Name of the Programme: Interreg Slovakia-Hungary

Title of the project: Narrow-gauge railways as unique gates to nature and cultural heritage

Acronym of the project: NatGate

Project ID: SKHU/1902

Partners: Children’s Railway Košice (Lead), Nagybörzsöny Municipality

Total Project budget: 525,351.66 €

Project start date: 01 January 2021

Project end date: 31 May 2023

Activities: Restoration of locomotives, track repairs, and development of joint promotional materials

Summary of the project: Europe’s specific cultural heritage includes historic narrow-gauge railways, such as Košice Children’s Historical Railway and Forest Railway in Nagybörzsöny. Both railways are important tourist destinations and gateways to nature and attract domestic and foreign visitors. It is a total of 90 000 tourists a year. Because railways were not given sufficient attention in the past and also suffered from poor maintenance, financial and technical problems became their present reality. Today, both railways face the same challenges and obstacles to further development. The main objective of the project is to preserve this cultural and technical heritage for future generations by increasing its attractiveness, thereby ensuring its long-term operation and sustainability.