Who We Are

Mary's Route is first and foremost a community.

Our network brings together volunteers, local associations, municipalities, cultural institutions, tourism professionals, and international partners who share a common vision: preserving and promoting Europe's cultural heritage while strengthening cooperation across borders.

We believe that cultural routes are living spaces where heritage is experienced rather than simply observed. Through community events, educational programmes, volunteering, and international youth exchanges, we encourage people to engage actively with local traditions, landscapes, and one another.

By connecting people with nature, culture, and local communities, Mary's Route creates opportunities for lifelong learning, intercultural dialogue, and responsible tourism. Every journey contributes not only to the discovery of new places, but also to the preservation of the cultural and natural heritage that makes Europe unique.

40 days Pilgrimage

40-Day Pilgrimage Along Mary's Route

Each year, participants set out on a unique 1,000-kilometre pilgrimage from Budapest to Șumuleu Ciuc (Csíksomlyó), walking for forty consecutive days through the heart of Central Europe. More than a physical journey, the pilgrimage is an opportunity to experience Europe's living heritage through historic landscapes, cultural landmarks, and the traditions preserved by local communities along the route.

Every stage offers encounters that cannot be planned: conversations with fellow pilgrims, the generous hospitality of host communities, and moments of quiet reflection shaped by the rhythm of walking. By following a historic route across borders, participants do not simply observe cultural heritage—they become part of it, contributing to the preservation of traditions and strengthening the shared memory that connects Europe's 

diverse regions.

Visiting rural cultural heritage sites

Experiencing the hospitality of local rural communities

Commemorative Hike in the Footsteps of the Tatra Couriers

Mary's Route joined this commemorative hike at the invitation of our Polish partners, who organised the event together with Polish and Hungarian Living History Associations to honour the Tatra Couriers of the Second World War. These courageous men and women crossed the Tatra Mountains under extremely dangerous conditions, carrying messages, intelligence, and guiding refugees and soldiers between occupied Poland and Hungary. Their work became a powerful symbol of solidarity, courage, and the long-standing friendship between the two nations.

Walking the same mountain paths transformed history from something read in books into a personal experience. Along the route, participants reflected on the sacrifices of those who once travelled these trails, while discovering how landscapes themselves can preserve Europe's collective memory. The hike demonstrated that cultural routes are not only about connecting places—they also connect generations by keeping stories of resilience, cooperation, and shared European heritage alive.

Airports and Shrines

Connecting Cultural Heritage Through Sustainable Mobility

Students from an aviation school participating in the Erasmus+ programme developed a digital database linking major European airports with well-known cultural heritage sites and pilgrimage destinations. Their task was to identify the most sustainable and affordable ways to reach these locations by using public transport, walking, and other low-impact travel options while highlighting opportunities to support local accommodation providers and small businesses.

The workshop combined digital skills with tourism development, encouraging participants to rethink travel beyond the airport. By designing environmentally conscious travel itineraries, the students explored how sustainable mobility can improve access to Europe's cultural heritage while promoting slow tourism, strengthening local economies, and encouraging visitors to experience destinations at a more meaningful pace.

On One Way

A Shared Pilgrimage Across Europe

Each year, all member countries of Mary's Route take part in On One Way, a unique international pilgrimage day during which people walk simultaneously along the route in their own countries. Although separated by borders and languages, participants become part of one shared journey, united by a common purpose and a shared European heritage.

The initiative transforms local walks into an international experience, reminding participants that cultural routes are living networks connecting communities across Europe. Walking together on the same day strengthens a sense of belonging, encourages intercultural solidarity, and demonstrates how shared traditions continue to unite people while preserving the historical and cultural identity of the regions through which the route passes.

Communities Around One Table

Shared Paths, Shared Memories

Even the night can not stop us

Mary's Route at the Pentecost Heritage Festival

Mary's Route participated in the Pentecost Heritage Festival at the Szentendre Open-Air Ethnographic Museum (Skanzen), celebrating the rich folk traditions and living cultural heritage of the Carpathian Basin. The event brought together traditional crafts, folk costumes, music, dance, and local customs, offering visitors an authentic insight into the cultural diversity that has shaped the region for generations.

By taking part in the festival, Mary's Route highlighted the importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and supporting the communities that continue to preserve these traditions. The programme demonstrated that Europe's heritage is not only found in historic monuments, but also in the knowledge, craftsmanship, and customs passed down from one generation to the next.

Preserving the past.
Inspiring the present.
Connecting the future.

Europe's cultural heritage lives through the people who continue its story.