WE WERE VISITED BY PARTNERS FROM NORWAY
A group of nine guests spent less than two days in Hajnówka. The Norwegians watched the building bought for the needs of the Academy of Nature, they also awarded prizes to the winners of the pocket park design competition.
Our partners and advisors in the “Hajnówka ReNewal – Green Transformation” project arrived last Friday. Among the guests were representatives of the authorities of our partner city of Alta, the manager of the youth center and the project coordinator. During the visit, the Norwegians saw the building of the “Bartnik” inn, bought by the city last year for the needs of the Academy of Nature, one of the project’s flagship projects. It is worth noting that it was this facility that the partners recommended during their last visit to Hajnówka. Seeing the building confirmed their opinion – both the surroundings and the location best suit the goals of the Academy of Nature.
The guests also presented prizes to the winners of the pocket park design competition. Let us remind you that there are eight winners and they are students of the Białystok University of Technology.
Our cooperation with students from Alta, especially in the context of the development of the city center, has been going on for many years, but it never happened that they created a project. You did it. You had the courage to give students a voice, you trusted them.
Together with guests from Norway, we planted an oak tree under the seat of the Hajnówka Town Hall and visited our partner in the implementation of the project, which is the Białowieża National Park. There, the Norwegians had the opportunity to see a bison reserve. It is worth emphasizing that unique natural and cultural values are what Hajnówka and Alta have in common. We have the Białowieża Forest, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, while in Alta there are rock carvings from several thousand years ago.
The visit of the Norwegians ended with the participation in a gala concert at the Hajnówka International Festival of Orthodox Church Music, which made a great impression on the guests. They also expressed their willingness to meet the inhabitants of Hajnówka at the next opportunity.