Traditions and crafts hidden in wood - Polish - Slovak Ethnographic Path

Beneficiary:   Present Malá Domaša

Polish partner:   Caritas of the Rzeszów Diocese - Recreation and Rehabilitation Center in Myczkowce

Implementation period:   May 1, 2017 - April 30, 2018

Realized project value: € 77 553.88 , including ERDF co-financing: € 65 920.79 ,

Increasing the attractiveness and competitiveness of the Polish-Slovak borderland in the field of protection and presentation of cultural heritage - traditions and craftsmanship is the main goal of the project. In the Caritas Center in Myczkowce and in Mała Domasza - the Polish - Slovak Ethnographic Trail "Traditions and crafts hidden in wood" was made. 10 wooden ethnographic stops were created that show the old life in the countryside, old professions, tools and culture of the partner regions. Wanting to save from oblivion what life in the countryside used to be like, and to remind or even recreate to the younger generation the process of sowing grain, harvesting - that is, the harvest season, grain preparation and finally baking bread. The product of 5-month workshops are ethnographic sculptures, which are located in a designated place accessible to residents and tourists.

The main activities carried out under the project:

• Creation of the "Polish - Slovak Ethnographic Path hidden in wood" in Mala Domaša and sculpture workshops . The task included 7 sculpture workshops with the participation of the sculptor and 10 participants. During the workshops, lectures and demonstrations of traditional crafts were held - in this way, students and local people could learn about the traditions of our ancestors and, under the watchful eye of a craftsman, try craftsmanship. The "Polish - Slovak Ethnographic Path hidden in wood" was created, on which 10 wooden elements were placed - 8 benches with a motif of traditional crafts, a sculpture of St. Cyril and Methodius and the coat of arms of the commune.
• Festival of traditions and crafts - the opening of the Ethnographic Trail was held in the village of Malá Domaša with the participation of participants in project activities and guests from all over the borderland, representatives of local government, professional organizations, the third sector and the media. There was also a competition for young and old from the Polish-Slovak borderland. The competition task will be to come up with a story or tell a true story or legend about a craftsman, then the publication of "Tales of ancient craftsmen" was prepared and published in a circulation of 500 copies.
• Polish - Slovak Ethnographic Trail "Traditions and crafts hidden in wood"   - from grain to bread, it consists of 10 large-format wooden sculptures (1. Peasant cultivating a soil, 2. Farmer sowing grain, 3. Cutting grain with a scythe, 4. Woman collecting grain, child making a return, 5. Threshing grain with flails, 6. Holiday harvest festival, 7. Grinding grain, 8. Mixing dough for bread, 9. Baking bread, 10. Common feast), which were created during 80-hour sculpture workshops, organized for youth from local schools. An event opening and closing the project was also organized, each for approx. 150 people. from Poland and Slovakia.