Baltic History Beneath Surface: Underwater Heritage Trails In Situ and Online (BALTACAR)

P2 Sustainable use of common resources

2.1. Natural and cultural resources developed into sustainable tourist attractions

Archipelago and Islands

01.01.2017 - 31.12.2019

1.490.113 EUR

1.172.908 EUR ERDF

ENDED. The underwater landscape of the Baltic Sea is a unique ecological and cultural-historical environment resulting from the combination of a long seafaring history and good preservation conditions. The remains of shipwrecks in Estonian, Finnish and Swedish waters, many of them hundreds of years old, often sit upright with masts and rigging still intact. In this aspect, the Baltic Sea is a giant underwater museum waiting to be visited
 
The project "Baltic History Beneath Surface: Underwater Heritage Trails In Situ and Online" aims to demonstrate the huge tourism potential of the underwater cultural heritage of the Baltic Sea by developing easy and convenient ways for visiting our unique and well preserved underwater sites in situ.
 
The project will produce several new tourist attractions in the Baltic Sea that are supplied with buoys, underwater information boards and dive trails. With the creation of these tourist attractions we aim at enhancing the attractiveness of the Baltic Sea destinations and increase the number of visits to our region.

Lead Partner

Muinsuskaitseamet

Country: EE

www.muinas.ee

Partner budget: 459.432 EUR

Amount of ERDF funding: 390.518 EUR ERDF

Project Partners

Museovirasto

Country: FI

www.nba.fi

Partner budget: 250.686 EUR

Amount of ERDF funding: 188.014 EUR ERDF

Statens Maritima Museer

Country: SE

www.maritima.se

Partner budget: 462.320 EUR

Amount of ERDF funding: 346.740 EUR ERDF

Adrianto OÜ

Country: EE

www.barrakuuda.ee

Partner budget: 80.400 EUR

Amount of ERDF funding: 68.340 EUR ERDF

Aalto Group OY

Country: FI

http://sukelluskouluaalto.fi

Partner budget: 88.875 EUR

Amount of ERDF funding: 66.656 EUR ERDF

Haninge kommun

Country: SE

www.haninge.se

Partner budget: 135.000 EUR

Amount of ERDF funding: 101.250 EUR ERDF

MTÜ Lääne-Eesti Turism

Country: EE

www.westestonia.ee

Partner budget: 13.400 EUR

Amount of ERDF funding: 11.390 EUR ERDF

Associated Partners

Ålands landskapsregering / Museibyrån

Country: FI

Expected results

Achieved results

Project result in category -
Joint tourist attraction

Project BALTACAR made unique underwater heritage more accessible

The well-preserved wrecks in the Baltic Sea waters are unique in the world. The underwater landscape is a special environment resulting from a long seafaring history and good preservation conditions. The remains of shipwrecks in Estonian, Finnish and Swedish waters often sit upright with masts and rigging still intact. In this aspect, the Baltic Sea is a giant underwater museum waiting to be visited.
 
The project "Baltic History Beneath Surface: Underwater Heritage Trails In Situ and Online" developed safe ways for tourists visiting some well-preserved underwater sites in the Baltic Sea. People interested in maritime history, shipwrecks, and diving can now make a digital visit or come in real life close to the wrecks on or beneath the water surface.
 
In project BALTACAR, partners responsible for the management and preservation of sensitive underwater cultural heritage (UCH) from three neighbouring countries worked together with partners in tourism. Together the partners made the underwater cultural heritage more visible, more accessible and safer.

The selected UCH sites in Finnish, Swedish and Estonian waters were properly documented. The collected historical information, 3D and photogrammetry images, and wreck cards can be used when planning and preparing for the dive. It provides divers and non-divers a virtual diving experience. For many potential visitors, the first contact with the dive park will be digital. That is why the produced materials and the interactive website are so important.
 
The new underwater infrastructure to selected wreck sites consists of mooring buoys for the boats bringing visitors to the sites and underwater information signs along the dive trails with basic information about the wrecks. The signs include a map displaying the location of the visitor, which makes it safer and easier to orientate under water.
 
The project results, publications and handbooks are free of use for all interested. The website contains materials, information on the developed attractions, the diving destinations of the region, and on what you need to know for travelling.

The project has already served as an inspiration to others planning to establish dive parks in their region.