Welcome to HERCULES project

Our project HERCULES - HERitage and CULture : Exploring, Sharing and preserving the hidden treasures of Europe -  brings us (teachers and students from Slovakia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Lithuania, Poland and Portugal) together in a joint educational ‘adventure’ and encourages students, local communities, educational and cultural institutions to collaborate in educational and practical initiatives on a multicultural level.

Pupils and teachers collaborate and share their ideas, knowledge and good practices and take part in 6 short-time student exchanges – 1 student exchange in each partner country – (Click on the countries above to learn more about activities and students presentations) - and carry out various local or regional activities based on cultural heritage.

Together we revive the hidden secrets of tangible and intangible cultural heritage on a local and European level through learning about and sharing of each other cultures and traditions. Not only have we enhanced tolerance and common understanding at a time when there are so many social and economic divisions in our countries, we have also intended to encourage young people to enjoy heritage and make sure the knowledge and skills involved in heritage trades are passed on.

One result is that our school curriculum refer more to real situations and real life in our regions as we apply interactive researches and local conservation and volunteering projects into the learning processes or extra- curricular activities.

At the beginning, we only hoped that through an increased understanding of the cultural heritage our students would better value it. By valuing our cultural heritage they would want to care for it; by caring, discovering and studying it, they would enjoy it.

Through shared education, mobilities and youth activities, this project provides new opportunities for our students to learn more about the culture they live in as well as about the cultures that other European countries live in.

Exploring cultural heritage in geographically diverse locations enhances the value of the project.

Cyprus is a valuable partner for this project as it is a Mediterranean island located at the far eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea and surrounded by Middle Eastern countries, which means that the cultural heritage compiles of contrasts. This is reflected not only in the flora and fauna but also in the gastronomy, being the latter something intangible, and yet still passed on from generation to generation. It is interesting to highlight that the UNESCO, which only testifies to its importance as far as culture is concerned, particularly considered the Mediterranean diet World Heritage.

Portugal, situated in the extreme south-west of Europe, shares this intangible heritage with Cyprus, which represents just another way of bringing these cultures together.

Slovakia, Poland and Lithuania represent Central and Northern European cultures whereas Bulgaria is a representative of the Southern European cultures and thus we can promote heritage as a meeting point and “vehicle” for intercultural dialogue, peace and tolerance.