The Provincial Council of Badajoz, through the Digital Transformation and Tourism Area, is developing since the end of January 2023, a pilot action with five secondary schools in Extremadura, whose overall objective is to promote the use of new technologies for the generation of digital resources and for the promotion of heritage, through a process of open participation and within the context of the Innocastle project. The participating HEIs are: IES Francisco Vera (Alconchel); IES Eugenio Hermoso (Fregenal de la Sierra); IES Ramón Carande (Jerez de los Caballeros); IES Antonio Nebrija (Zalamea de la Serena); IES Sierra de Montánchez (Montánchez).
Students and teachers from each of the five schools will take part in the project and will carry out a preliminary investigation to select the objects to be digitised. For this selection, priority will be given to those private (preferably) or public heritage assets (real estate or movable) that are less known or promoted for tourism, not necessarily declared BIC (Bienes de Interés Cultural), which are considered to be at high risk of being lost or forgotten, such as, for example: urban manor houses, singular rural buildings, lesser-known religious buildings, as well as other heritage assets with potential to attract tourism, at the discretion of the participating course, such as statues, chalices, crosses, furniture, traditional clothing, fountains, monoliths, small constructions, etc. associated with the history of the locality.
The pilot project will run from January to May 2023 and will culminate in a guided visit to the castle of Alburquerque, which will be the prize awarded to the students and teachers of the school that has obtained the best evaluation according to a technical committee coordinated by the Provincial Council of Badajoz. The selection of the castle of Alburquerque as a destination for the visit is justified by having participated in the Interreg Europe Innocastle project through the main social groups of the town of Alburquerque, which carried out a participatory process during 2022 to develop a proposal for cultural and leisure activities, respectful of the heritage of the castle, to be carried out within the castle grounds.
Innogestiona Ambiental has been technically supporting the execution of the Innocastle project, and will continue to support the pilot experience with the educational centres, depending on the needs that are identified.
