Heritage Greenways in Russia

Strategic goal - is to create a network of heritage green routes in North-West Russia, St. Petersburg and its suburbs, in accordance with established international rules and integration into European Programmes Heritage Greenways.
At present time, works on organizing the launch of Russian-Polish Heritage Greenways programme in Russia and the pilot initiative Heritage Greenways St Petersburg-Krakow are conducted on initiative of Leontief Centre with St. Petersburg City Administration.

In 2000, Greenways CEG Programme - Heritage Greenways in Central and Eastern Europe was formed. It is being implemented within the framework of the international association "Partnerships for Sustainable Development", which forms a consortium of organizations operating in Poland (Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation, the Project partner, is the leading organization), the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. At the moment there are nine routs in the network of green routes in Central and Eastern Europe, allowing to get acquainted with  cultural, natural and historical attractions of countries, regions and cities:

•    Amber Way Budapest-Krakow (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary) and Krakow-Gdansk, the local loop "Nowa Huta - Dlubnya" in the area of Nowa Huta, Krakow);
•    Krakow-Moravia-Vienna Greenways (Poland, Czech Republic, Austria) and Brno-Vienna Greenway;
•    Green Bike - Greenway in the Eastern Carpathians (Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine);
•    The path of the Odr river (Poland);
•    North Necklace Greenway (Poland);
•    Storks Road in Podlasie (Poland);
•    Prague-Vienna Greenways (Czech Republic, Austria) and heritage Road in Liechtenstein;
•    Moravian wine stitches (South Moravia, Czech Republic).

All green trails Greenways in Central and Eastern Europe and implemented in accordance with common criteria and rules.
The main functions of Heritage Greenways:

1.    Support of local economic development and growth of entrepreneurship: the creation of green routes stimulates the development of hotels, catering services, recreation and entertainment.
2.    Support of local initiatives aimed at protecting natural and cultural heritage: The green route having the local initiatives and community projects that are being implemented by creative and people loving their business - the leaders of social organizations, cultural workers, artists, musicians, children and youth, teachers, businessmen, etc.
Due to the heritage green routes Heritage Greenways local initiatives "from below", aimed at protecting nature, landscape and heritage, growing up in regional, grow to the interregional and international cooperative initiatives.
Since 2005 within the framework of CEG Programme/ Green Routes in Central and Eastern Europe, the Greenways annual prize – Laurance Rockefeller greenways award for best green initiative route in Central and Eastern Europe has been awarded.
In 2004, a public initiative to create Greenways - Greenways in Belarus was launched with the organizational and methodical support of the Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation.
Prerequisites and prospects exist for the development of heritage green routes - Heritage Greenways in Russia and the real possibility of cross-border provision of Saint Petersburg and North-West Russia to launch community initiatives Heritage Greenways West Russia, in accordance with the European rules and methodological principles, that allow:

•    Position effectively St. Petersburg and Northwest Russia in the foreign markets as a friendly tourism destination, offering a high level of hospitality, private tours, excursions and a variety of leisure activities and experiences in an enjoyable and lively environment, taking care of culture and heritage; successfully compete with Moscow in the green segment, relying not only on the rich cultural heritage, but also on harmonization with nature, combined with an active lifestyle and leisure, so necessary for St Petersburg citizens to relieve collected stress, recover forces with an opportunity to acquaint with history, nature and national traditions;
•     Consolidate the local people and partners resources - representatives of NGOs, local governments and companies for the practical development of combined tourism products and creating the necessary infrastructure for cultural heritage development. All tourist products in green routes Heritage Greenways are united by one condition - potential using and local communities supporting.