Acronym

CCN

NUMBER

PBU2/0856/18

Project type

Micro-project

STATUS

Completed

THEMATIC OBJECTIVE

HERITAGE

PRIORITY

1.1 Promotion of local culture and history

PARTNERSHIP

PL-BY

LEAD BENEFICIARY

Suwałki Commune (Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland)

BENEFICIARY

Ašmiany District Executive Committee (Hrodna Oblast, Belarus)

Project description

The Polish-Belarusian borderland, having common roots, has a variety of architectural monuments, handicraft, culinary and folklore traditions. On the other hand, the main problem of the area is the disappearance of the local culture and traditions, which constitute the character of the region. The same problem is faced by the Ashmiany District, Cultural Center of Suwałki Commune and Suwałki Commune leading to the low attractiveness of the regions and a decline in the tourism sector.

The CCN project partners want to improve the image of both areas via popularization of local heritage. Tourism attractiveness in not only physical objects but also the atmosphere of the places and its uniqueness. That’s why many cross-border events will be organized as part of the project, e.g. the “Kupala Night” festival in Poland, the seminar "Decrease the culture of the borderland" in Belarus, thematic workshops for youth (music, handicraft and plasticity) in Suwałki and Ashmiany. Moreover, the partners will promote interesting sites of the Polish-Belarusian borderland:  the Post-Camaldolese Monastery Complex in Wigry, Hydrological Station from 1927 in Stary Folwark and ethnographic exhibition "Save from oblivion" in Krzywe (Poland). On the territory of Belarus - Struve's Geodetic Arc in Tupiški (triangulation point included in UNESCO World Heritage List), the ruins of the Sapieha Castle in Haĺšany (built-in 1610) and the monument of Franciszek Boguszewicz in Župrany. "The Craftsmans of the borderland" album will popularize these unique places in the region.

The project activities will stimulate cooperation in the protection of common values of cultural heritage in Poland and Belarus. In a longer perspective, it will also affect the economic activity of the border region creating an important base for using the cultural potential. The effect of this process will be visible in a greater number of tourists and widening of the tourist offer based on the traditions and history of the ancestors.