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LETOHRAD (Lustschluss) – joint promotion of restored castles in Prešov region

SocialCulture and sustainable tourism
By project CRinMA
Publication Published on 01 June 2018
Location
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Slovakia
Východné Slovensko
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.

About this good practice

In Prešov region there are 13 renovated castle ruins, which is the most of all Slovak regions. The Rákoci path NGO and the Regional organization of tourism – Northeast Slovakia, in cooperation with the organizers of the castle events, prepared the LETOHRAD campaign in the summer of 2017. It was a joint presentation of ten castles, which are being returned to life by the progressive renovation. The castles represented in the campaign included Brekov, Šebeš, Kamenica, Jasenov, Čičva, Šarišský and Kapušiansky castle, Plaveč, Soľnohrad, Obišov Castle (in the Prešov and Košice regions). The campaign was the first joint promotion of castle events.
Two contests were part of the campaign. Visitors could collect contest stamps at castle events to conquer the main prize - the royal crown decorated with stones from the restored castles. They could also compete with the mobile app Let’s Discover LETOHRAD. They solved localization tasks, quiz questions about castles and photographic tasks. The best discoverer of castles won the royal scepter and weekend stay. Another top 10 players were also rewarded. Positive feedback from event organizers and castle visitors is the basis for the new LETOHRAD 2018 campaign. This activity was realized within the project „Castle route continues“ implemented by the NGO Rákoci path with support from Veľký Šariš Community Foundation and Regional Tourism Organization Northeast of Slovakia.

Expert opinion

This initiative is particularly relevant for local and regional authorities across Europe seeking cost-effective ways to increase tourism and cultural engagement. The campaign’s interactive features, such as a stamp collection and a mobile app with quizzes and localisation tasks, encouraged active participation and made heritage exploration more appealing, especially for younger audiences.

A key to the LETOHRAD campaign’s success lies in its collaborative approach, bringing together NGOs, local organisers, and tourism bodies. It enhanced visibility for smaller sites that might otherwise struggle to attract attention, while also strengthening the network of stakeholders involved. The campaign is a model of how shared promotion can amplify individual efforts, optimise resource use, and deliver greater impact.

For European authorities, this practice highlights the benefits of cooperation in creating unified heritage routes. By working together, regions can draw on shared histories to develop cohesive and engaging tourism offerings that celebrate cultural diversity, foster local pride, and generate economic benefits.

Resources needed

100 € - two work meetings of organizers of castle events
300 € - mounting of the eye-catcher of castle path
300 € - leaflets A4 for collection of stampes during the castle events 3 000 pcs
350 € - production of the main reward – king’s crown
500 € - project coordination
130 € - stamps of castle

Evidence of success

The LETOHRAD Campaign has helped to increase the visitor traffic. For the first time the castles promoted each other's events, which they managed to match so that each event was held at another time. A information table with dates of all 11 events was mounted at each castle. The campaign brought together event organizers who met at the beginning and end of the campaign.

Potential for learning or transfer

Subject in one region that have common visitor and try to attract them by organizing events can help each other by joining and agreeing the dates of events so that the visitor can visit each event (each event on different date).

Further information

Website

Website

Good practice owner

You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.

Organisation
Organisation

Organizers of castle events (self-government, NGOs) NGO Rákociho cesta (Rákoci path), Regional organization of tourism – Northeast Slovakia

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Slovakia
Východné Slovensko
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