St. Mary's Pilgrimage ("Light from the East")

Flagship project of the programme Interreg V-A Poland-Slovakia, Priority Axis 1: Protection and development of the natural and cultural heritage of the cross-border area

The project calledPilgrimage ("Light from the East")

Project number: PLSK.01.01.00-SK-0016/16        

Lead Partner: Prešov self-governing region

Project partners:     

• Voivodship Podkarpackie
• Innovation Partnership Centre
• Institute for Intercultural Dialogue im. John Paul II Institute for Intercultural Studies in Krakow
• Regional Tourism Organisation - Northeast of Slovakia
• Greek Catholic Church - parish Litmanová
• Greek Catholic Church - parish of Lutina
• Roman Catholic Church - parish of Levoča
• Roman Catholic Church - parish of Gaboltov
• The Society of Jesus Religious House in Stara Wieś
• The Roman Catholic parish of St. Peter the Apostle and St. Peter the Apostle John of Dukla in Krosno
• Monastery of the Finding of the Holy Cross of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (Franciscans)
• Congregation of the Salutine Missionaries, Religious House

Start of the project:         01/2017

Project closure:      09/2021

Total project costs:  3 951 851,56€          

ERDF co-financing:  3 359 073,58 €

National co-financing: 592 777,98 €

The main objective of the project:

• Completion of the tourist infrastructure and the offer of a comprehensive new tourism product inspired by the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route and highlighting all the cultural, natural, historical, social and spiritual values of the Slavic nation, related to the message and to the Marian traditions.

The specific objectives of the project are:

• Linking the pilgrimage sites of the PL-SK border region into a single unit and completing the appropriate infrastructure
• Developing and raising awareness of tourism through the creation of a new tourism product
• Systematic development and coordination of tourism activities in the PL-SK border region in the long term

Project activities:

All planned activities are divided into 4 main project tasks:

Establishment of the Intersectoral Coordination Group for PL-SK cooperation for the promotion and coordination of pilgrimage tourism Development of the infrastructure of St. Mary's pilgrimage sites Creation of a new international cross-border tourism product "St. Mary's Pilgrimage" Dissemination of the idea of the St. Mary's Pilgrimage 

Project results:

Spiritual and Christian traditions create the conditions for experiential tourism. The potential of the PL-SK border region is historically and geographically predestined for building and developing one of the forms of tourism - pilgrimage tourism. The main project output is the creation of a new tourist product "St. Mary's Pilgrimage" (Task 3), inspired by the largest European pilgrimage route Santiago de Compostela. Within two years, a marketing concept for the new product will be developed with a detailed plan for promotion and support activities (Action 4), which will be implemented in a complementary way on both sides of the border. Within the promotion, several interesting activities are planned, such as a project song, an evangelistic pilgrimage, talks and art symposia, which together will complete the new tourist product with international competitiveness potential and thus fulfil the third specific objective of the project.

Another output will be the establishment of an Intersectoral Coordination Group which, through its members and planned activities (Substantive Task 1), will contribute to the creation of a functioning platform that will support the growth and sustainability of the project outcome beyond the project's lifetime and beyond the project's sustainability period. At the same time, a comprehensive document - Feasibility Study - will be elaborated, which is a tangible output of this pilot project and which should contribute with its results and recommendations for the identified points and locations in the programme area to the development of investments, infrastructure and thus also contribute to the growth of tourism in the PL-SK border area in the long term.

The output of the project within the framework of the material task 2 is the completion of the necessary small infrastructure and the reconstruction or modernization of the objects located on the marked out route of the "St. Mary's Pilgrimage" - 4 objects on the Slovak side (Litmanová, Ľutina, Levoča, Gaboltov) and 4 objects on the Polish side (Krosno, Stara Wies, Kalwaria Paclawska, Debowiec). These landscaping and other modifications help to improve the visibility of these tourist-visitor satellites and increase their attractiveness, which may ultimately result in an increase in the number of visitors and a strengthening of domestic and foreign tourism on both sides of the border.

The project is co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund under the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Poland - Slovak Republic 2014-2020.

Activities of partner 4 - Regional Tourism Organisation North-East of Slovakia:

The Regional Tourism Organisation of the North-East of Slovakia is one of the 13 partners of the international project St. Mary's Pilgrimage ("Light from the East"), which was successfully submitted in 2016 by the Prešov Self-Governing Region under the call for flagship projects of the Interreg V-A Cross-border Cooperation Programme Poland-Slovakia.

Our tasks include:

- presentation and promotion of the product at CR exhibitions and events,
 - pilgrim passports - production and distribution,
 - promo materials (together with other project partners)
 - outdoor gallery presenting Marian themes and the product of the pilgrimage in the regional city of Prešov
 - content section of the booklet for the SK side (points of interest, attractions, etc.)
 - mobile application
 - song - promo song with clip
 - creation of physical marking of the pilgrimage route with the help of the Slovak Tourist Club
 - Participation in the intersectoral coordination group (sustainability and project development)