European Funds for Interpretation of Biodiversity and Heritage of Pile Dwellings in the Ljubljana Marshes

The Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Managing Authority for the European Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund, has issued the decision on financial support for the “Interpretation of Biodiversity and Heritage of Pile Dwellings in the Ljubljana Marshes” project. The European Regional Development Fund will contribute nearly 1.3 million euros to the project, which overall will cost just under 2.3 million euros.

The undertaking, referred to by its acronym “Na-kolih” (on piles) by the project partners, i.e. the Municipality of Ig, Public Institute KP Ljubljana Marshes and the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Science and Arts, includes the presentation and interpretation of the biodiversity and heritage of pile dwellings in the area of Ig, which is under UNESCO protection and a Natura 2000 site. The related activities are part of a regional network for the interpretation of the natural and cultural heritage of the Ljubljana Marshes taking place on multiple sites. The main purpose of the project is to raise awareness of the importance of conserving Ljubljana Marshes’ biodiversity in order to enhance their visibility, improve public perceptions as well as change attitudes and behaviours towards sites of importance for nature conservation, as well as sites of historical importance.

An interpretation centre will be built in the context of the project, along with a connecting pathway and a reconstructed pile dwelling. The project complements the “Restoration and preservation of wetland habitats in the Ljubljana Marshes – PoLJUB” nature conservation project, approved by the Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Development and European Cohesion Policy in 2018, which aims to ensure 50 hectares of nature conservation areas for public access and interpretation of cultural heritage.