2024-07-01 23:46:52
Dolní Poustevna is situated just some kilometers from Czech Switzerland close to the border with Germany. A stream flows by way of the picturesque city, the place individuals cease to relaxation. No person is in a rush right here. Vacationers have a meal in a neighborhood restaurant, subsequent door a retired girl from Germany buys fruit. Behind the peace of the thriving village, which additionally succeeded within the Village of the Yr competitors final 12 months, there’s quite a lot of work to be accomplished, the mayor describes.
In line with mayor Robert Holc, one of many explanation why Dolní Poustevna is efficiently transferring ahead is the cooperation with Germany. The village of lower than two thousand inhabitants lies proper subsequent to the border within the poor area of Šluknovské Víběžk, intently adjoining to the German village of Sebnitz.
Though they’re separated by a language barrier, Czechs and Germans have discovered a solution to meet one another. In line with Holc, roughly half of the inhabitants of Dolní Poustevna work in Germany. Then again, Germans use, for instance, gyms within the Czech Republic, which, in response to the native administrator, are less expensive than these in Germany.
Photograph: EU
To enhance the standard of life in Dolní Poustevna, the mayor and his group not solely have shut relations with their neighbors, but additionally the power to attract subsidies independently and along with the German aspect. You’ll discover an elementary faculty, a brand new sports activities corridor, an geared up fireplace division, which was getting ready for a marriage on the time of our go to, bike paths, but additionally a taking pictures vary or a puppet theater.
In line with Holka, due to subsidies that got here from the EU, ministries and the area, the village managed to multiply the municipal funds thrice.
Sport in opposition to crime
“There are numerous initiatives behind Dolní Poustevna. We began with smooth initiatives, corresponding to joint conferences. One such instance was Hokej United, which later expanded and altered to the title Sport United. The purpose is that youngsters from Germany and the Czech Republic went to Rumburk and Varnsdorf to the hockey rink. There they educated and discovered to skate. They had been additionally more adept in hockey tools,” explains Mayor Holec.
The challenge, supported by the European Regional Growth Fund, has been operating for a number of years due to the nice response. Along with the members taking part in sports activities, comparable occasions additionally assist take away the language barrier or forestall crime, in response to town.
In Could, the forty sixth annual Northern Path vacationer march was additionally held right here. Even 103-year-old vacationer Käthe took half in it. In line with Holc, it’s the Northern path that proves that persons are all for sports activities within the village.
“Throughout the march, you possibly can select the gap you’ll stroll, there are stations the place youngsters can compete, and the like. Though the climate was not very variety to us this 12 months, round two thousand members took half final 12 months, which exceeds the variety of inhabitants of the village,” says the mayor.
Dolní Poustevna doesn’t even have two thousand inhabitants, however it might probably nonetheless boast of fifteen lively associations. Amongst them, for instance, a membership of pals of artwork, a soccer membership, a tennis membership or maybe a beekeepers’ union. It was the exercise of the locals that was one of many explanation why the fee awarded Poustevna the Village of the Yr award.
Sebnitz and Dolní Poustevna additionally collaborated on the modernization of fireside stations. “As companions, each cities acquired greater than 1,000,000 euros for the acquisition of apparatus. Subsequently, we additionally repaired the fireplace station constructing with subsidies from the Ministry of the Inside,” stated the mayor. Along with the firefighters from Gossdorf, the Czech firefighters had a joint train in offering first support.
One of many volunteer firefighters admitted that, for instance, the day earlier than our go to, the native firefighters went out to assist a pensioner who didn’t reply to knocks on the door.
Covid has raised the boundaries once more
Folks on either side of the border are actually shut to one another. This was particularly evident within the time of covid, when the transition between states was not potential. Czechs and Germans dwelling on the Czech aspect couldn’t get to work in Germany. And the Czechs who dwell in Sebnitz couldn’t ship their youngsters to a Czech faculty.
“Concrete barricades had been erected right here,” remembers Mayor Holec. “Generally, for instance, it was allowed to take a bag throughout the border. Your entire promontory needed to be detoured to the one open crossing. That is why we appealed to the ministry to take away the roadblocks,” he provides.
Nature performs an necessary issue within the high quality of life right here. Dolní Poustevna is situated solely about 20 minutes by automotive from the Czech Switzerland Nationwide Park. “After taking workplace, I ready initiatives for the revitalization of parks and public greenery. In eight years, we invested sixteen million on this sector,” explains Holec, who is alleged to have even been known as the “inexperienced man”.
“It is primarily a matter of reducing down timber which might be lifeless. And of their place we planted 1000’s of bushes and crops and several other hundred timber,” he describes.
Issues that also can’t be solved
Šluknovské outcrop has been coping with a variety of issues for a very long time. In line with the mayor of Dolní Poustevna, the area is most troubled by the dearth of normal practitioners, gynecologists and normal medical services. Holec states that he partially took over the well being care of individuals from Dolní Poustevna Rumburk, nonetheless, there are nonetheless individuals who need to journey to Liberec and even Prague to see a dentist.
In line with the mayor, the newest unfavorable publicity for the area was attributable to the riots in 2011. At the moment, Šluknov was combating excessive unemployment and crime, and a ghetto was additionally created right here.
In August of the identical 12 months, there was an assault with machetes in a bar in Nové Bor. Demonstrations in Varnsdorf adopted, through which the intense proper was concerned. 600 policemen needed to be known as to the occasion, who had been supposed to alleviate the tense scenario within the area. In line with Holka, the chance of escalation has fortuitously been regularly lowering since then.
Subsidies have their pitfalls
Even with the assistance of subsidies, the standard of life in Šluknovsk is being improved. As well as, the Ústí Area, as a former coal area, is without doubt one of the three areas within the Czech Republic, along with Karlovy Range and Moravian-Silesian Areas, for the transformation of which massive quantities of cash are flowing from European funds inside the framework of the so-called cohesion coverage or cohesion coverage.
In line with Holc, nonetheless, every thing will not be arrange ideally. Along with the truth that the preparation of initiatives will not be simple, municipalities encounter different obstacles when drawing subsidies. “For some initiatives, it isn’t even value drawing subsidies, as a result of the circumstances will turn out to be so costly that it’s higher to appreciate them with your personal funds,” explains the mayor of Dolní Poustevna. He’s primarily bothered by the way in which through which sponsored titles are stuffed.
“It is a lengthy shot. Once we go to arrange, for instance, cycle paths that we are going to construct in 5 years, it is such an enormous unknown. We at the moment have about 46 initiatives in progress, however nothing is free. It needs to be labored out,” says Holec.
Locals assist their mayor. “I’ve recognized him since I used to be little, the mayor is nice. It used to look totally different right here and he did rather a lot right here, for instance he renovated the parks,” stated, for instance, an aged girl with whom the editors spoke straight within the village. However many individuals discover European politics distant or really feel that Czechs cannot do something in Brussels anyway. However, there are individuals right here who understand the EU positively. “The European Union does rather a lot for us right here. We obtain subsidies in order that we are able to have a very good time right here. We do not simply do it for ourselves, but additionally for the neighborhood,” the youngsters’s mom instructed us, sitting by the playground.