It’s taken over 200 years, but Spain and Portugal have figured out a way to cash in on Napoleon’s invasions of the Iberian Peninsula. A joint project aims at creating attractions based on the routes and history of the French conquest and eventual defeat.
The cross-border project, which is expected to run for two years and cost about €711,000, will create routes matching the armies and battles, put up signage to explain the events and to upgrade some existing museums. The European Regional Development Fund is picking up €533,000 of the cost, which will also include advertising campaigns aimed at other countries and the U.S.
Part of the importance of the project to the two countries is to bring visitors to areas that have suffered economic declines and population losses, and give them a new source of income; it will also have the effect of spreading out visitors to attractions away from the coastal beaches and big cities.
