From 22 to 24 April we were invited to Innovation Partnership Centre took part in a three-day study trip called "Karpacki weekend w dobrym smaku" (Carpathian Weekend of Good Taste). The event took place at the foothills of the Carpathian and Beskydy mountains in Polish border towns and interesting places close to the Slovak border, which are rich in history and gastronomy.
The aim of the study tour was to strengthen sustainable tourism in the Polish-Slovak border area in the context of economic development by creating a cross-border and attractive weekend offer that includes local culinary heritage based on quality traditional products and is linked to nearby tourist attractions.
Poland full of taste and experience
Together with colleagues from IPC, PSK, Tourism Department, and OOCR Horný Zemplín, we arrived on Wednesday in the spa town of Iwonicz Zdrój, where our accommodation for the following days was located. After a warm welcome from our hosts - the Polish partner from the Marshal's Office of Podkarpackie Voivodeship, we had a tour of the spa town of Rymanów Zdrój, the wooden church of the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God in Bałucianka and a tasting at the charming Dzikie Wino inn in the village of Daliowa, where we were treated to a traditional meal of plants and herbs that they grow and harvest themselves in the local meadows. After the tasting we moved on to the small town of Jaśliska, famous for its wine cellars and film festival.
We visited the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria, which houses an image of Our Lady of Jashlian, Queen of Heaven and Earth. This was followed by a tasting in the authentic Bieszczadzka Waderka restaurant in the underground wine cellar, where the owner treated us to a traditional potato pancake with sauerkraut, cheese and a popular wine from Hungary, which has been imported to this region since time immemorial.
Our journey continued to the city of Krosno, where we visited the Glass Heritage Centre with a demonstration of the production of glass products. This was followed by a tour of Krosno city centre and a walk in the park, at the end of which another tasting of traditional cuisine awaited us at the Parkowa 7 restaurant. We had the opportunity to taste Lemko cuisine, which was typical for this region in the past. We ended the day with dinner and cheese tasting at the Elita Hotel in Iwonicz Zdrój.
The military history that unites us
Thursday we started with a pleasant tour of the centre of the spa town of Iwonicz Zdrój, which is popular with tourists and bathing guests alike. We moved on to the town of Dukla, where the Shrine of St. John of Dukla and the memorial to the fallen soldiers of World War I are located. We continued our walk to the centre of Dukla, from where we moved to Chyrowianka Gosciniec for a tasting of more traditional dishes.
On the way to Carpathian Troja we passed many cemeteries and remains of displaced Lemko (Rusyn) villages. After visiting the archaeological open-air museum in Trzcinica, our next stop was a tasting at the Magurska Ostoja restaurant. Among other things, we tasted traditional pierogi with borscht, local cheeses and cream of sauerkraut.
The tasting was followed by a walk, the destination of which was the military cemetery number 6 - Krempna. It was designed by the Slovak architect Dušan Jurkovič and the cemetery bears typical elements of his work.
Even the windy weather did not discourage us from climbing the 31-metre high Desznica tower, at the top of which we had a 360-degree view of the surroundings, even the hills towering above Bardejov. We finished the day with dinner at the Pod malým lesíkom inn, where we had the opportunity to taste other regional specialties. There was also a traditional drink made from dried smoked plums or local seasonal beer Dukla.
The evening was held in a pleasant atmosphere of getting to know each other and exchanging contacts, thanks to which we found a common goal: to connect and develop tourism in the Polish-Slovak border region.
On the last day of the study trip we had a tour of the Oil Industry Museum in Bóbrka. This is the first oil production site in the world where oil is still extracted in the traditional way. We saw an exhibition of the founder of the oil industry, Ignacy Łukasiewicz, who was a pharmacist and inventor of the kerosene lamp. The last part of our visit was the final tasting of gołąbki, followed by a final evaluation of the study trip and a thank you from our hosts and guests.
We thank our partners for the interesting programme, delicious food and great atmosphere, which will surely inspire us to visit this rich region again. We look forward to further cooperation. And as they say in Poland: "Through the stomach to the heart"!
Source: the Regional Tourism Organisation Región Šariš
Photo source: the Regional Tourism Organisation Región Šariš
