Gyöngyös from Hungary. Târgu Secuiesc (Kézdivásárhely) from Romania. Lendava from Slovenia. Lučenec (Losonc) from Slovakia. Łodygowice from Poland. Mělník from the Czech Republic.
These towns form the consortium that implements the commonly submitted and successful tender in the frame of the CERV Programme.
The goal of these towns is to participate in the EU programming period lasting until 2027 together. Through the 10 professional meetings organized within the framework of the project, they wish to learn about their traditions and culture. In a similar vein, they would like to place emphasis on building personal relationships between the citizens of these towns. A key aim of the project is to build and develop social, economic, environmental and cultural relationships at a European level with the participation of local municipalities and their associations and with the involvement of businesses, NGOs and local citizens. Professional workshops and cultural and gastronomical events are to accompany the project. Local needs and capacities are surveyed, and the opportunities offered by the EU are presented at thematic youth events, meetings, communications trainings, business forums, civil talks and public social events with the involvement of local citizens. The participating municipalities gather project proposals and create lists of developmental projects that they intend to implement by 2027. This pool of projects will form the basis of the cooperative strategy through which the towns wish to submit common tenders. The project will create a new EU network which consists of 6 countries, 6 municipalities and numerous NGOs and businesses. This network has all the competences to support regional development and economic stability; to improve the living standards of local citizens in the long run and to reduce unemployment rates and negative migration among the youth.
Project name: WE4EU2022
Project number: 101053930
Amount of financial support: 185 000 EURO
Provider of the financial resource is the EU.
With a population of approximately 27.000 inhabitants, Gyöngyös is the second biggest town in Heves County and the centre of the District of Gyöngyös. The first written record of the name of the town dates back to the 13th century but according to the latest historical research, the area was already inhabited at the time of the Hungarian Conquest, in the 9th and 10th centuries. The history of Gyöngyös is tightly interwoven with viticulture and wine-production that provide a living for a lot of people in and around the town to date. Gyöngyös is the centre of the Mátra Wine Region, which is the second largest wine region in Hungary and of the Hungarian mountain wine regions, it has the largest territory. The town, which is situated on the boundary between the Great Hungarian Plain and the North Hungarian Mountains, is also referred to as the Gate of the Mátras, and efforts have been made in recent years to render the settlement the capital of the Mátras. Kékestető, the hight peak in Hungary, and Sástó, the highest lake in the country, are located within the administrative division of Gyöngyös. With their excellent characteristics, fresh air and high-quality accommodations, the Mátras are among the most popular tourist destinations in Hungary.
The name ‘Kézdivásárhely’ was first mentioned in 1407 and King Sigismund of Luxembourg declared it a market town in 1427. The town had an extensive network of guilds in the Middle Ages. A unique characteristic of Kézdivásárhely is its main square, originally the market square, surrounded by buildings whose gates are all the ends of streets. These are called “court squares”. Today there are 70 “court squares” in the town. Kézdivásárhely has been called the town of guilds, cobblers, “court squares” and Paris of Háromszék.
The majority of the buildings in the main square of Kézdivásárhely was erected in the second half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Incze László Museum of the History of Guilds is housed by the former town hall, built in 1857. The exhibitions of the museum comprise artefacts of the local handicraft industry, traditional costumes on puppets as well as relics of the 1848/49 war of independence.
Lendava has a population of 3000 inhabitants, it is the centre of the Municipality of Lendava and it is adjacent to Croatia and Hungary. The settlement lies under Lendavske Gorice (Lendvahegy) on the Ledava River. The population is mixed (Hungarians take up one fourth of the nationalities); inscriptions, education and public services are all bilingual. The Lendava Castle, which is home to a museum today, is near the town. In the town, there is a bilingual elementary school and secondary school. The local minority radio channel, the Muravidéki Magyar Radio (Prekmurje Hungarian Radio) was launched in 1958. The most notable sights are St. Catherine’s Church, the Evangelic church, the Synagogue, the Gallery Museum, Trinity Chapel and Hadik Mihály’s mummy, Lendavske Gorice, Vinarium watchtower, ZipLine and Lendava Bath. We are the town of Guiness records – the capital of ‘bogrács’. Zale György, who is the founder of Heroes’ Square, was born in Lendava. Some more words about our gastronomy. Typical culinary specialities are ‘bogrács’, the white wine of Lendava, pretzels, tepertős pogácsa (scones with crackling), muravidéki béles (pasta filled with different fillings), strudels….
