EPIC (European Urban Initiative)

EPIC (Experience Prato Industrial Culture) is an international project funded by the EU programme, the European Urban Initiative (EUI).

The Italian Municipality of Prato is leading the project, which comprises a consortium of ten partners from the private and public sectors. The project’s primary goal is to develop industrial tourism and integrate industrial heritage with modern digital technologies. The EUI has supported the project by allocating 5 million € for a four-year period.

The City of Pilsen is acting as a transfer partner and expects to gain valuable experience and knowledge from cooperating with the other partner cities.

Aims of the project:

• development and enhancement of industrial tourism in the Municipality of Prato, extending the TIPO – Turismo Industriale Prato initiative,
• involvement of local communities in bottom-up actions and initiatives,
• integrating digital technologies such as VR, AR and MR into industrial, cultural and natural landscapes and tourist attractions,
• creation of a marketing strategy and itineraries to support tourism,
• empowering the governance of tourist destinations,
• sharing experiences and good practices among European partner cities.

Results of the project:

• new tourist routes and digital installations in the Municipality of Prato,
• immersive and interactive experiences for the visitors,
• digital marketing strategy and catalogue of itineraries,
• capacity building and training of local stakeholders,
• the Transfer of experiences, know-how and examples of good practices to the partner cities (such as Bilbao, Miskolc, and the City of Pilsen).

This international project, funded by the EUI, aims to support the City of Pilsen in developing its industrial tourism sector by combining historical heritage with future innovations. The city will gain experience and expertise. This expertise will be utilized at the former brewery, which is now a unique technology park called TechTower. The project is realized in cooperation with SITMP and the city’s in-house organization, Pilsen – TOURISM.

The project is conceived for 4 years (starting on 1 December 2025, ending on 31 May 2029) and is coordinated by Municipality of Prato (Italy). The EU budget for the City of Pilsen, which is represented in the project by SITMP, is 120 900 €. Project Identification: European Urban Initiative (EUI) – European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

More information on the official website.

• industrial tourism
• history and innovation
• good practice