The Val d’Orcia World Heritage Site was chosen by the Municipality of Biertan in Transylvania, Romania, to collaborate on the redevelopment project for the Biertan UNESCO site, which is financed by the European Regional Development Fund. This project has been carried out in synergy with the San Gimignano UNESCO site.
This partnership was formed with Terre di Siena LAB, given its previous experience with projects involving UNESCO sites, and its current role as the Val d’Orcia World Heritage Office’s technical and operational advisor.

The Biertan UNESCO Site Rehabilitation project was presented as part of Priority 7 A of the Central Region Programme, ‘A REGION WITH SUSTAINABLE TOURISM’, Action 7.1. The project’s specific objective (SO) is to increase the role of culture and sustainable tourism in economic development, social inclusion, and social innovation, and its intervention is to conserve, protect, and enhance UNESCO and Class A cultural heritage.

The village of Biertan, located in southern Transylvania in Romania, has been a UNESCO site since 1993 as part of the serial site “Fortified Churches in Transylvania”, thanks to its exceptional cultural and historical value. It is a rural settlement that has preserved its medieval architectural character and local cultural traditions.

The project aims to promote sustainable tourism and enhance the potential of rural communities’ natural and cultural heritage through collaborations that can contribute significantly to community prosperity, promoting social inclusion and stimulating innovation.

Good practices were exchanged through the organisation of study visits between the two UNESCO cultural sites and personalised training sessions.

For more details on the context, objectives and outputs produced, please visit the project page on the Terre di Siena LAB website.