Lodygowice is in Southern Poland and has more than 14 thousand inhabitans. The settlement, situated in a picturesque natural environment, has a direct connection to Zywieck Lake. Due to the well-developed mountain road network, the town is easily accessible for tourists. There are several architectural monuments in Lodygowice, namely the neogothic Castle and parks or the Roman Catholic wooden church built between 1631 and 1634. The town is famous for its folk-dance group called Magurzanie and choir bearing the same name. The folk-dance group has performed 550 times and the choir has performed 720 times since they were started.
Lučenec is the cultural and economic centre of Nógrád County and the centre of the Southern parts of Mid-Slovakia. Its first written record is from 1247 where the town was described as an important junction of trade routes and the cultural centre of the historical Nógrád region. Due to the development in the 19th century, T. G. Masaryk Street is lined with beautiful secessionist buildings. Numerous banks, mercantile buildings and the Nógrád Library are also based here. The heart of the historical centre of the town is Kubínyi Square, which was built in the location of the old market, probably in the Middle Ages. The building of the historical ‘Vigadó’, two churches, the Nógrád Museum and Gallery are also here, and the old Town Hall is nearby. One of the most frequented and fascinating buildings of our town is the renovated Synagogue. If you wish to sit and relax in a beautifully arranged natural environment, you must visit one of the most marvellous parks in Slovakia, built in French and English landscaping styles. You are cordially invited to Lucenec!
The prolific Polabí Lowland meets the romantic sandstone chines of Kokořínsko within sight of the legendary Říp Mountains and the peaks crowned with medieval castles of the Central Bohemian Highland. Here, on the slopes of the peaks above the junction of the Labe and Moldau, the two biggest Czech rivers, grapes have been growing for more than a thousand years in the famous Mělník vineyards.
Mělník, the ancient dowry town, is famous for its unique wines and colourful history, honoured with several monuments. The castle, the church with its gothic tower, the impressive ossuary, the mysterious underground routes leading to a unique well, the magnificent town hall, the historical bourgeois flats with their picturesque arcades, the art gallery in the gates that protected the town from intruders and the museum in the location of the old capucinus monastery. And all this within easy reach, so as a tourist, it is difficult to decide what to visit first.
Gyöngyös hosted the kick-off project event of WE4EU2022 within the framework of the Mátra Wine Festival. The delegations of the participating towns arrived in Gyöngyös on Friday morning. After the guests checked in the hotel and had lunch, the professional workshop started at 1.30 p.m. in the assembly room of the Townhall of Gyöngyös. The delegations introduced themselves, agreed on the programme of the weekend and then ceremonially signed the consortium agreement. Afterwards, the heads of delegation gave a press conference. The ceremonial opening of the event took place at 4.30 p.m. with the representatives of the guest towns introducing themselves on the stage of the Mátra Wine Festival. After the opening, they watched the dance show of the Vidróczki Folk Dance Group.
