Greenways projects

Greenways-Zelene stezky Program fosters preservation of cultural and natural heritage, strong communities and sustainable economic development by encouraging environmentally-friendly tourism along "green" corridors throughout the Czech Republic and Central Europe. The Program is currently working with partners on two specific Greenways in the Czech Republic - the Prague-Vienna Greenway, and the Wine Trails of Southern Moravia Greenway.

Prague-Vienna Greenway

Thanks in part to public relations efforts, including articles in the Guardian, Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere, a growing number of domestic and overseas tourists are travelling the Prague-Vienna Greenway. A number of nonprofit projects, e.g., renovation of a Jewish cemetery and castle, have been included into tourist products along the route.

Greenways projects

• Association of Friends of Jewish Culture, Mikulov - During WWII and the proceeding 40 years of Communism, the 400-year-old Jewish population of Mikulov has disappeared and all of the Jewish monuments, including the largest, historical, Jewish cemetery in the Czech Republic, have fallen into disrepair. The Association of Friends of Jewish Culture in Mikulov is actively involved in translating the gravestones from Hebrew in the Jewish cemetery. They are creating a database of the location of the stones with the inscription translated into many languages. They also have created a trail through the former Jewish ghetto in Mikulov marking significant old Jewish houses.
  Address: Association of Friends of Jewish Culture in Mikulov, Mikulov Regional Museum, Zamek 1, 692 01 Mikulov, Czech Republic.
  
  
• Phoenix Society, Telc - This society has focused on presenting a local Jewish painter Frantisek Moric Nagl, who was killed with his wife and children by the Nazis in Auschwitz concentration camp. A educational trail with information panels shows areas once important to this artist, including his ruined old house. A memorial stands in the town square located, based on an old photo, where he once stood painting a picture. At a viewpoint depicted in one of his paintings the society built a stone table for the local population to visit. The society has been involved in cataloging a large part of his paintings. In addition, the Phoenix Society has planted many trees around Telc.
  Address: Phoenix Telc, Kostelni Myslova 44, 588 56 Telc, Czech Republic.
  Email: phoenix.telc@volny.cz
  
  
• Rozmberk Society, Peasant Museum in Kojakovice - Project to establish a small museum devoted to the former, every-day life of this small village set in the beautiful countryside of Southern Bohemia. As more and more of the local population move to urban areas, the village is becoming a relic of the past, with houses and tools reminiscent of a past century. The Rozmberk Society, has transformed the old schoolhouse in the community into a museum documenting the life of the rural population. The museum also documents the ties between the village and Czech immigrants in the United States. The project is part of broader plans to revive the community of Kojakovice and create employment opportunities by developing sustainable tourism. Support will be used for mobilizing and organizing the local population as well as developing exhibits for the museum.
  More at: www.rozmberk.org/English/Kojakovice/
  Email: info@rozmberk.org
  
  
• Slavonice Renaissance Society, Slavonice - Like many border communities, Slavonice still suffers from the effects of the transfer of its population after 1945 and during the Communist regime. The Slavonice Renaissance Society is a civic association dedicated to reviving and mobilizing the community through a rich program of cultural events and community projects. In particular they are rennovating and restoring the rich renaissance architecture in the town of Slavonice. Some of the buildings date back to the 14th century and their facades are undergoing restoration thanks to the efforts of this local society. The society has also created an educational, cultural trail celebrating an old Czech folk outlaw Johan Grasel.
  More at: www.slavonice.cz
  Email: srs@slavonice.cz

Wine Trails of Southern Moravia Greenway

The Program has been working closely with SVOJM (an association of 21 wine-growing communities) and Adonis (an environmental organization focused on regional development) and other partners to preserve and exploit the rich wine-growing tradition of the area by developing environmentally friendly wine-tourism and small-scale wine production. Most recently, we have been assisting the associated communities to envision and plan future development of their region in preparation for receiving EU support.