A cultural route for Ottoman heritage in Europe: opportunities and challenges from the perspectives of students

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines attitudes toward the development of a cultural route based on Ottoman heritage in Europe among university students from Bulgaria, Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia, and Hungary. The online survey results outline the basic preconditions and potential obstacles to the development of such a cultural route, with the lack of public support in most countries identified as one of the major problems. The general conclusion is that both the attractiveness of the route’s content and public support can increase if the thematic focus is set on cultural interactions between different nations rather than on ‘pure’ Ottoman heritage and Islamic religion. This can lead to greater public acceptance and increased interest among stakeholders at the local, national, and international levels, and create the conditions for effective functionality and long-term sustainability of the route.