Hoče, Maribor, Slovenia
It is our pleasure to inform you that the University of Maribor (Slovenia) and Centro di Ricerca per l’Agricoltura e Ambiente (CREA-AA, Italy) organise a three-days ARACNE project consortium mid-meeting, at the University of Maribor, Slovenia from February 19th to February 21st 2024.
The overarching goal of ARACNE is to create a wide and well-connected Silk Innovation Ecosystem that, starting from the historical path followed by Marco Polo in his travels to East, also includes the routes of production and commercialization of silk in Europe in the following centuries. ARACNE aims at recording and preserving the historical and living collections of European silkworms and mulberry trees, as well as the heritage of silk production traditions and knowledge. Re-starting the European silk production will allow for both traditional and innovative applications, and the attempt of the cultural and creative industry to make our silk cultural heritage a strength for the development of future “made in Europe” and tourist itineraries that pass through rural territories.
During the mid-meeting, which will start on 19 February 2024, the partners of the ARACNE project consortium will have the opportunity to present and review the results of the evaluation phase, which aims to collect data on silk in the local context of the different countries, integrating tangible and intangible cultural and natural heritage through the mapping of cultural heritage sites. In particular, the results of the identification of ancient mulberry tree varieties scattered in different germplasm collections and landscapes as well as silkworm strains from local collections will be discussed in order to restore phylogenetic relationships. The planned future activities will also be presented. The meeting will be held at the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences in Hoče and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Maribor. The first day of the mid-meeting will be closed by an Arts and Crafts exhibition.
An excursion to the ancient Roman city of Ptuj will provide exciting insights into silk restoration and regional cultural heritage at the restoration workshop and in the Regional Museum Ptuj Ormož museum on February 20th 2024. The University of Maribor mulberry collection will be presented during a guided visit on the last meeting day, February 21st 2024.
Please kindly note that this meeting is invitation only.