The programme concluded with a winery visit and wine-tasting in the evening. The professional workshop continued on Saturday – mayor György Hiesz presented the sustainable town development strategy of Gyöngyös as well as the ongoing and planned developmental projects. The guest towns presented their priority developmental directions. Then, they discusses the events to be organized within the project, including questions regarding the programmes of the events, what kind of guests each town is expecting to host (e.g. delegations, youth groups, choirs, folk dance groups etc.). The delegation heads agreed to work out a common developmental strategy during the project. Following the workshop, the project managers discussed the project details and project reports. In the afternoon, the guests went on a sightseeing tour – they visited the Mátra Museum and the Franciscan Religious Exhibition and walked around the town. The programme ended with a dinner and visiting the programmes of the festival in the evening. The event was concluded on Sunday; the guests left the accommodation and travelled home. 78 people from 5 countries participated in the professional programme. Communicating the results of the event to the public was greatly facilitated by the thousands of guests present at the Mátra Wine Festival.
Presentations:
Gyöngyös' development efforts
Project events
Event description sheet:
1
OPENING MEETING -
MY EU
Gyöngyös,Hungary
20 May-22 May, 2022.
Workshop
Workshop
Záróesemény
Workshop
1/12
Kézdivásárhely hosted the delegations of Gyöngyös (Hungary), Lendava (Slovenia), Melnik (Czech Republic) and Losonc (Slovakia) from 17 to 19 June 2022. During the weekend spent in the small town, the guests got to know the Handicraft Fair on the land of wine, organized from the point of view of tourism, history, culture and sociology. On the first day of the event in Târgu Mureş, on Friday at noon - after a short walk in the main square - we presented the current development plans of our city. Afterwards, within the framework of a workshop, each participant or the representative of each delegation presented the specific operating mechanisms of their local governments, their experiences and good practices in the field of tourism and a sustainable future. The aim of the workshop was to exchange experiences regarding the specific functionality of administrative bodies. In parallel with the exchange of experiences, it was also a priority for them to get to know each other better. At the end of the joint activities, a short press conference began, during which dr. On May 17, 2022, Deputy Mayor Szabolcs New Year's Eve shared his experiences with the project. The heads of delegations also spoke at the press conference. On the second day of the event, we visited Bálványos Bath, accompanied by a tour guide, where we could listen to interesting information about Kézdivásárhely on the land of wine. After the walk in Idolos, in the afternoon we visited the Szekler Gallop organized at the Giant Cellar Roof in Max, which is the forerunner of the National Gallop in Budapest.
Event description sheet:
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2
Sustainable future –
WE4EU2022
Kézdivásárhely,
Romania
17-19.06.2022.
In addition to preparing the project intentions and the specific Project Plan, the foreign participants were able to experience the traditional International Nograd Folklore Festival, which is one of the largest and most famous events in our region. It began to write its history in 1995, and for many years the audience could receive and experience performances by ensembles from all over the world. At this year's 5-day event, which took place on the territory of Nógrád, not only from the Slovak side, but also from the Hungarian side, the folklore ensembles of partners, directly from the city of Lodygowice with ZR MAGURZANIE, the Czech Republic and from Hungary.
In addition to the visual enjoyment, the project participants were able to get to know the local craftsmanship within the framework of the regional brand Produkt Novohrad, they could taste the region's traditional cuisine made from local ingredients and the local liquid gold from the craft brewery and wine cellar. In the framework of the three-day program, in addition to the professional workshops, the members of the delegations visited the Memorial House of Gyula Szabó, the Synagogue, and the City Museum. They viewed the exhibition of the Lost Novohrad in the Nograd museum and gallery and made souvenirs in the artistic workshop. The organizers of the Municipality of the City of the WE4EU 2022 joint project believe that all of the prepared activities made a positive impression on the participants.
In a year, they want to welcome foreign guests with the same pleasure, not only as partners, but also as friends.
Delegációvezetők
Workshop
Nográdi Folklór Fesztivál Losonc
Delegációvezetők
1/10
3
Our traditions and your traditions - together along our values - WE4EU2022
Lučenec, Slovakia
29-31.07.2022.
