Grant Map EU

Some people claim that big events take place in big cities. Is it true? Maybe. Still, Napoleon suffered a devastating defeat near a small Belgian village Waterloo, and the first McDonald’s was opened in a small Californian town San Bernardino. Within Programme territory there is a large number of small settlements that also can boast of important, though perhaps not global-scale, events. One of them is Opalyn, a small town founded in 1638 in a place near the Western Bug River, where the Ukrainian-Polish border now stands. It was known as centre of trade and crafts. For 300 years, the Ukrainians and Poles had been living together here, sharing everyday life, customs and rites. During World War II, a settlement was completely burned down. Now the village, renamed Vyshnivka, is a part of Rivne territorial community. Over the years, memory of glorious history of the town fades away, handicrafts are in a process of decay. At the same time, this place has good potential for development of tourism. In order to exploit this potential effectively, our project involves Rivne village council in partnership with gmina Ruda-Huta, which also has a number of architectural and historical sites worthy to visit. By joining our efforts, there is a bigger chance to maximize a tourism potential of this area and making bigger benefits to the parties involved. The project goal is to promote economic and social viability of rural communities within UA-PL border area by making better use of historical heritage to enhance its tourism attractiveness. The main outputs are a joint festival, 6 master classes for schoolchildren, cross-border cycle tour, an exhibition, publications and a workshop. Implementation of the project activities will make a significant contribution to preservation of the common historical heritage, revival of the national crafts of the CBC region, enrichment and diversification of cultural life, and better use of the potential of rural territories for tourism purposes.