On December 12, 2024, the Volyn Foundation participated in the International Conference “Cultural Relations between Ukraine and the EU: Results of 2024” in Kyiv. The event, organized by the EU’s Creative Europe Programme, provided a platform to review the achievements of Ukrainian organizations within the programme, highlight successful projects, and explore future opportunities for growth and collaboration.

Anna Danylchuk, Head of the Volyn Foundation, shared insights about the foundation’s “Digital Transformation for Cultural Heritage Capacity Building in Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine” project. Supported by the Creative Europe programme, this project focuses on digitizing cultural heritage sites and buildings associated with Vytautas the Great, using innovative 3D and Augmented Reality technologies. The selected historical sites, located in Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania, are united by a shared historical background and cultural practices.

The project partners created digital models of these historical buildings, developed a website offering free access to the digitalized objects, and built an interactive map linking these sites into a transnational tourist route, “The Belt of Vytautas.” Additionally, a mobile app allows users to experience augmented reality and “travel in time.” This initiative fosters digital tourism, promotes cross-border cooperation, and encourages cultural dialogue while supporting the recovery of the tourism sector.

The “Cultural Relations between Ukraine and the EU: Results of 2024” conference also served as a valuable platform for networking and discussing new trends in artistic and educational projects within the Creative Europe framework, as well as the challenges and opportunities of collaborating internationally. The Volyn Foundation continues to lead these innovative initiatives, strengthening international partnerships, advancing Ukraine’s integration into EU culture, and strengthening cultural exchanges across borders.