Event description sheet:
On August 26th and 27th, 2022, delegations from Gyöngyös in Hungary, Melnik in the Czech Republic, Lodygowice in Poland, Târgu Secuiesc in Romania and Lučenec in Slovakia met in Lendava’s Town Hall for a three-hour workshop to discuss projects in the field of tourism. The participating towns introduced their recent, current and future tourism projects in several languages, while experts (urban planners, architects, project managers) introduced cases of good practice on local as well as EU level from a strictly professional point of view. We learned what and how things are being done in each of the participating countries and discussed cooperation options (e.g. in the field of sports tourism, student and athlete exchange from Hungary and the Czech Republic - our new sports hall, which is currently still under construction, will be very important in this matter).
During their two-day stay, our guests were also introduced to local gastronomy, wines and attractions, such as the Lutheran Church, the Lendava Synagogue, the House of Culture, the Vinarium observation tower, the Vinarium Zipline and the mummy of Mihael Hadik, a famous general who protected Lendava from the Turks and whose remains were preserved in a glass casket and put on display in the Chapel of the Holy Trinity. The guests could try our local specialties and took a walk down the Main Streets of the Guinness World Capital of Bograč.
The participants could learn good practices.
Event description sheet:
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4
WE4EU2022
Lendava,Slovenia
26-27.08.2022.
The program of the meeting can be divided into two parts - in the first part of the program, the participants attended a professional seminar on the topic of climate change. The second part was facused on getting to know traditions, culture, and historical monuments as well as developing mutual relationships. The outcome of the professional workshop was the exchange of proposals, experiences and the sharing of climate threats across individual cities. Part of the workshop was also a survey carried out between the individual delegations, which showed that the biggest climate threat far all the participating cities is drought and the alternation of heavy rains. With this seminar, the city of Melník opened up the issue of climate change threats across other cities. The outcome of the entire meeting program was the mutual acquaintance of all interested parties and deepening of communication on common topics. As part of the program and organized activities, members of the delegations got to know the culture and historical traditions of the city of Melník and exchanged their experiences with projects in the field of tourism, preservation of traditions and specifically shared their knowledge from the development of traditional craft - winemaking. An equally significant impact of the event was the development of the topic of climate change threats and the preparedness of individual participating cities far these threats. According to the conclusions from the discussion of individual partner cities, the topic of adaptation to climate change will be developed within the framework of further cooperation among cities within this and other projects supported by the European Union.
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5
EU - WITHOUT BORDERS
Mělník, CZECH REPUBLIC
15-17.09.2022.
Event description sheet:
On 23-25 September 2022. The Łodygowice Municipality hosted delegations from Gyöngyös (Hungary), Lendva (Slovenia), Melnik (Czech Republic) and Losonc (Slovakia) and Târgu Secuiesc (Romania). During the weekend, the guests had the opportunity to get to know the Łodygowice Municipality through a series of well-organised activities.
On the first day of the weekend, the delegates visited the park and palace complex, which includes the historic Palace and Outbuildings. The Mayor welcomed all the partners who had arrived and thanked them for the large number of delegates present. Then the Manager of the Investment Development and Promotion Department, Mr Marcin Zyzak, presented the advantages of our commune, its strengths and further development directions. He was followed by the Director of the Community Cultural Centre, Ms Renata Talik, who presented the activities of her cultural unit and discussed the events and projects currently being implemented.
Then, during the workshop, each partner presented its investment and "soft" plans in the fields of culture, national heritage and infrastructure. Joint plans for future projects were also discussed.
The aim of the workshop was to share experiences in raising external funds for Offices and subordinate units. During a short press conference, the problems each partner faces in implementing projects and how they can be minimised were discussed.
The next day they visiting touristic destinations of Łodygowice , they went on a joint excursion to the top of Mount Skrzyczne, which offers a beautiful panorama of the Łodygowice Commune. After the hike, over a cup of coffee, they discussed plans for next year's meetings and touched on aspects of planning future projects.
As part of the programme and activities organised, the members of the delegation, in addition to the partnership, made friends and discussed in more detail the professional challenges they were facing, thus giving the delegates an overview of the specific characteristics of each participating partner. Furthermore, the most important effect of the event was that the guests were able to get to know all the qualities of the Łodygowice Municipality from different perspectives and the values of European Union.
