Jaszkowa Górna, Lower Silesia, Poland

Jaszkowa Górna is one of 35 localities within the municipality of Kłodzjo, is located in the voivodeship Lower Silesia in the South of Poland and has 937 inhabitants. More than half of the population are working in agriculture, a quarter in the service sector. Jaszkowa Górna has a settlement structure similar to a Waldhufendorf and is equipped with highly developed technical infrastructure: canalisation, water conduits, lighting and effectively built out access roads. Great parts of Jaszkowa Górna are located in a landscape preservation zone with protected animal and plant species. There is a ban on anything that could harm the natural environment (water, air and soil). Due to its clear air, restfulness and undistorted landscape, the village makes for an ideal recreational place.

The majority of agriculture is located on hillsides or plateaus, soil quality is fairly low. Nonetheless, there are more than 160 agricultural enterprises with areas of over 2 ha which mainly produce grains, coleseed, potatoes, millet and buckwheat. Most inhabitants are independent concerning the supply of fruit and vegetables. Special attention should be paid to the strawberry and raspberry plantations, the production of buckwheat and its processing are also of interest. Farming of milk and  slaughter cattle has decreased substantially and the production of sugar beets, linen and poppy has vanished completely.

As one of the first villages within the Kłodzjo municipality, Jaszkowa Górna became a member of the village renewal process in 2006. Its goal was to enhance life quality and living standard of the population by making use of the inhabitants’ potentials and the special features of the landscape. Since 2006, eleven projects with a total cost of 225.000 euros were realized – almost half of the costs were paid for by the population, the rest was financed by external sources. In collaboration between municipality and population, numerous public buildings were modernised: the town house, a voluntary fire department building, the parish house as well as the building of the former elementary school which is now home to a library, computer room and social security office. Additionally, other projects such as workshops, integration of all generations and maintenance of traditions and customs were established. Also remarkable is the project “Chickens as promotion for our village” which deals with the cultivation of an endangered species of chicken.

The village renewal process in Jaszkowa Górna is characterised by the usage of energy potentials of the village leaders. It is them who give color and character to activities and thus motivate their fellow inhabitants to show initiative and commitment. For this purpose, the village also organises regular educational projects for the municipality responsibles in order to improve their knowledge and qualifications in regards to village renewal.

Within the framework of civic initiatives, new ideas and activities are developed every year, such as the “wedding music festival” and “Carving outdoors”, the decorating of the village with flowers and the painting of old bus stops by local children. Also very popular are the traditional integration meetings in connection with a mass held in the St. Anna Chapel, which take place twice a year.

Remarkable is also the close and successful cooperation with the city and other villages within the municipality in connection with the maintenance and presentation of local culture, folk music, handicraft and gastronomic products.

Evaluated: 2012