The last weekend in June in Prešov belonged to mining associations and guilds from all over Slovakia and abroad. More than 520 participants from 36 mining and metallurgical associations and guilds from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania gathered at the 17th edition of the event. The event, which was a celebration of mining tradition and craft pride, was held in close cooperation with the City of Prešov and the Association of Mining Societies and Guilds of Slovakia. During the two days, a professional, spiritual and cultural programme was prepared, which was not missed by hundreds of visitors.
Friday's opening took place on the premises of the National Cultural Monument Solivar, where a presentation of the regions, the city and the Salt Mine took place.
OOCR Region Šariš actively participated in the programme - we presented the attractions of our region, presented the activities of the organization and invited visitors to discover the beauty of Šariš.
We recommended proven tips for trips, interesting locations and distributed our official destination guide. We handed out maps and promotional materials, which helped them to further explore the region.
The specially made bags for the event were particularly well received, which we gave to visitors as a practical and memorable gift along with promotional material.
The Tourist Information Centre Region Šariš on Hlavná Street in Prešov was also open during the event., which provided up-to-date information, personal recommendations and service to all those interested in exploring our region.
The event continued with an evening consecration of the statue of St. Barbara - the patron saint of miners - in St. Nicholas Cathedral.
Saturday morning belonged to ecumenical service in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas and the ceremony of awarding the badges of honour of St. Barbara.
At 14:15 the centre of the city of Prešov was colourful and dignified parade mining and metallurgical associations in historical uniforms, which aroused great public interest.
The afternoon programme culminated with cultural performances on the Main Street near the statue of a horse, where ensembles with mining folklore heritage presented themselves.
The event also drew attention to the rich salt history of Prešov and its surroundings - both symbolically and topically. It opened a space for discussion about current problems of the undermined area on Solivar, which the city is actively addressing in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic and the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic.
Prešov proved to be a worthy host, which was able to unite past with present, tradition with current challenges.
Mining associations, guilds and visitors took away from this exceptional meeting not only valuable experiences, but also a strong message of unity, legacy and pride in the common cultural heritage.
Thank you for your partnership support Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Slovak Republic.
