FORTIC Final Conference: Shaping the Future of Adriatic Fortified Heritage
The FORTIC Final Conference will take place on 15 September 2026 in Pula, marking the final stage of the FORTIC project and bringing together project partners, experts and stakeholders from Croatia, Italy and other European countries.
Hosted by the City of Pula-Pola, Lead Partner of FORTIC, the event will provide an opportunity to reflect on the results achieved during the project and, more importantly, to discuss how the knowledge, practices and partnerships developed through FORTIC can contribute to the future of Adriatic fortified heritage.
The programme is closely linked to the FORTIC Joint Strategy and the common priorities identified by project partners and stakeholders for the long-term conservation, management and sustainable valorisation of fortifications across the Adriatic area.
Through a series of moderated panel discussions, invited experts will exchange experiences and good practices related to integrated conservation and revitalisation, sustainable territorial and tourism development, participatory governance and community involvement. Particular attention will be given to practical examples of how former military sites can be given new functions, connected more strongly with their surrounding territories and communities, and managed sustainably over the long term.
Alongside the panel discussions, FORTIC partners will present selected project results demonstrating how innovation, digital interpretation, accessibility and inclusion can contribute to new ways of experiencing and understanding fortified heritage. These include digital and immersive interpretation solutions, improvements in physical accessibility and approaches aimed at making heritage more accessible to different groups of users.
Bringing together perspectives from public authorities, cultural and heritage institutions, tourism, research, architecture and European networks, the event will also open a discussion on what comes after FORTIC – from maintaining the results achieved during the project to strengthening cooperation and connections among fortified heritage sites across the Adriatic and beyond.
Simultaneous interpretation in Croatian, Italian and English will be provided at the venue, together with sign language interpretation. A live stream in English will also make the discussions accessible to a wider international audience; the link will be provided 5 days before the conference.
The conference programme and Meet the Speakers document are available in the attachments, providing further information about the programme, invited speakers and topics that will shape the discussion in Pula.
