Russians snubbing European destinations, and Ukrainians coping with zero leisure trips from abroad. Tourism is a collateral victim of the ongoing war. But thanks to a European project and an ancestor of the Commission president von der Leyen, Kyiv and the Baltic countries are reviving the industry and turning it into a tool of solidarity and reconstruction

If you want to feel the atmosphere of old mining work, see how the former miners extracted the treasures that nature left them just as a gift, or if you want to sail the underground river on boats, you should necessarily visit a historic mine of silver, zinc and lead ores in Tarnowskie Góry, Poland. The above-mentioned mine, its unique Underground Water Management System and related historic post-industrial facilities have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The post-mining heritage of Tarnowskie Góry and its surroundings belongs to the Industrial Monuments Route, based on the tangible and intangible industrial heritage of Silesia. Moreover, in January 2010 they became a part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH).

Combine 3D reconstruction, serious gaming technologies and intriguing digital storytelling and the result is a new way to access and enjoy underwater archaeological sites, even if you are not a scuba diver. Fabio Bruno, professor of Virtual and Augmented Reality at the University of Calabria in Italy, cofounder and President of 3dresearch, a spin-off company specialized in digital technologies for cultural heritage, explains this innovative approach and its advantages to improve access and learning about ancient cultures.

An Ecomuseum in Greece offers Listen-Touch-Feel tours for visually impaired visitors. Italian and Lebanese villages offer simulated underwater trips to archaeological sites to non-scuba divers. Villages across Europe are sharing local history through virtual visits with inhabitants. Through a mix of creativity and digital technologies, small local communities across Europe are seeking to develop socially inclusive experiences and innovative sustainable tourism models built on their cultural heritage.