Swiss partners visited the Municipality of Zagorz

On September 29 – October 3. local government and youth from Villars-sur-Glane held a study visit to the Municipality of Zagorz which is the final touch of the project entitled. “ACADEMY OF DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT” which has received more than 320 000 zł grant from the Swiss Partnership Fund Block Grant.

The delegation besides Mrs. Mayor Erika Schnyder, secretary of the commune Emmanuel Roulin, Chair of the General Council of Villars-sur-Glane Francine Defferrard, five-piece group of young people were officials and civil servants responsible for: education, municipal management, health, sports and culture, and fire protection.

The official welcome of the Swiss Delegation was held on the morning of 30 September 30 in the conference room Town and Commune Office in Zagórz. Then the Mayor of Zagórz Ernest Nowak started a conference with representatives of local governments and municipalities, county and local leaders of the Commune Zagorz the troubleshooting utilities, municipal budget development, waste management and emergency management. The culmination of the conference filled with extremely interesting presentations was a session of the City Council in Zagórz with: Martin Michelet – a representative of the Swiss Embassy in Poland, Alicja Wosik – voivodes podkarpacki, Sebastian Niżnik – Sanok district governor. The meeting according to the original intentions proved to be a practical extension of the issues discussed at the conference in relation to the reality of the operation of local governments and municipalities Zagorz and Villars-sur-Glane. The program of the visit could not miss visiting the most valuable monuments of the Commune Zagorz. Swiss guests visited the ruins of the convent of the Carmelites, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the New Life, a group of ski jumps “Zakucie” and the church in Morochowie. Visits to these facilities have become an opportunity to exchange Polish and Swiss experience in the management of cultural and sporting activities and the protection of cultural heritage.

Visit of Swiss youth in the Junior High School proceeded very interesting. Young Swiss supervised by teachers Ewa Bryła – Czech and Jerzy Hryszko visited the school to become acquainted with the structure of education in Poland, and also participated in open lessons conducted by foreign languages teachers Andrzej Chrobak and Grzegorz Dorosz. During the school call a crowd of high school students watched a presentation about Switzerland. In addition, two contests were settled. First on the knowledge about Switzerland. Second on the logo or symbol for awakening the most relevant associations with this country. Part of the appeal filled with entertaining performances of Spartans – gymnasts club from Zahutyn led by coach Miroslaw Kazmierczak. Music for the ceremony provided Solon Klaudia (vocals) and Anna Paryżak (flute). The final touch of Polish – Swiss youth meeting was the performance of school dance team. Rich in many impressions day ended with a meeting with the Swiss delegation to volunteer firefighters from the area of Municipality Zagorz, which was held in the firehouse in Poraż. The crowning achievement of visitation of the firehouse became a regional feast, which was prepared by the Farmers Wives Association. In this line of action in addition to the promotion of regional cuisine and culture were the motivation for the exchange of experiences of Polish and Swiss cooperation with local governments the so called. the third sector in case of emergencies.

The issue of creating and managing systems of civil protection was themed of visits of on the second day of their visit to Poland by the Swiss in the headqarters of the State Fire Service (KPPSP) and the Outpost of the Border Guard (PSG) in Sanok. Thanks to the hospitality and openness Lt. Col. Andrzej Siwiec – Border Guard commander in Sanok and Brig. Krzysztof Dżugan – Chief of the District Fire Service Swiss guests could get acquainted with the realities of running of the service, which usually intensively cooperate with the government of Zagórz in the field of security and civil protection. Stay in Sanokobviously could not do without visiting such flagship attractions like Historical Museum with a gallery of works of Zdzislaw Beksinski and icons exhibition and the Museum of Folk Architecture. Visits to both institutions for Museum planned not accidentally as an excuse to share Polish and Swiss experience in the field of cultural heritage protection and the functioning of and respect for the rights of national minorities. After the artistic and spiritual sensations of the participants of the study visit again returned to the issue of human security. Thanks to the commitment of the President of the Bieszczady Mountain Rescue Group Andrzej Czech representatives of Villars-sur-Glane in the afternoon visited the base of on October 1st Medical Air Rescue in Sanok and Mountain Rescue headquarters. Finally, another busy day with the reality of the functioning of the Specialized Hospital in Sanok, Swiss visitors acquainted director of this institution Adam Siembab.

The third – the last day of the study visit of Swiss partners in the Municipality Zagorz was dedicated to the issues of tourism development and promotion of local products with the use of the potential of artisans and producers of organic food. A starting point for exchange of experience in this field was achieved by reconnaissance main tourist attraction of the Bieszczady Mountains. Representatives of Villars-sur-Glane were impressed walking through the interiors of Solina dam. With great interest visited the cemetery and synagogue in Lesko. Swiss visitors were kidnapped in a fantasy world inspired by the ethos of Bieszczady by well-known not only in the Subcarpathian sculptor – Zdzislaw Pękalski.

Summary of the tourist – regional Thread, as well as the whole course of the study visit took place at the house of Grzegorz Sowa, who, as mayor of the village Kalnica has been leading family farm specializing in the breeding of sheep. During the farewell dinner, local leaders participating in the project have made a summary of the period of cooperation. – When starting the project with the Municipality of Zagorz we had many concerns, treating it as a formality. In the course of getting to know each other we started to notice your potential, skills, openness and focus on dynamic growth. Thanking you for the warm welcome our delegation I want to declare will to further cooperation. You have gained a solid partners and friends – emphasized the Mayor of Villars-sur-Glane Erika Schnyder. Interestingly, in a similar vein spoke the representative of the Swiss Embassy Martin Michelet specifying described here Polish – Swiss project as the standard. – In cooperation with the Swiss we gathered extremely valuable experience at the same time efficiently promoting the Municipality of Zagorz and Sanok. After talking with Mrs. Mayor and Mr. Ambassador, I do believe in basically certainty, that our cooperation will continue – sums up the Mayor of Zagórz Ernest Nowak.

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