Baltic Sea Region Integrated Maritime Cultural Heritage Management
BalticRIM
 
PROGRAMME 2014-2020
priority
2 Natural resources
objective
2.4 Blue growth

BalticRIM

The Interreg project BalticRIM contributed to integration of coastal and underwater cultural heritage such as ship wrecks and archaeological sites into maritime spatial planning by bringing heritage managers together with spatial planners and designating maritime cultural heritage.
The challenge

In the waters of the Baltic Sea there is an impressive cultural heritage such as shipwrecks and archaeological sites. Currently, such heritage sites are not systematically included in maritime spatial plans across the Baltic Sea. The coastal and underwater heritage has the potential in strengthening brands of cities and regions, attracting talents and fostering tourism.

There is a need to standardise tools between Maritime Cultural Heritage (MCH) and Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) practitioners to enable exchange and dialogue. Maritime spatial planning processes offer an opportunity for better protection of maritime cultural heritage if it is properly considered in these processes. Closer collaboration between these two areas can generate change in public awareness about Maritime Cultural Heritage and bring tangible economic benefits from properly protected and curated Maritime Cultural Heritage.

Budgets

BalticRIM
in numbers
  • 2.62
    Million
    Total
  • 1.82
    Million
    Erdf
  • 0.26
    Million
    Eni + Russia
  • 0.00
    Million
    Norway

Achievements

Better integration ensured

The BalticRIM project fostered a new communication format between Maritime Cultural Heritage agencies and Maritime Spatial Planning experts from the municipal to the transnational level. Possible bottlenecks and concrete solutions to better integration of both areas were addressed by engaging planning agencies, municipalities, scientists, policymakers as well as fishermen, and NGOs. Next, tourism boards, diver associations, and entrepreneurs were invited into the collaboration in order to investigate the potential of Maritime Cultural Heritage for the blue economy.

Thanks to the continuous communication efforts with planning authorities, BalticRIM partners succeeded in shaping the national 2021 Maritime Spatial Planning development process, especially in Finland and Poland. The strengthened cooperation between Maritime Spatial Planning authorities and Maritime Cultural Heritage experts led to the development of joint recommendations on the protection of Maritime Cultural Heritage in the Environmental Impact Assessment of the Maritime Spatial Planning.

New recommendations released

Based on case studies the project partners published recommendations that address both groups of experts separately but also jointly. Practical recommendations are provided to improve cooperation during the MSP process. The importance of land-sea interactions is also stressed by insisting that not only underwater cultural heritage be considered in planning but maritime cultural heritage as a whole. In addition, an overview of the legal and administrative issues in integrating Maritime Cultural Heritage and Maritime Spatial Planning was provided. The overview contained a list of practices on the management of Cultural Heritage in the context of Maritime Spatial Planning across the Baltic Sea region countries. This covered the national processes of Maritime Spatial Planning development during 2017-2020 as well as the role of Maritime Cultural Heritage in the current blue economy initiatives, mainly in tourism.

BalticRIM Data Portal available

The BalticRIM Data Portal enables to create new Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) approaches for the integration of Maritime Cultural Heritage (MCH). Established to facilitate collaboration within an MCH-MSP community, the portal supports shared digital geodata infrastructure in identifying cross-border cultural heritage phenomena. It is designed for the transnational exchange of information, experiences, and know-how between Maritime Spatial Planning and Maritime Cultural Heritage practitioners as well as offers access to spatial information on Maritime Cultural Heritage sites in the Baltic Sea region.

Next steps

With new modes of communications, better dialogue among the relevant stakeholders, recommendations to improve planning processes and a new data portal the project has also managed to identify the HELCOM-VASAB working group on MSP as a forum for a continued dialogue on the integration of Maritime Cultural Heritage needs in Maritime Spatial Planning processes.

