In 1432, the Venetian nobleman Pietro Querini and his crew were stranded on the island of Røst in Lofoten after a dramatic journey across the sea.

The story is the starting point for Via Querinissima, an international collaboration that follows Querini's journey through Europe. It is also the inspiration behind the Hospitality Symposium, a new meeting point for reflection, knowledge sharing and artistic expression. There they were met with an extraordinary hospitality by the local population. This act not only saved lives, but also laid the foundation for one of the earliest documented cultural exchanges between the South and the North in Europe.

Nordland County Library is an active partner in Via Querinissima and uses the library's values ​​to strengthen European cultural cooperation. Through initiatives such as the Hospitality Symposium, a traveling exhibition and the dissemination of Querini's account, the county library shows how libraries can contribute to promoting cultural heritage, knowledge and community - in line with both national and European values.

The Hospitality Symposium will be held for the first time in June 2026 at Røst and in Bodø. Participants from different countries and fields of study will gather to explore what hospitality means – historically, philosophically, socially and politically – and how this value can strengthen community and understanding in our time.

The project is part of the work to establish Via Querinissima as an official European cultural route, and shows how the library can be an active co-creator in international cultural projects.

"Can one be adventurous or hospitable without being open to new thoughts, feelings or experiences? Can one even meet a person as an equal if one rejects their entire cultural background? Exploration, whether it concerns new countries, new cultures or new people, is the mirror image of hospitality. Both require one to open oneself to the fact that the world, both inner and outer, is larger than one knew. This understanding laid the foundation for the many centuries of close contact between Venice and Røst. Pietro Querini's journey never ended, it continues to this day, with the exchange of history, food, language, research and culture. The Hospitality Symposium is an exploration of ways of meeting, whether one is the one who travels or the one who receives."

(Christian Torset, philosopher).