Remnants of the old fortress, that the people of Sinj simply call the Town, have been faithful to watch over Sinj even today, after the passage of centuries. It harboured the people and soldiers during Turkish invasions, guarded and protected the weak, resisted invaders. In the centre of the fortress there was St Michael’s church in which, on the altar of St Barbara, the Franciscans from Rama laid the precious and miraculous image of the Mother of Mercy. In 1699, through the advocacy of Father Pavao Vučković, in the town at the foot of the old fortress the building of St Mary’s church began. The church was completed in 1712.

There is little left of the fortress itself. After 1709, 1768 and 1796 earthquakes and repeated barbarian invasions, the old fortified walls of Sinj yielded so the people began to settle in Podvaroš, at the foot of the hill. A small church, which is nowadays at the Town, was built in 1887, in commemoration of two centuries of arrival of the people of Cetina from Rama. It is a symbol of a vow, a close alliance and devotion which have for centuries bound the Cetina people to the Mother of God. In 2008, in honour of their eternal heavenly patroness, the people of Sinj built at the Town a bronze statue of the Madonna of Sinj, the work of the academic sculptor Josip Marinović.

From the foothill to the votive church at the Old Town the Way of the Cross is built. Stations were sculptured by the most prominent Croatian sculptors.

Complete restoration of the fortress walls has been planned to finish up until 2015, with a great celebration of the tercentenary of the defence of Sinj.

To connect with us and to get the latest news and events held in Sinj please follow us on www.facebook.com/visitsinj

And finally, we invite you to visit our page www.visitsinj.com/en to discover town of Sinj.

Contact person: Jelena Bilic

For tourist information e-mail: tzg-sinja@st.t-com.hr

Joseph Spiteri

EWT President

Click here for Executive Agenda 2013

Click here for Executive Agenda

Our municipality has four coastal towns; Cala Rajada, Cala Mesquida, Font de Sa Cala and Canyamel with beautiful beaches and the inland town of Capdepera where you can find the most important and historical building of our village The Capdepera Castle.

The Capdepera Castle was founded by King Jaume II in the XIIIth century. It begans with the construction of a church surrounded by a wall with its towers. Behind it the houses of the first settlers were built. At that time, as Capdepera was a strategic point of uppermost importance, the castle was the best defence for the “gabellins” (citizens of Capdepera) in times of danger and the inhabitants who lived outside the walls sought protection there during the attacks of Berbers.

Little by little the Castle of Capdepera had became one of the most visited monuments of Mallorca and nowadays it is an Asset of Cultural Interest, a classification that gives our historical heritage the greatest protection.

There are other important buildings that cannot go unmentioned, the tower of Canyamel of muslin origin, other defence towers, the Caves of Artà, the Centre Melis Cursach, The Gardens of Casa March..

The main industry of Capdepera is tourism,for this reason, and in order to attract tourists, we are developing new cultural strategies in our inheritance a s a n e x a m p l e ; T h e M e d i e v a l market,exhibitions,performances at the inheritance,sculpture gardens…

We invite you to come to Capdepera “where the first sun of Mallorca arise” for the next Executive Meeting and live a Medieval experience surrounded by nice beaches, nature and pure atmosphere.

Reserve your accommodation for Executive Meeting

HOTEL AMOROS ***

http://www.hotelamoros.com
hotel@hotelamoros.com

Tel: 003497 1563550 Fax: 003497 1563454
Cala Rajada. C/ Ses Llegitimes, 37 C.P. 07590

SPECIAL OFFER FOR THE EUROPEAN WALLED TOWNS EXECUTIVE MEETING IN CAPDEPERA.

Bed and Breakfast 25 € pro person and day in a double room.
Bed and Breakfast 35 € pro person and day in a single room.

HOTEL GREEN GARDEN ***

http://www.gardenhotels.com
booking.garden@gardenhotels.com

Call Center: 902051105

SPECIAL OFFER FOR THE EUROPEAN WALLED TOWNS EXECUTIVE MEETING IN CAPDEPERA.

Bed and Breakfast 32 € pro person and day in studio or apartment for two persons.
Bed and Breakfast 45 € pro person and day in studio for one person.

HOTEL BELLA PLAYA & SPA ***

http://www.bellaplaya.com/en/hotel-bella-playa-and-spa-cala-ratjada-majorca.html
Tel.: 0034 971563050
Fax: 0034 971565252

SPECIAL OFFER FOR THE EUROPEAN WALLED TOWNS EXECUTIVE MEETING IN CAPDEPERA.

Bed and Breakfast 38 € pro person and day in a double room.
Bed and Breakfast 48 € pro person and day in a single room.

Schedule of Events and Activities for Executive Meeting

Thursday,16th MAY 2013
16:00hrs. Arrival of partners in Palma de Mallorca.

