The municipality of Lake Plastira of the Regional Unit of Karditsa exploits the AI era and invests in innovation. Priority, according to the municipal authority, is the creation of favourable conditions for the establishment of start-up businesses in Lake Plastira. At the same time, the aim is the intelligent management of the historical and cultural heritage of the region. To renew the tourist interest, the municipality creates new museums with innovative approaches, such as the Open Air Museum of Contemporary Art for which it prepares a personalized tour for each project for each visitor using new technologies. In collaboration with the Region of Thessaly, an International Sculpture Symposium is held in June and a Sculpture Biennale in September with the participation of 15 young artists from different countries.
It also organises local history, culture dynamically and not statically, making use of new technologies and the AI era. The creation of the Innovation Hub (Hub Innovation) aimed at youth entrepreneurship, the creation of an access hub to scientific libraries and Data Center, aimed at developing research projects, the Innovation Camp for hosting students, are part of the Innovation Hub of Lake Plastira. In addition, the creation of a digital library and conventional thematic libraries, the collection of oral documents, photographic material and films on Lake Plastira and the wider Agrafa region, are objects in which the municipality of Lake Plastira invests, enhancing local development.
According to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, the mayor Panagiotis Nanos, «innovation with the use of new technologies is the means to eliminate the distance between Lake Plastira and the new generations. It is the motivation to settle young scientists in Lake Plastira. The free provision of professional housing for young people, combined with living in a wonderful natural environment, will act as a lever for the repopulation of our villages. Some of our choices today may seem bold, but they are infrastructures that serve the vision of turning Lake Plastira into an international landmark, a model Environmental Innovation Hive.» The mayor also states that «the Open Air Museum of Contemporary Art with the International Sculpture Symposia and the Biennale of Young Artists introduce Thessaly and Lake Plastira to the international visual arts scene, with a view to the international tourist market. This is followed by the Empathy Park, a one-of-a-kind educational reference point for Inclusion, as well as other theme parks».
Apostolis Zois
