The three-year Erasmus+ project Mines and Water: Interpreting European Industrial Heritage (WatHerMines) focuses on innovative methods of digital interpretation of industrial heritage in Europe, with particular emphasis on integrating new technologies in education and promoting cultural tourism.

The project brings together partners from four European countries: Högskolan Dalarna (Sweden), Università degli Studi di Bergamo (Italy), Haute Ecole Provinciale de Hainaut – Condorcet (Belgium), and the Centre for Urban Development (Serbia). Throughout the project’s three years, several transnational meetings and intensive study programs (ISP) were organized, aiming to connect students, professors, industrial heritage and tourism experts, as well as local communities local communities.

During the project’s three-year duration, significant results were achieved:

• An online course titled European Industrial Heritage: Its Alternative Uses and Interpretations was developed, providing students and professionals in the fields of tourism and cultural heritage with new knowledge in the area of digital heritage interpretation.
• A textbook was created titled Mines and Water: Interpreting European Industrial Heritage, serving as a unique guide to alternative methods of interpreting and valorising industrial sites.
• A 3D virtual tour of Serbia’s industrial heritage was designed and realized, focusing on the Tašmajdan Cave, allowing a broad audience in both Serbia and across Europe to become familiar with this important site.

The Centre for Urban Development in Belgrade is behind this digital 3D virtual tour of Tašmajdan Cave. This innovative tour, which will be presented to the wider public, contributes to the preservation and promotion of Serbia’s industrial heritage on a digital platform, providing access to an important cultural site, especially since it is currently impossible to visit it physically.

The WatHerMines project represents a significant step forward for Serbia in the area of digitalization and cultural heritage promotion. Through collaboration with partners from Sweden, Italy, and Belgium, Serbia has had the opportunity to enhance its capacities in the interpretation of industrial heritage and become more actively involved in European trends of cultural heritage protection and valorisation. The WatHerMines project lays the groundwork for future initiatives in the field of digital heritage interpretation, with the results achieved over the past three years serving as a model for similar projects in Serbia and across Europe.