16:30hrs. Transfer from Palma de Mallorca to Capdepera.(1 h. and ½)

18:00hrs. Arrival and check-in at the respective hotels in Capdepera.(At the arrival the participants will receive leaflets,maps and usefull information about our village)

20:30hrs. Welcome dinner to the conference’s participants hosted by the Hotel Association.

Friday,17th MAY 2013
9:00hrs Opening speech by the Mayor of Capdepera and the tourism Councillor

9:30- 11:30hrs. European Walled Towns Executive Meeting in Cap Vermell Centrum (Cala Rajada).

11- 11.30hrs. Coffee Break

11.30 – 13.30hrs. European Walled Towns Executive Meeting in Cap Vermell Centrum.

14:00hrs. Lunch hosted by the Castle association.

17:30hrs. Departure by bus direct to the Medieval Market.

19:00 –Meeting of all authorities at the medieval market.
Meeting point: Capdepera’s Town Hall.

19:20hrs. Visit to the Capdepera Castle and Medieval Market.
Exhibition of castles in Mallorca (Santueri Castle,Alaró Castle, Cabrera Castle,Castell del Rei and Bellver Castle).
Live a Medieval experience going back to the Medieval Ages through the Medieval Market in Capdepera. This day we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the castle’s cession to the village of Capdepera. This is an official ceremony with politics from the Balearic Government, the local councillors and the Mayor.
The Medieval Market is an example of cultural products used for tourism development, social cohesion and identity of our municipality.

21.30hrs Dinner hosted by the Castle Association.

Saturday, 18th May 2013.
9.15 – 11hrs Workshops at Cap Vermell Centrum in Cala Rajada.
Theme: Tourism development in The Balearic Island.

9:30 –10:00hrs. Strategic lines of the Balearic Island Government.(ATB)

10:00 – 10:30hrs.European Projects (Eurolocal).

10:30- 11:00hrs Cultural development of Capdepera, our strategic lines and the future plans and projects.

11:05 – 11.25hrs. Coffee Break.

11.30 – 13:40hrs
Theme: Turistic projects and development plans of other foreign members (Portugal and Malta).

14:00 – 16:00hrs Lunch in Capdepera hosted by the Castle Association.
16:10 h. Visit to the Centre Melis Cursach in Capdepera and defence system exhibition. (1 hour and 20 min.)

17:25hrs.Visit to the Canyamel Tower.(1 hour).
- Coffee break hosted by the tower property
During the Middle Ages the Canyamel Tower was part of the defence system that protected the coasts from the numerous dangers that constantly besieged the island.

19:00hrs. Free time.

21:00hrs Dinner hosted by the Castle Association.

22:30 hrs Return to the respective hotels.

Sunday, 19th May 2013

10:30hrs. Guided visit to the Gardens of Fundación Bartolome March Servera or free time (1 hour).

12:30hrs. transfer from Capdepera to Palma de Mallorca airport.

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]]> http://walledtowns.com/news/newsletter-february-2013/feed/ 0 http://walledtowns.com/news/messagefromjoe/ http://walledtowns.com/news/messagefromjoe/#comments Sat, 09 Feb 2013 13:02:02 +0000 beheerder http://walledtowns.com/?p=2392 Continue reading →]]> Dear Friends,
It is my pleasure to write to you for the first time, since i’ve been elected President of the EWT, through this issue of our newsletter. I would like to take this opportunity to first of all wish you all a prosperous New Year, and I would also like to thank you all, for your support.The secretariat and I, have since took over the presidency, met with the previous secretariat and we have been given a smooth transition. I wish to thank all those involved for making this happen.I am now looking forward to meet you all again in Capdepera in May, and as i have promised you in Gmund, will be working with you all for the benefit of the European Walled Towns.We need to exchange ideas and explore how best we can work together. I intend to engage in discussion with you all, and give you the opportunity to let me know what you expect the EWT to do for your respective Cities, and what changes you would like to see taking place within the EWT.I want to sincerely thank Peter Van Rusmalen and his secretariat for the good work they have done for the EWT, during their tenure of office.

I assure you all, that my secretariat and I will strive to take our organisation forward for the benefit of all member towns and cities.

Many best regards
Joe Spiteri
President

Mr. Joseph Spiteri – Deputy Mayor – Valletta Local Council

Joseph Spiteri was born on 21st September 1961 and he has lived in the city of Valletta all his life. He attended the St. Albert the Great College also in Valletta. Mr. Spiteri has been working as a Civil Servant with the Malta Public Service from September 1990 to August 1998, serving within a substantial number of government departments. From September 1998 to date he has served as Secretariat officer within the Personal Secretariat of the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications carrying out assignments and attending meetings at the discretion of the Minister.

