With the German-Polish kick-off conference at the Schweizerhaus Seelow on September 23, 2026, the „Oder-Warthe InfoNet“ project officially entered the joint working phase. Around 30 participants from the participating municipalities, tourism organizations, and administrations came together to coordinate goals, locations, and next steps for a modern, cross-border information landscape.
The Oder-Warthe region combines an extraordinary variety of cultural and natural landscapes, places of remembrance, and cycling and water routes. However, until now many of these offerings have been insufficiently interconnected, not continuously multilingualized, or difficult to find digitally. This is where the project comes in: tourist information centers and information points are to be expanded, existing offerings better connected, and supplemented by digital applications. This is intended to make the region more accessible to visitors and more visible as a common German-Polish travel destination.
A common goal for the region
Seelow Mayor Robert Nitz opened the conference and emphasized the shared goal of making cultural, natural, and commemorative sites as well as cycling and water routes across the border more accessible. Analog and digital information offerings – including responsibly deployed AI applications – should be based on reliable, professionally informed, and multiperspective content. The experiences of the German and Polish partners form an important foundation for reducing linguistic, digital, and practical barriers.
Project manager Dirk Röder presented the technical foundations and the development of the umbrella brand „Erinnerung verbindet“. This understands the Oder-Warthe region as a common cultural, remembrance and encounter space, where different German and Polish perspectives become visible. Around 200 remembrance sites as well as already developed thematic routes – including those on the 1945 war events, Jewish life, the Nazi concentration camps, the Knights Hospitaller and the fortress heritage – form a strong content base. The Oder-Warthe InfoNet is intended to translate these project-related offerings from the status quo into permanently connected, multilingual and contemporary tourist communication.
Concrete projects in many locations
The presentations by the project partners made it clear how diverse the planned measures are. Seelow, as the lead partner, is taking overall coordination, further developing the tourist information center and renewing tourist information systems. Międzyrzecz is planning a year-round, modernized tourist information center, a three-language bicycle and water hiking map, and 50 information panels with QR and NFC technology. In Letschin, the focus is on the Marina Kienitz, the tourist information center, and the integration of cycling and water tourism.
Kostrzyn nad Odrą is setting up a new tourist information center on the fortress grounds, digitally networking cycling and water routes, and modernizing the DELFIN Marina. Słońsk is compiling information about its natural, cultural, and historical sites in digital offerings and is planning an information center at the castle ruins. Santok is creating a new tourist information center and developing the Marina into a modern hub for cycling and water tourism. The Oder-Spree Tourism Association brings its experience in brand development, data management, and digital guest communication; the Märkisch-Oderland District supports, as an associated partner, especially in signage and public relations.
Partnership sealed, work program agreed upon
A visible sign of the joint start was the signing of the partnership agreement by the attending mayors Janusz Krzyśków from Słońsk, Józef Ludniewski from Santok, Robert Nitz from Seelow and Remigiusz Lorenz from Międzyrzecz. This confirmed the basis for the coordinated implementation of the project until 2029.
For the coming years, the partners agreed on a series of specialized workshops. Thematically, the program covers topics ranging from the management and monitoring of tourist information centers, digital brand branding, inclusion, and the integration of cycling and water tourism with sustainability in cross-border tourism. Parallel to this, common standards, guidelines, and qualified digital content are being developed. The final conference is scheduled for 2029 in Seelow.
Outlook
The kick-off conference showed that the strength of the Oder-Warthe InfoNet lies in the combination of different competences and perspectives. New and modernized information sites, multilingual content, digital networking, and a common marketing strategy are intended to make it easier for guests to discover the region as a cohesive experience in the future. Under the umbrella brand „Memory connects“, a tourist information landscape is being created step by step that transcends boundaries, responsibly conveys history, strengthens sustainable travel offerings, and is above all AI-relevant.
