Beautiful Cieszyn Attracts

Interview with Bogdan Ficek, Mayor of Cieszyn

- Cieszyn is a beautiful old border town, the capital of Śląsk Cieszyński. Is it easy to maintain the town's medieval layout and at the same time meet the needs of modern residents and visitors?
- The medieval layout of Cieszyn's center is valuable from a historic and cultural perspective. In reality it is difficult to make a medieval urban layout comply with the requirements of the 21st century. However, bearing in mind our historic heritage and our duty to pass it on to posterity, we are making an effort to apply solutions that do not interfere with the existing monuments. Therefore, we limit motor traffic in the city center, we are modernizing the technical infrastructure, giving the inhabitants access to modern conveniences, and we try to meet the needs of our visitors without damaging the historic architecture. A good example is the construction of an underground car park beneath the Market Square.

- The city's location on the trade route from Scandinavia to Central and Southern Europe has always been an advantage. Has anything changed in this respect?
- Cieszyn has always benefited from its geographical location. During the last few decades the situation has changed due to the fact that travellers have less time and the modern border point on the outskirts of the town limits traffic within it. We try to make tourists and travellers stop in the city for at least a day or several hours by attracting them with historic sights, interesting concerts and exhibitions, local food and good shopping facilities.

- What is the significance of the broad infrastructure reserves in the water, sewage and heating systems?
- The reserves are our advantage and give evidence of the foresight of the authorities. We are ready to provide potential investors with immediate access to fully developed construction sites and business facilities.
- Cieszyn is a modern border city and it is obvious that it cooperates with foreign partners. What particular achievements does the town have in this field?
- Cieszyn cooperates with several towns with which it has signed official twinning agreements. These include Ceski Tesin in the Czech Republic, Genk in Belgium, Lucerne in Switzerland and Teuva in Finland. The cooperation is advantageous for all the parties involved and allows us to share experience regarding culture, education, urban service, social welfare, etc. Cieszyn has benefited from the participation of Belgian experts in preparing the town's development strategy for the next decade. We were supported in obtaining equipment for our sewage treatment plant. Lucerne has provided us with funds to save our historic library, and there is a regular exchange of school children and folk groups with Teuva. Cooperating with our neighbor Ceski Tesin is of particular importance. The cities work together in practically every possible area including town planning, transportation, road planning and culture. The City Councils hold annual meetings and both Mayors cooperate on a regular basis.