Acronym

HunGalRail

NUMBER

PBU2/0964/18

Project type

Micro-project

STATUS

Completed

THEMATIC OBJECTIVE

HERITAGE

PRIORITY

1.1 Promotion of local culture and history

PARTNERSHIP

PL-UA

LEAD BENEFICIARY

NGO "Linia102.Ua" (Lviv Oblast, Ukraine)

BENEFICIARY

The State Higher School of Eastern Europe in Przemyśl (Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland)
West Ukrainian Resource Center (Lviv Oblast, Ukraine)

Project description

The common problem of the HunGalRail project is the low level of tourism traffic in the Przemyski Poviat and Sambir district. As a consequence - historical and cultural objects degraded and the inhabitants of the regions have little awareness of their own heritage. These areas are rich in common culture and history but are currently characterized by low economic growth. In the past, they were connected by the historically known First Hungarian-Galician Railway, which does not function today. The restoration of the railway connection between Przemyśl, Khyriv and Sanok would foster the development of these regions.

Therefore, the main goal of the HunGalRail project was to revive the heritage of the First Hungarian-Galician Railway, strengthen cultural ties between the inhabitants of the border regions of Ukraine and Poland, and ultimately promote the region to enhance its tourist potential. As a part of the project, visits of Ukrainian and Polish youth to historical landmarks along the route of the First Hungarian-Galician Railway, a conference on historical and cultural aspects and training for local authorities have been organized. Additionally, the concept of preserving heritage by creating new forms of tourist activity in the region (railway routes) was developed. While the concept was designed as a long-term tool, the promotional activities were expected to draw attention to the forgotten heritage of Hungarian-Galician Railway at that stage. Consequently, 32 information boards and road pointers were installed along the old railway route on both sides of the border. These boards include QR codes with detailed descriptions of landmarks in Polish and Ukrainian. The same information is also available on the project website.

The project implementation represents a step towards the ambitious goal of restoring the historical railway route. The results of the project have the potential to attract investors for further infrastructure improvements, promoting it as an attractive tourist product. In turn, railway tourism is expected to have a positive impact on the region's economy.