The first phase of Kalevala into the New Millennium project: Viekäämme syville verkot – etemmä ehättäkäämme
Funded by Euregio Karelia Neighbourhood Programme 2001-2006

Objective of the project

The integral purpose of the project was to create a network between White Sea Karelia and the area of Interreg III A Karelia, accounting for and illustrating the unique cultural values of the Karelian folk song areas. It was to retain the Karelian cultural heritage through the help of organisations and communities and to expand the international dimensions.

Main activities

• Organisation of exhibitions and runic song concerts, • Developing Cultural travel routes in White Sea Karelia and the respective services in cooperation with the Arhippa Perttunen Foundation, • Drafting of restoration plans and drawings of traditional houses of White Sea Karelia area, • Carrying out research work on the present state of the textile traditions of White Sea Karelia, • Creation of an innovative indexing system for image material and net-based audio archives, directly accessible on the Internet, supplemented by research excursions to Karelia. • Publication of several books and 2 CD discs about the heritage archives.

Achievements

The various outcomes of the project turned out to have a deepening effect on as well as concrete advantage to cross-border cooperation on matters concerning Karelia. The project managed to map out the various parties preserving the Kalevala tradition in Finland and the Republic of Karelia and to identify the special requirements and cooperation possibilities of each partner for cross-border cooperation. The project gained a lot of publicity both in Finland and Karelia. The networking achieved by the project created possibilities for new kinds of models of cooperation. Extension time was applied for and granted to the project, the purpose of which was set to creating continuity to achieve concrete results.