Event description sheet:
1/9
6
Through culture to friendship
Łodygowice,
Poland
23-25.09.2022.
On July 7-9 in 2023, the city of Mělník in the Czech Republic hosted delegates from partner cities: Gyöngyös from Hungary, Târgu Secuiesc from Romania, Lučenec from Slovakia and Łodygowice from Poland as part of the ongoing WE4EU project.
The city of Mělník with about 20,000 inhabitants is known for its rich historical and cultural tradition, its vineyards, which are unusual in this part of the Czech Republic, but also for its cultural festivals - e.g. the Mělník vintage, the Sea near Mělník and the Mělník broom.
The goal of the city of Mělník as part of the project is to create and develop long-term partnerships with other cities and then participate together in the challenges announced by the EU in the program period until 2027 in accordance with the jointly established development strategy. An integral part is also the joint intention of building and developing social, economic, environmental and cultural relations in Europe with the participation of local governments and other interested parties operating at the local level, including entrepreneurs, non-governmental organizations and local citizens.
The event was started on Thursday afternoon at Hotel Liblice, which is the conference center of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, by the deputy mayor of Mělník, Petr Kowanda and the councilor, JUDr. Jindřich Špergl. Then the participants moved to the conference hall for a professional workshop on the topic: the use of rainwater in urban development.
In the beginning, the main points of the program were presented, and then the individual groups from the partner cities were invited to first elaborate their solutions to the individual ways of using rainwater in urban development, and then introduce them to the other participants in the form of a short presentation. The following day, foreign delegations had the opportunity to learn about concrete solutions for the use of rainwater right in the center of the capital of the Czech Republic – Prague.
In the second part of the program, the delegation participated in a traditional festival of food and theater - the Sea near Mělník.
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7
EU - WITHOUT BORDERS
Mělník,
CZECH REPUBLIC
07-09.07.2023.
Event description sheet:
2023 The partners met in Losonc, Slovakia, from 18 to 20 August. The meeting started with a technical workshop on project design involving 6 countries. Even if the project was not successful, we laid the foundation for cooperation. A successful project made it possible to get to know each other, gain information and experiences. Not only thanks to regular e-mail, telephone and online communication at previous and future events, but also thanks to very important personal communication and meetings during the events in each of the countries. A musical group from the Hungarian city Gyöngyös also performed at the event. In addition to the partners, young cyclists from this city also visited the city of Lučenec on these days. Thanks to the project, visitors to the event could also take a train and see the land from a different perspective. The meeting of generations, many nationalities and cultures had a positive effect on the event itself, establishing contacts and supporting the perception of the EU community.
The event was held as part of the Lučenské hodovanie - Lučenec City Days 2023. During the three days, numerous concerts, craft fairs, family programs and gastronomic demonstrations awaited the visitors. The program of the delegation was filled in the working part with a workshop on implemented projects, a lecture on the restoration of the Synagogue and a demonstration of good practice.
We discussed the results of this project and other city projects presented during the visit in 2022 in the field of tourism, infrastructure expansion and others. The goal was to present how we have progressed since 2022 within the cities and our cooperation.
They evaluated the project as successful and beneficial. The municipalities shared many examples of good practice. Cities and residents got to know each other. They presented their traditions and culture. They created a strong partnership within the EU and in accordance with its principles. They continue to cooperate and submitted joint projects within the framework of EU support.
The cities presented their realized and planned projects. Visitors to the event had the opportunity to get to know the partner cities and the WE4EU2022 project. Thanks to the performance of a musical group from the city of Gyöngyös, the possibility of cooperation expanded and the event gained another dimension within the EU. The partners evaluated the successful project and supported the intention of further cooperation.
Event description sheet:
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8
Our traditions, your traditions - together, along our values - WE4EU2022
Lučenec,Slovakia
18-20.08.2023.
