Forgotten borderland crafts

Beneficiary:   Przeworsk Town Commune

Slovak partner:   Regional Development Agency in Svidnik

Implementation period:   01/08/2018 - 31/07/2019

Realized project value: € 55 961.43 , including ERDF co-financing: € 47 567.20 .

Time to wander in the footsteps of weaving traditions and the trail of craftsmen from the border. The project referred to the microproject under the name of "Trail of cross-border artisans" based on the weaving and craft traditions of both cities. This time, the project included the "Artistic Weaving" and "The Magic of Felting" workshops, which introduced participants to the world of artistic fabrics and provided an opportunity to learn various felting techniques. The crowning achievement of the project was the Craft Fair, during which you could see the effects of the workshops and become a craftsman for a while, trying your hand at creating your own handicrafts. In addition, the project assumed the development of a concept for the functioning of the Weaving Center in Przeworsk.

The main activities carried out under the project:

• Development of a concept for the functioning of the Weaving Center in Przeworsk . A strategic and implementation document was created containing the substantive and organizational foundations of the Center. The concept includes a diagnosis of the initial situation, strategic and operational goals of the Centre's activity, organizational assumptions, implementation plan, as well as methods and tools of cross-border cooperation in the field of promotion of the weaving heritage. Additionally, a study visit was organized, the purpose of which was to familiarize with good practices regarding tourist products related to old crafts. The study trip took place on the route - Przeworsk, Svidnik, Spiska Nowa Wieś, Poprad, Nowy Targ, Rabka, Stary Sącz, Krosno, Sanok, Przeworsk, Svidnik.
• Playing with a thread - organization of meetings and workshops . Each edition of the workshops lasted 4 days, 6 hours each, including two days a visit to places cultivating weaving and handicraft traditions. The "Artistic Weaving" workshop introduced the participants to the world of artistic fabrics, which gave almost unlimited possibilities of expressing expression. Participants learned the basics of independent work on tapestries, gaining the skills of designing patterns, creating a warp on a tapestry frame or creating tapestries using fur and spatial forms. There was also a study trip on the route - Przeworsk, Svidnik, Martin. An interesting and worth seeing place on the route to Svidnik was Śliwnica, which was passed along the way, where the Regional Memorial Chamber of vanishing handicrafts and forgotten crafts is located, but the most important place on the agenda of the visit was the town of Martin in Slovakia, where the Museum of the Slovak Village was visited. The open-air museum presents Slovak folk architecture, dwellings and life of traditional rural people, their crafts, handicrafts, tools and appliances for everyday use. During the "Magic of Felcowania" workshops, the participants learned the basics of working with wool. a necklace of felt balls, bracelets, flowers, a hat, a shawl or a picture. As part of the felting workshops, the partners also organized a study trip on the route: Przeworsk, Svidnik, Sanok, Trzcinica, Svidnik, Przeworsk in order to learn about the places where the handicraft traditions of old crafts and vanishing professions are cultivated. In the open-air museum in Sanok, participants of the trip visited the interiors of, among others craft workshop; weaving, potter, wheelwright, carpenter, blacksmith, wicker basket maker and wooden spoon maker. In total, 50 people from both sides of the border participated in the workshops.
• Organization of the Craft Fair . During this event, inhabitants of Przeworsk and guests from other regions of Poland and Slovakia had the opportunity to have fun outdoors at the "Pastewnik" Inn. Each participant of the event had the opportunity not only to see how objects are made using old techniques, but also to test their skills in a dying profession on their own. The event was also diversified by plebeian games, shooting with historical weapons and knightly fights. During the craft fair, a specially prepared exhibition could also admire the works of participants of weaving workshops and felting workshops from Poland and Slovakia, which were previously organized as part of the project. The visitors of the Fair could also enjoy handicrafts and crafts made and presented at exhibition stands by handicraftsmen and craftsmen from various parts of the Podkarpacie region. Throughout the fair, the gathered guests were accompanied by bands and dance and vocal ensembles from Poland and Slovakia. A total of 500 people participated in the event.

We encourage you to:

visit   Web page   created as part of the project

watch   footage   presenting the most important events in the project