Europejskie Ugrupowanie Współpracy Terytorialnej
Project partners:
miasto Nowy Targ miasto Kezmarok

Study visit at the Polish-Slovak border area

The day before the conference entitled “EGTC TATRY as a tool for the development and enhancement of regional international cooperation”, its participants made a visit presenting the effects of selected cross-border projects and interested ventures pursued by the local governments which are members of the „Tatry Euroregion”. These also included projects carried out with the participation of EGTC TATRY.

After a short meeting at the offices of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation TATRY, the participants visited the newly opened Museum of Printing in Nowy Targ, established in a restored annex of the Herza Hotel building. This is an effect of a cross-border project pursued by the Town of Nowy Targ in cooperation with the Żilina Region and the village of Ludrova entitled “Following the traces of technological artefacts from the regions of Podhale to Liptov”, which was financially supported by the Interreg V-A Poland-Slovakia 2014-2020 Programme. At the Museum of Printing, the visitors were welcomed by the Deputy Mayor of the Town of Nowy Targ Mr Waldemar Wojtaszek, who presented the cross-border project and its effects. The Museum guide was Mr Antoni Nowak, Honorary Member of the Euroregion “Tatry” and initiator of the Museum of Printing.

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Then the participants went to the town of Limanowa which is proud to have worked for nearly 50 years now with the town of Dolný Kubin. At the Limanowa Regional Museum, they got to know the world of a former pharmacy shop on the Polish-Slovak cross-border area. Thanks to a micro-project under the Interreg V-A Poland-Slovakia Programme carried out in cooperation with the museum in Keżmarok, the interior of the pharmacy shop  of the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century was reconstructed, conservation work was done on elements of the pharmacy’s equipment, exhibits relating to the pharmaceutical activity were supplemented, multimedia solutions and models of historical characters in garments of the times were introduced. This is the only such exposition in the region. The guides in the Museum were Director Magdalena Urbaniec and Ms Anna Kulpa. Since 1969, the town of Limanowa has been working regularly with the town of Dolný Kubin. Projects done within the framework of the Polish-Slovak cooperation by the town of Limanowa and other municipal institutions – the Limanowa Cultural Centre and the Municipal Public Library were presented by Ms Jolanta Szyler, Head of the Department of Promotion, Culture, Sport and Tourism.

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From Limanowa, the study visit route led towards the Pieniny Mountains and Szczawnica. This is another town which is proud to have worked for many years now with Slovak local governments and to have carried out many projects. Here, the participants met the Town Mayor Mr Grzegorz Niezgoda and Town Secretary Mr Tomasz Ciesielka who presented picturesque places in Szczawnica and work done within the projects. These include the Szczawnica-Leśnica cycling route (one of the first cross-border ventures done with funds from a pre-accession Phare CBC Poland-Slovakia Programme), a walking promenade, the restored Dietl Square in the centre of the spa town, the revitalised town park and the car park by the promenade.

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From Szczawnica, the participants went to the town of Łopuszna near the Gorce Mountains, in the Municipality of Nowy Targ. The visit continued in the so-called “Tischner House”. In this mountain house souvenirs, favourite items, manuscripts, books and photographs as well as multimedia – films, radio programmes, reportages were gathered. In addition to seeing this exposition, the visitors also met the Deputy Head of the Municipality of Nowy Targ Mr Marcin Kolasa who presented information on numerous projects carried out by the Municipality of Nowy Targ, plans relating to tourism, construction of more sections of cycling routes of which there are more than 100 km in the municipality, development of cross-country skiing, the construction of the Gorce Gate with a path in tree crowns and an educational pavilion, a concept for the construction of a modern Obłazowa Archaeological Park in Nowa Biała, where the world’s first boomerang was discovered, etc.

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Full of impressions, the participants of the study visit went from Łopuszna to Chochołów – to see an open air museum of wooden architecture which was acknowledged by UNESCO. Here, they visited the newly established Centre for the Protection and Promotion of  Peat Bogs which is an effect of a project done by the Municipality of Czarny Dunajec in cooperation with the Orava Museum of Dolný Kubin under the Interreg V-A Poland-Slovakia 2014-2020 Programme. The project was a finalist of the RegioStars 2018 call for most original and innovative projects financed from European Union funds. A multimedia exposition presenting the unique natural heritage of the peat bogs along the Route around the Tatra Mountains was presented by Mr Jacek Piotrowski from the Municipal Office of Czarny Dunajec.

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The study visit and the trip on the Polish-Slovak cross-border area were planned to inspire the participants and for them to discover the opportunities and potential of international cooperation between Poland and Slovakia with the involvement of local governments and entities such as EGTC TATRY. It was a perfect prelude to discussions at the conference which is scheduled to be held soon, on 30 November.


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Public task co-financed by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland in the call for projects
“Support for the local-government and civic dimensions of Poland’s 2018 foreign policy”



Project co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development
Fund under the Republic of Poland - Slovak Republic Cross-border Co-operation Operational
Programme 2007-2013 and from the funds of the Malopolskie Voivodship