One year ago, the Crafts4Future small-scale project successfully implemented several workshops focused on preserving handicraft heritage in the border area of Slovenia and Hungary. The project aimed to safeguard the cultural heritage of handicrafts in the cross-border region by integrating innovative approaches, thus laying the foundation for long-term cooperation between institutions in the Slovenia-Hungary programme area. The project partners – Pomelaj, zadruga za razvoj podeželja, z.o.o. from Slovenia and Vasvári Nagytérségi Népfőiskoláért Alapítvány from Hungary – organized seven craft workshops, where craftspeople shared their knowledge with young participants. The workshops also emphasized the integration of innovative methods in handicrafts and the revival of traditional crafts.

And the story continues. The Crafts4Future project was ranked 7th among the 20 shortlisted finalists in the EU Project, My Project 2025 national campaign, and the partners have continued to make plans and dream even bigger. Thanks to their joint efforts, the first Handicraft Festival in Murska Sobota, Slovenia, will take place on Saturday, 14 June 2025. The festival will not only celebrate craftsmanship but also provide a space for connection, inspiration, and mutual learning. To ensure that the preservation of craftsmanship is not limited to a few events, a new project is on the horizon. The upcoming C4F-ELEVATE standard project will build on past achievements and bring renewed energy and ambition. It will mark a significant milestone in cross-border cooperation by addressing key challenges of our time: an ageing population, the loss of traditional knowledge, and the limited integration of heritage into sustainable tourism.

📅 Date & Time: Saturday, 14 June 2025, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
📍 Location: Castle Courtyard, Murska Sobota (Trubarjev drevored 4, 9000 Murska Sobota, Slovenia)
🎤 Special Guest: Dr. Aleksander Jevšek, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development of the Republic of Slovenia