Outputs

Final report: Integrating Cultural Heritage into Maritime Spatial Planning in the BSR

This publication presents recommendations based on the cases studies. They address separately cultural heritage agencies and Maritime Spatial Planning experts. The publication also provides an overview of the legal and administrative situation and of existing practices on the management of Cultural Heritage in the context of Maritime Spatial Planning across the Baltic Sea region countries. In addition, the publication considers the role of MCH in current blue economy initiatives, mainly in tourism.

BalticRIM DataPortal

The BalticRIM Data Portal integrates the Maritime Cultural Heritage into the Maritime Spatial Planning. It includes a shared digital geodata infrastructure that enables to identify cross-border cultural heritage phenomena. It is designed for the transnational exchange of information, experiences, and know-how between MSP and MCH practitioners. It also offers access to spatial information on MCH sites in the Baltic Sea region gathered during the project.

Project Stories

  • 30.09.2020

    Great project pictures that tell great Interreg stories!

    More than seventy pictures competed in the Interreg Baltic Sea Region photo competition. Which projects were the best in illustrating transnational cooperation, grasping the essence of a project and its result, and presenting the 30th anniversary of Interreg? Congratulations to the teams of BalticRIM, RESQU2, Baltic Game Industry, EcoDesign Circle and GoSmart BSR!
    Read full story
  • 13.03.2018

    Helping spatial planners see the cultural heritage of the sea

    The Interreg project BalticRIM integrates maritime cultural heritage of the Baltic Sea into maritime spatial plans to safeguard it for the future. Matthias Maluck from the State Archaeological Department of Schleswig-Holstein explains what maritime cultural heritage is and why and how it should be preserved. BalticRIM frames cultural heritage of individual countries in a transnational perspective and thus delivers territorial cohesion.
    Read full story

Partners

State Archaeology Department of Schleswig-Holstein

  • Town
    Schleswig
  • Region
    Schleswig-Flensburg
  • Country
    Germany
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
497,094.43
54.518519.5653284

Submariner Network for Blue Growth EEIG

  • Town
    Berlin
  • Region
    Berlin
  • Country
    Germany
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
42,500.00
52.517036513.3888599

Finnish Heritage Agency

  • Town
    Helsinki
  • Region
    Helsinki-Uusimaa
  • Country
    Finland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
442,080.00
60.167488124.9427473

Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland

  • Town
    Vantaa
  • Region
    Kymenlaakso
  • Country
    Finland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
225,553.07
60.309187125.0364526

University of Turku

  • Town
    Turku
  • Region
    Varsinais-Suomi
  • Country
    Finland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
66,399.50
60.451753122.2670522

University of Tartu

  • Town
    Tartu
  • Region
    Kesk-Eesti
  • Country
    Estonia
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
210,075.00
58.39564534999999526.630885501668523

Estonian National Heritage Board

  • Town
    Tallinn
  • Region
    Kirde-Eesti
  • Country
    Estonia
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
138,050.00
59.437215524.7453688

Public Institution Coastal Research and Planning Institute

  • Town
    KlaipÄ—da
  • Region
    KlaipÄ—dos apskritis
  • Country
    Lithuania
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
100,550.00
54.292469222.8131913

KlaipÄ—da University

  • Town
    KlaipÄ—da
  • Region
    KlaipÄ—dos apskritis
  • Country
    Lithuania
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
174,725.30
54.292469222.8131913

National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk

  • Town
    Gdańsk
  • Region
    Gdański
  • Country
    Poland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
92,000.00
53.303521419.9057132

SUCCEEDED by PP14 (01.10.2019) Maritime Institute in Gdańsk

  • Town
    Gdańsk
  • Region
    Gdański
  • Country
    Poland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
21,983.11
53.303521419.9057132

Atlantic Branch of the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences

  • Town
    Kaliningrad
  • Region
    Kaliningrad Oblast
  • Country
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
299,425.00
54.71012820.5105838

Aalborg University

  • Town
    Copenhagen SV
  • Region
    Byen København
  • Country
    Denmark
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
228,000.00
55.686724312.5700724

Gdynia Maritime University

  • Town
    Gdynia
  • Region
    Gdański
  • Country
    Poland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
83,362.39
54.516498218.5402738