Depositories of cultural heritage at the tripoint in the Gorolsko Svoboda Microregion
Regional brand "Górolsko Swoboda product regionalny®" - quality and tradition from the Gorolsko Swoboda Microregion.
The Gorolsko Swoboda microregion was established in May 2007 by two non-governmental organizations from the Czech Republic and Poland and the municipal government from Slovakia, respectively the Local Branch of the Polish Cultural and Educational Association in Jabłonków, the Branch of the Silesian Highlanders of the Podhale Association and the Oszczadnica commune. The current partner from Poland is Gromada Górali in Cieszyn Silesia, based in Ustroń. Its task is to promote and highlight the unique character of the Polish-Czech-Slovak borderland in all its aspects, from cultural to historical to tourist. It is a specific highland area located in the Beskid Mountains, with preserved traditions and nature, shaped to a significant extent from the beginning of the 16th century by Wallachian colonists (who came from the east from the neighboring Carpathian ranges), who gradually introduced the Sałash culture, i.e. mountain pastoral economy. The historical center of the region is the town of Jabłonków. The creation of the Gorolsko Swoboda Microregion was also an expression of the concern of local communities from the tripoint for the effective protection of the material and spiritual achievements of previous generations, creating a common cultural heritage in the form of dialect, singing, music, annual and family customs and rituals, clothes and their decorative forms, production techniques, food industry or construction.
Since 2007 in the Gorolsko Svoboda Microregion, a labeling system for local products is being implemented. MK PZKO Jabłonków, acting as a regional brand coordinator, manages the brand and communicates with certificate holders and the Association of Regional Brands (Asociace regionálních poznaček, SMR/ARZ). The basis of the system is the certification of products with a protective brand. Products that have been awarded the brand are marked by the producers with a logo with a rosette and the text "Górolsko Swoboda product regionalny®". The Certification Committee decides on granting the right to use the brand for a specific product based on strict criteria. At least half of the members of the Commission are representatives of producers. The criteria include local origin (i.e. the product is made by a local manufacturer), standard quality, environmental friendliness and uniqueness to the region. Uniqueness is guaranteed by the maximum share of local raw materials and manual work, as well as the traditional nature of the product or production technique.
As of today, the brand has been awarded to 44 products or product groups. First of all, it concerns handicrafts (products made of wood, metal, linen, wool, etc.) as well as food, agricultural and natural products (dairy products, meat products, bread, drinks, etc.).
The brand supports local producers (craftsmen, farmers, small and medium-sized companies), at the same time contributing to the development of sustainable tourism - by improving the quality of experiences and impressions of tourists who are sure that the brand guarantees the product's origin in the region and a direct connection with a given area.
The brand is promoted via the Internet portal http://www.regionalni-znacky.cz/gorolsko-swoboda/, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mikroregiongorolskoswoboda/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel, leaflets, folders, subsequent issues of the newspaper. regional, roll-ups, the Tradition Trail, sales points, and presentations of certified manufacturers during numerous regional events as well as during prestigious events in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The "Górolsko Swoboda product regionalny®" brand has been operating as part of the regional brand system from the very beginning, to which since 2004. 27 regions have already joined. Visually, uniform brands cover 3/4 of the territory of the Czech Republic, which is unique on a European scale. The system of regional labeling of products, services (catering and accommodation) and experiences (folkloric events, events related to annual rituals, educational farms, cognitive and educational tours, workshop offers, etc.) at the national level is coordinated by the Association of Regional Brands, which is an association of regions. with your own brand. The Gorolsko Svoboda Microregion is the only region in Europe where a common branding system for local products operates in three countries.
Certified producers, through creative, innovative, but also fully conscious use and processing of traditional design used by the Silesian and Czadecki/Kisuce highlanders, are depositories of the regional cultural heritage.
The area of Upper Kysuce is associated with the phenomenon of artisanal wire processing. Since the 18th century, this craft has been an additional source of income for residents and was initially used to braid ceramic vessels with wire mesh. Over time, independent consumer products began to be made of wire and sheet metal, using a unique technology based on manual forming, tying and braiding metal fibers without welding or soldering. Currently, the only certified manufacturer continuing the proud family and regional tinkering traditions is Robert Hozák from Podzávoz, a district of Czaca. His great-grandfather Paweł Hozák, from Veľké Rovné, as a trained tinker, emigrated at the beginning of the 20th century to Ukraine, which was then part of the Russian Empire, in search of better conditions for the development of his business. Ultimately, he settled with his family in Odessa, where he founded a factory that employed 20 people producing, among others: bowls, plates, pot coasters and irons, hangers, mousetraps, birdcages, samovars. The factory was also known for braiding ceramic vessels. The entire range of products was characterized by high quality and exceptional craftsmanship, for which Pavel Hozákov was awarded tsarist medals. Róbert Hozák, a representative of the fourth generation, has been involved in tinkering since 1994. Since then, his products have reached almost all corners of the world. It makes utilitarian-decorative and utilitarian-artistic objects, especially bowls and baskets, but also hangers, mirror frames, napkin containers, jewelry, braided ceramics, and, to a lesser extent, figural art. He uses black and galvanized wires of various thicknesses and uses pliers to form them. For conservation purposes, the finished product is subjected to surface treatment in the galvanization process. The style of his works is characterized by simplicity of shapes, purity of lines and moderate use of decorative elements. The main source of his inspiration are motifs related to nature.
