European Cross-Border Heritage Projects: Borderless Memories, Shared Destinations

This article explores the role of memory tourism in European borderlands, with particular attention to processes of cultural valorisation and cross-border cooperation in contexts shaped by the legacy of the world wars. Following a brief theoretical framework based on key concepts from the sociology of memory and border studies, this article presents a selection of significant European projects in which wartime heritage has been transformed into sustainable and participatory tourist itineraries. In these cases, national memories and divergent narratives have become opportunities for dialogue and development. In response to these challenges – such as the risk of sensationalism, exclusion of minority memories, and divisive governance – the author proposes an “Ethical Code for Memory Tourism” based on principles such as respect for historical dignity, narrative inclusion, engagement of local communities, civic education, sustainability, cross-border cooperation, and impact monitoring.