The International Conference of Industrial Heritage Tourism in Zabrze is in progress
In Pogoń Sports Hall in Zabrze the International Conference of Industrial Heritage Tourism ”Zabrze – The City as Space for Development” has started today. Throughout the two days of the conference we will be able to listen to experts from Poland and overseas. The subject of the 2-day conference this year is “The solutions based on wildlife and art in urban space as a path of sustained tourist attractiveness of the industrial heritage cities”.
The conference is organised as part of Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 and is part of the project “City as Space for Development”. The project worth
EUR 3 521 346,00 (85 per cent out of Norwegian grants, 15 per cent from the State budget), has been performed since the 1st January, 2022 until the 30th April, 2024. It is assumed that the planned actions of the project will give an impulse, inter alia, to increase the city economic development through the development of the city specialisations, will consolidate the inhabitants integration, increase the environmental awareness, improve the attractiveness of the urban space and also increase the number of initiatives for active pastimes in the “new” urban space.
In the first panel the speakers focused on the subject: „Solutions based on wildlife as a concept of sustainability of an industrial city space”. Krzysztof Rostański, D.Sc. Hab. Eng. Architect, Professor of Silesian University of Technology presented a heuristic approach to follow the wildlife patterns in landscaping. Katarzyna Dzióba, Deputy President of Zabrze told about the significance of greenery in the revitalisation and increasing the eco awareness of Zabrze population in the context of climate changes and sustainable development. Edyta Sierka, Ph.D. Hab. Professor of University of Silesia spoke about the potential for green infrastructure, while Henryk Czubek, Ph.D. – the UNIDO Team Manager at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations, will present a paper on the Polish opportunities to benefit from UNIDO membership while programming the development of urban organisms.
– Our city has moved a long way – from a typically industrial centre to a city currently branded as a centre of medicine, science, modern technologies, culture, sports and industrial tourism” – stated Małgorzata Mańka-Szulik, the City President in her speech opening the Conference. – Not so long ago numerous people did not believe that the way we have selected to reclaim the post-industrial structures for tourists was the right way. Today we know this was a good decision. We have accomplished investment projects worth millions of huge value for tourists. We are going to talk about green areas today, the space that is to decide on our wellbeing in the cities. I am really happy that we can be here together again.
The conference is a meeting of experts from numerous countries who specialise in tourism. The speakers from Poland represent, without limitation: the Educational Centre at the International Centre of Culture in Krakow, Akademia Sztuk Pięknych [The University of Arts] in Katowice, The Institute of Tourism and Recreation, Polish Tourist Information Centre in Vienna, Polish Chamber of Tourism, Museum of Wildlife and Technology in Starachowice and Museum of Coal Mining in Zabrze.
– The subject of the conference is the key question for the Upper Silesian cities, if we want to preserve the architectural cohesion and sustained development of the urban space – stated Joanna Held from the Ministry of Regional Development. The post-industrial architecture is one of the most important elements of heritage in cities like Zabrze. I am sure that in spite of the changing technologies such heritage needs to be attended and the population should be encouraged to do the same.
The City of Zabrze has been organising international conferences devoted to industrial heritage tourism since 2004. Its reach and significance have been increasing year by year. The output of the conference is internationally recognizable. Zabrze hosts the events due to its long running tradition of industrial development and due to its care about its heritage and the consistent use of it for the development of tourism.
The first conference ended with a resolution directed to central administration and local governments and to the stakeholders of industrial heritage, the tour operators, the world of science and media. The result of the subsequent conferences is the establishment of the International Centre of Research and Documentation on Industrial Heritage for Tourism in Zabrze, 2008 following the initiative of The World Tourism Organisation.
For more information see: https://www.konferencja-zabrze.pl/
