The purpose of the operation is to connect the boutique museums dealing with the natural and cultural heritage of the coastal countryside and to digitise and preserve their artifacts, which are important for the existence and further development of the natural and cultural heritage of the countryside.

The project has developed interpretative content that increases the attractiveness of the countryside and the connection of products important for the tourist offer in the countryside, and established a network of virtual boutique museums of Slovenian Istria, which serves to inform and promote the countryside. The network is open and will be able to expand after the project and represent a marketing tool for the entire area of LAS ISTRE.

In addition to a marketing tool for attracting new visitors to the countryside, the virtual platform also offers an educational tool for the development of local identity and connections between the urban environment and the countryside of the Slovenian coast.

The project aims to increase the number of visitors and the attractiveness of the LAS ISTRE area, especially the countryside, in a sustainable way. To this end, the project includes boutique museums that have achieved recognizable success, but due to their relative smallness cannot accommodate a large number of people, as well as the emerging boutique museums, which will benefit from the experiences gained for their establishment.

The network offers promotion and access to young people in order to bring the countryside closer to all generations.

The project will create at least 1 new job, retain at least 12 jobs, involve more than 200 young people in rural education and promotion activities, prepare 4 new virtual museums and 4 tourist itineraries, also for vulnerable groups of the population. Expert basis will be prepared in the form of a document for the identification of a new boutique museum of Slovenian fishing and industrial heritage with an investment program and the action plan for the establishment of an interactive house of the Slovenian fishing industry in the former ARGO factory in Izola.

Leading partner: Municipality of Izola
Partners of the operation: IRRIS Institute, Izola Tourist Association, Maritime Museum – Museo del mare “Sergej Mašera” Piran – Pirano, Municipality of Ankaran