Mr. Spiteri plays an active role in the civic life of the city, this mostly arising from his involvement within the Valletta Local Council as an elected Councillor with the Nationalist Party ticket since 1993 and his serving for several terms of office as the Deputy Mayor of the Valletta Local Council. Together with the Mayor and his fellow Councillors, Mr. Spiteri has always strived to works towards making residents and visitors alike perceive Valletta as a unique living experience, aiming towards a better quality of life for the Valletta residents, based on a safer and healthier environment, with an improved infrastructure appropriate for a modern walled city. In his work within the Local Council, Mr. Spiteri has always aimed at a City administration operating with an open and innovative mind in order to promote Valletta as a City fit for work, business and leisure, for the younger generation as well as for our senior citizens, whilst giving due importance and space to the cultural strength of the City and above all to provide an enjoyable and unique tourist experience.

Mr. Spiteri is also responsible for the European and International portfolio within the Local Council. During his tenure as a Councillor and consequently as a Deputy Mayor within the Valletta Local Council, Mr. Spiteri has given great importance to active participation in EU matters on behalf of the Local Council and the local community he represents, giving special attention to the younger generation within the City. In fact, Mr. Spiteri has worked extensively within the Local Council to tap funds through EU-funded programmes. Once such example is the Youth in Action Programme through which he provided a number of opportunities for the local youths within the community resulting in EU exchange and mobility projects. In 2010, a group of 15 youngsters from Valletta visited Iceland in a youth mobility project concerning democracy and in 2011 another group of youngsters visited Catania as well. These projects transpired as a result of the work dedicated by Mr. Spiteri together with the administration of the Valletta Local Council and the necessary preparatory visits and planning such projects entail.

Another EU project spearheaded by Mr. Spiteri’s initiative during this tenure within the Local Council is the Hero Project which consists of a partnership between a number of EU countries aimed at fostering the exchange among the project partners in regards to the elaboration process of “Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plans” (CHIMPs) on local level in the partner cities. The main objective of the project HerO, funded by URBACT, is to facilitate the right balance between the preservation of built cultural heritage and the sustainable, future socio-economic development of historic towns, in order to strengthen their attractiveness and competitiveness. In fact, one such conference, the HerO Mid-Term Conference was hosted by the Valletta Local Council in Malta in 2011 and it largely focused on “Implementation Strategies”. A number of 35 representatives from 8 heritage cities all around Europe attended the conference organized by the Valletta Local Council with Mr. Spiteri heading the organizing committee, which was part of this EU-funded project dealing with sustainable management strategies for historic urban landscapes.

The City of Valletta joined the European Walled Towns (EWT) in 1996 and during the past sixteen years, Mr. Spiteri representing the Valletta Local Council has contributed extensively, taking an quite a pro-active role within the organisation. Mr. Spiteri has been present and gave contributions to the long debate regarding the change of name of the organisation, and in every internal discussion regarding changes to the constitution and other matters within the EWT during the years.

Within the context of the EWT, Mr. Spiteri was also involved in the ARCHWAY Project between 2004 and 2007, which focused on developing a pan-European network for walled towns, enabling them to share information and exchange best practice on issues that affected them all. The project aimed at the creation of a network which would become the principal source of European policy, good practice, innovation and excellence in the conservation, promotion, development, management and spatial planning of historic places. Moreover, in his involvement within the EWT, Mr. Spiteri has always contributed successfully to the organization of a number of Executive meetings hosted in Malta including a very recent one in May 2012. He has always been open to ideas and actively participated with other member Towns and Cities of the EWT in various European projects offering prompt support and feedback.

With regards to his vision for the future, Mr. Spiteri believes that European Walled Towns cannot be considered solely as cradles of society with a glorious past, and they cannot keep being acclaimed only for their traditional and historical prestige. He believes that there is more to Walled Towns than meets the eye and hence his aim as President is to bring out the hidden cultural time-bomb of European Walled Towns and their ability to become a central hub of dynamic cultural experiences, buzzing with activities involving the performing arts, and ultimately becoming a regular attraction to all sectors of society, from children and youths to senior citizens and also be regarded as important assets for the increase of tourism. The focus has to be set on this cultural aspect and the inclusion of performing arts, to encourage the exchange of artists, performers and best practices in the cultural field between members of the association. He further wants to commence a study about the common cultural aspect of European Walled Towns and how this can be further developed through possibly an effective marketing strategy.

Click here to view the Newsletter

  ]]> http://walledtowns.com/news/messagefromjoe/feed/ 0 http://walledtowns.com/news/joseph-spiteri-elected-president-of-ewt/ http://walledtowns.com/news/joseph-spiteri-elected-president-of-ewt/#comments Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:46:26 +0000 beheerder http://walledtowns.com/?p=2285 Continue reading →]]>

Mr Joseph Spiteri, vice mayor of Valletta was elected President of the European Walled Towns at the Annual General Meeting in Gmund in Karnten, Austria on Saturday 22nd September.

The picture shows Mr Peter van Rosmalen outgoing President congratulating the incoming President Mr Joseph Spiteri.

The jury on Hellevoetsluis: Hellevoetsluis is remarkable because it translates the nautical and archaeological past to the present on a broad scale; in many places ( even in new housing developments) inhabitants, youth, water sportsmen and tourists are stimulated to experience the history of Hellevoetsluis.