The project titled “Tracing the shared history of the 20th century – Functionalism & geocaching” was implemented in partnership between the FabLab Creative Center of the Alexander Dubček University of Trenčín and AMBIS University in Brno. Within the partnership, activities were carried out to promote tourism linked to functionalist architecture in the Trenčín, Zlín, and South Moravian regions.

The project was submitted under the FMP/KCR/01 call of the Interreg Slovakia – Czechia 2021-2027 program – Small Projects Fund.
The project budget was 62,315 EUR, with funding from the European Regional Development Fund contribution of 49,852 EUR, co-financing from the Slovak state budget of 7,424 EUR, and own co-financing from TnUAD of 4,949 EUR.

The main goal of the project was to not only promote and make the architectural heritage of functionalism from the period of the first Czechoslovak Republic (CSR) accessible to the public by initiating experiential tourism, strengthening destination management (specifically through Geocaching), and increasing the competencies of entities in interpretive tourism, but also to support regional development through tourism growth.

The project was divided into three main activities aimed at strengthening the role of culture and sustainable tourism in the border regions of Slovakia (Trenčín Region) and Czechia (South Moravian and Zlín Regions).

1. Initiating experiential tourism through presentation and community workshops

This activity aimed to raise awareness of high-quality functionalist architecture and create conditions for experiential tourism.

• 6 presentation and community workshops (WS) were organized.
• 168 people participated.
• The workshops took place in the following locations: 2x Trenčín, 1x Trenčianske Teplice, 1x Partizánske (SK) and 2x Brno (CZ).

2. Strengthening destination management in tourism through Geocaching

The activity strengthened destination management for locations with functionalist architecture using an innovative Geocaching (GEO) approach.

• 15 new GEO sites in SK and 10 in CZ (25 sites in total) are being created and managed.
• As part of the activity, at least 25 containers and 3,850 personalized caches (KŠ) will be produced.
• GEO sites are registered on the geocaching portal along with an explanation of the building.

3. Training activities for entities operating in tourism (Interpretive tourism)

The intention was to increase the competencies of tourism actors in the field of Interpretive tourism of cultural heritage associated with functionalism.

• 2 training sessions were organized (1x SK, 1x CZ).
• 43 people were trained.
• As part of the activity, 5 accompanying guided tours were organized in Trenčín, Trenčianske Teplice, Partizánske, and 2x in Brno.

The main output of the project is the strengthening of cross-border cooperation and increasing the attractiveness of cultural and tourist sites through Geocaching.