16 locations with marked cycle routes. The marketing department created an eye-catching and bold visual communication, which included a „facelift“ of the PHC logo, a unified visual communication, a joint opening of the season with the event Light Signal Connects Castles, PR activities, social media, campaigns, projects, products and events. They created a castle passport, augmented reality at Revište Castle, the Royal Wedding at the Deserted Castle and guided tours „Experience castles ANOTHER way!“.
The report on the state of castles in the Šariš region and the vision of the operation of castles of the Šariš Castle Route was presented by Ing. Martin Sárossy, PhD., who initiated the restoration of castles in the Šariš region and their use for tourism. He presented the attendance as an indicator of tourism and presented the financing of the castle restoration.
Mgr. Ladislav Babuščák from the association Zachráňme hrady (Let's Save Castles) highlighted the cooperation of non-governmental organizations in saving national cultural monuments and recommended the use of castles for the needs of the CR. The aim of the association is the restoration of national cultural monuments. „It's mainly about people,“ Babuščák said. He considers the promotion and creation of conditions for saving castles to be the most important. Half of the castles are repaired by civic associations and the other half by towns and municipalities. Since in 2023 the share of tourism in Slovakia's GDP was 2,43 %, Babuščák sees room for untapped potential of castles.
The end of the conference belonged to panel discussion „How to support the brand Šariš Castle Route“, in which participants sought concrete steps to put the lessons learned and recommendations into practice. This was followed by a joint lunch, during which an informal exchange of experiences and a discussion on further possibilities for the creation of joint products for the development of CR and support for castles and manor houses continued.