Detailed profiles and contact details of all certified producers can be found on the website http://www.regionalni-znacky.cz/gorolsko-swoboda/.
The system of marking local products with the protective brand "Górolsko Swoboda product regionalny®" is implemented on the initiative of the Adam Sikora Regional Chamber, a social institution of a museum nature, run since its establishment in 1997 by the Local Branch of the Polish Cultural and Educational Association in Jabłonkowo (Cieszyn Silesia, Republika Czech).
The mission of the Regional Chamber is:
– Research and documentation of the material, spiritual and social culture of the Silesian Highlanders and the Jacek Jabłonkowski families. Currently, the museum collections include almost 900 objects and two-dimensional documents, as well as over 150 documentary photos.
– Dissemination and popularization of knowledge about regional cultural heritage through publishing activities and organizing exhibitions, seminars, shows, workshops, craft and folk handicraft fairs as independent events or as part of larger events.
The most important projects implemented by the Regional Chamber for the identification, documentation, preservation, enhancement and promotion of cultural heritage include, in chronological order: workshops on crafts and handicraft techniques "Szikowne gorolski rynce", Tradition Trail and the protective brand "Górolsko Swoboda product regionalny®"
"Chic Gorolski Market Squares"
The International Folklore Meetings "Gorolski Święto" in Jabłonków is the second oldest festival in the Czech Republic. Its 72nd edition took place last year. Over the three festival days, the event attracts over 10,000 participants, with over 800 performers performing for them.
Since 2004 the festival is accompanied by the "Szikowne Gorolski Rynce", i.e. shows and workshops on crafts and handicraft techniques combined with the opportunity to learn them and sell products. Producers are required to demonstrate practical skills and, if possible, present themselves in regional costume. We offer producers free of charge (i.e. at the organizer's expense) a space for a stand, a stand, food, accommodation and fees. Over 40 manufacturers conduct workshops every year in a separate area of the City Forest. The event is one of the instruments for promoting local producers located on the Tradition Trail, including holders of the "Górolsko Swoboda regional product ®" certificate.
The "Szikovne Gorolski Rynce" program also includes demonstrations and workshops on the production of "white cheese" using the traditional method - "klaganim", as well as "łopitki" and "korbacziki", combined with their tasting, as well as demonstrations and workshops on wool processing, from sheep shearing through " "chichrani" (straightening curls), "krypmlowani" (combing), spinning after "felcowania" (felling) called "On the salash".
Tradition Trail
In cooperation with Cieszyn Castle, the Regional Chamber implemented two overlapping projects, as a result of which in 2006 The Traditional Crafts Trail of Cieszyn Silesia was created, currently known as the Tradition Trail, because in the second stage it was extended to the Upper Kysuce region. The development and marking out of the trail was preceded by thorough field research and interviews with manufacturers and people running museums and galleries. Currently, there are 63 points on it, including 11 institutional places (galleries, museums, memorial rooms) and 52 private individuals. The trail makes it easier to reach extraordinary places and people in Cieszyn Silesia and Upper Kisuce, who passionately create unique products according to traditional techniques and methods.
In order to mark the Tradition Trail, new promotional signs were prepared and placed at individual points along the trail (houses, fences, etc.). The boards included information about a given place on the Trail, information about the co-financing of the project and the "Górolsko Swoboda product regional" brand. Bilingual (Polish - Czech/Slovak) boards - maps defining the division of crafts by town have been developed to facilitate orientation on the trail. Such boards have been placed at tourist information points and places - institutions located on the Tradition Trail.
In order to strengthen the promotion of the Trail, promotional materials were printed in the form of leaflets with a map and contact details (also in English) and a promotional newspaper. A new website has been created www.akademiarzemiosla.pl, which contains a database in Polish, Czech or Slovak language versions.
11 workshops were held, including: pottery - Jabłonków ceramics, basketry, carving and carpentry, cooperage, wheelwrighting, tinkering, inlaying (decorating Christmas celebration rifles), applied blacksmithing, producing cold meats using the traditional method, and traditional bread baking.
An exhibition entitled "Tradition with passion. Craftsmen of Cieszyn Silesia", which is a series of photographs and films - interviews with craftsmen who were "caught" at work. These are stories about people who are often the only heirs of craft traditions. 19 craftsmen were documented in this way.
The Regional Chamber offers educational trips along the Tradition Trail for organized groups, including schools, consisting of visits to individual manufacturers directly in their workshops. The schedule and selection of individual places, i.e. the program, is each time agreed with the client, taking into account his individual expectations.
literature in the field of traditional decoration/design (selection of more important publications):