Public sector and NGO’s cooperating for valorisation of the Cultural Park “Town of Weavers”

Weavers’ Town Culture Park in Zgierz is the first cultural park in Poland. It was established in 2003 by the municipal authorities to protect the city's unique urban layout from the 1820s. The Cultural Park is one of the forms of monument protection laid down by Polish law to protect a specific area of the cultural landscape characterised with monuments, local buildings and traditional settlements. In the beginning of 19th century Zgierz started to work in local textile industries. When the complex lost its industrial importance, the area became a neglected part of the city, partly inhabited by a poor social group. To protect that cultural heritage of "Weaver Houses" with their unusual heritage of wooden architecture and to transform that part of the city into the renew visiting area the local Administration promoted the inclusion into the project "Revitalization and development of the historic wooden architecture complex of the city of Zgierz" co-financed by the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism. The process took place by restoring 4 buildings. After the restoration process, NGOs selected by public tender, introduced various services in the renovated buildings (i.e. food & accommodation, art & cultural centre, wood preservation, cafe etc.).The main stakeholders were the municipality of Zgierz and NGOs participating in the project. The main beneficiaries were the inhabitants of the city of Zgierz and tourists coming from all over Poland, as well as from abroad.