АУТОР / AUTHOR(S): Nataša Pichler-Milanović, Andreja Cirman 
DOI: 10.46793/CSGE5.57NPM
САЖЕТАК / ABSTRACT:
This paper is based on activities and some results of the COST Action CA18110 project “Underground Built Heritage as Catalyser for Community Valorisation” (Underground4Value), https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA18110 (2019–2023). The action brought together more than 200 experts from 32 countries. Underground Built Heritage (UBH) is a unique cultural resource, being a focus of many recent scholarly papers coming from the interdisciplinary studies of geography, archaeology, conservation, tourism, economy, IT, and others. Natural and human-made caves, underground burial sites, mines and quarries, other human made caves used for habitation and work, subterranean infrastructures (cisterns, tunnels, ancient drainage systems, etc.), and ancient buried structures and settlements are all examples of UBH site typologies. They represent attractive cultural and tourism resources, not only for foreign visitors but also for local communities and domestic visitors. Additionally, such sites are often located in urban areas or their surroundings which make them accessible and suitable for daily visits. Therefore, research on UBH requires an interdisciplinary approach, various techniques, and methodologies. The main goals of the Underground4Value project are promoting UBH as a valuable resource to preserve and promote sustainable (re)use of cultural heritage, and to valorise its full potential to support local development. To achieve this overall challenge, the project has been focusing on managing and treasuring the wide participants’ competencies to identify key areas of scientific, technical, commercial, managerial, political, cultural, and social nature, currently perceived as problematic for sustainable use of UBHs. Project partners were interacting with local communities, disseminating innovative thinking, and supporting them to explore alternative social trajectories, such as establishing Living Labs, and experimenting with transition management approach. The main results of the Underground4Value project focus on creative learning, developing new skills for planners, decision-makers, promoters, and local development facilitators, as well as networking of partners from different European and other countries in-situ, on-line, and on digital platforms. This paper particularly focuses on few examples of (re)valorisation of UBH in Central and South-East Europe, most notably Slavic countries, such as Slovenia, Serbia, Poland and Bulgaria.
КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ / KEYWORDS:
underground built heritage (UBH); interdisciplinary valorisation; community development; COST action; Central and South-East Europe