The project partners met in Slovenia, Lendava, between 1-3. September 2023. The event was part of the Vinarium Festival, which focuses on the display, preservation and promotion of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the local multilingual area. For several years now, the traditional “Lendava grape harvest” parade has been raising awareness among the local population and visitors about the importance and value of cultural heritage and enriching the cultural and tourist offer of the town and the region.
At a joint conference, all project partners presented their cultural heritage and the ways in which it is preserved, displayed and promoted. The “Lendava grape harvest” parade itself was an example of how cultural heritage becomes an important event for the identity and promotion of a place and its characteristics.
Through mutual discussions and presentations, we expect to prepare and implement joint projects that will contribute to the development and preservation of the cultural heritage of our cities. The event ended successfully with new insights, experiences and, above all, contacts with people who have experience in preparing and implementing projects. Together with our partners, we are developing European values and, in the future, joint projects for the preservation and development of cultural heritage, tourism, quality and sustainable living.
The large audience of the Harvest Festival got to know the participating towns. The programme received a lot of media coverage. Informing citizens about the close of the joint project. Presentation of foreign partners. Description of goals and tasks. The participating cities presented their experiences of the project in a presentation. Participants noted that the objectives set for the project had been jointly achieved. In total, 10 events were organised in the 6 participating countries.
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9
WE4EU2022
Lendava,
Slovenia
01-03.09.2023.
Event description sheet:
The project WE4EU2022 (project number: 101053930) was launched in May 2022 at the Mátra Wine Days and implemented with direct funding from Brussels, closed in the banquet hall of the Gyöngyös Town Hall on the weekend of the Harvest Days Festival (12-14. september 2023.). The project was implemented in ten events by six municipalities from six countries. In the 1,5 half yer term project, addition to Gyöngyös, the project also involved Lucenec in Slovakia, Mělník in the Czech Republic, Lodygowice in Poland, Târgu Secuiesc in Romania and Lendava in Slovenia. The six cities have met 10 times, with the aim of strengthening personal contacts as well as building international relations. In the future, these will provide a solid basis for the cities to bid for larger EU tenders in consortia.
During its three days, numerous concerts, craft fairs, family programs and gastronomic demonstrations awaited those interested.
"We managed to make friends, get to know each other's culture, gastronomy and working methods, and discussed how to participate in the European Union tenders in the most efficient way and how to use these funds in the best way," said Tamás Kévés, Deputy Mayor of Gyöngyös, adding that the cities exchanged important experiences on how to properly deal with the problems caused by war and inflation and how to survive them. At the 10 meetings held under the project, the cities also developed joint development ideas, as well as learning about each other's good practices, traditions and heritage.
The implementation of the project was coordinated by Dr. Lénártné Bene Anikó, Managing Director of the Gyöngyös Urban Area Development Nonprofit Ltd. The consortium is planning further cooperation, so the project that has now been completed could be a precursor for further tenders and further cooperation between the participating cities. A tree planting ceremony was held at the end of the project. In the area adjacent to the Active House project, also funded by the EU, each of the participating municipalities planted a tree as a symbol of the fruitful relationship.
The partners discussed the results of this project, then held together a press conference. The mayors of the participating towns spoke about what results they got from the project. In the framework of the workshop the cities decides they agreed on future joint projects.
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10
CLOSING EVENT
Gyöngyös,
Hungary
14-16.09.2023.
"Az Európai Unió által finanszírozott. A kifejtett nézetek és vélemények azonban kizárólag a szerző(k) sajátjai, és nem feltétlenül tükrözik az Európai Unió vagy EUROPEAN EDUCATION AND CULTURE EXECUTIVE AGENCY nézeteit és véleményét. Ezekért sem az Európai Unió, sem a támogatást nyújtó hatóság nem tehető felelőssé."
“Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EUROPEAN EDUCATION AND CULTURE EXECUTIVE AGENCY. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”
