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Site preserves Polish mountain life and culture

26.09.2014

The European Association of Elected Representatives from Mountain Areas in Poland and Wojtowice - Back to the future,  an NGO whose mission is to promote sustainable mountain development (SMD) in Poland’s Klodzko Valley, opened on 19 September 2014 a demo site called “Sudety Demo” in beautiful 3.3- hectar area offered to them by the local government of Bystrzyca Klodzka for 25 years. 

The event was celebrated with a seminar on SMD and the role of the Sudety Mountains in the social-economic development strategy of the region. Among the more than 50 participants were representatives of six ‘mountain’ marshall offices.

The demo site includes a "Sudeten Meadow" with six plants under strict protection, a mini-vineyard, an orchard-collection of forgotten Sudeten fruits and a renovated 18th-century cemetery. “If we manage to find the funds necessary, we will reconstruct a 300-year old farm owned in the past by Familie Pautsch  and will build a small ecumenical chapel. In the years to come - on the basis of 4-6 mountain farms - we plan to create a sort of ‘social cooperative’ administered by non-profit associations,” explained Christopher Komornicki, Chair of Wojtowice – Back to the Future.

The project is being implemented thanks to a grant from the Lower Silesia Marshall Office, a small donation from Polish American Freedom Foundation and membership fees. The place has already been visited by nearly 600 representatives of ‘mountain’ provinces of Poland.

Wojtowice – Back to the Future strives to preserve the natural and cultural heritage, local and regional traditions and customs and trace local ancestors and roots.

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