“Sagenhaftes Wölzertal” (Legendary Wölzertal)

The winner project from Rural Youth Austria demonstrates how an original idea can be turned into project that benefits both the local community and the organisation at multiple levels. “Legendary Wölzertal” impressed the panel of judges with its innovativeness in preserving regional cultural history and benefits to the local community and tourism.

Legends of the region

The Rural Youth Austria project team collected 183 legends in total from the Wölzertal region in south-eastern Austria. They selected the top 99 legends and created a book named “99 Sagen aus dem Wölzertal” (“99 legends from the Wölzertal”) as well as an audio CD about the legends. Furthermore, they illustrated the legends at the original places where they were said to have taken place, creating a “legend path”. Presentation boards, wooden sculptures, a playground made of lindworm tree and a lot more were crafted by hand by the project team.

Benefits

Legendary Wölzertal was awarded with the highest honours in this competition as the project illustrated the strong commitment of its members to their rural environment and for its concrete results in creating a unique attraction in their local region. The project shows how a grass-roots youth organisation is capable of implementing complex projects with an innovative touch, and Rural Youth Austria’s willingness to take initiative and participate in the sustainable creation of their environment.

Attachments:

Best practise application - Austria 2009