Preserve and display to the world

“Use and Protection of Ukrainian and Polish Cultural Heritage to Promote Tourism” – such is the title of the joint field session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Committee on Family Matters, Youth Policy, Sports and Tourism and the Polish Sejm’s Commission on Physical Education, Sports and Tourism, to be held on the premises of the Castles of Ternopil Region National Historical and Architectural Conservation Area in Zbarazh, Ternopil oblast from June 9 through 11. Invitations have been sent not just to both countries’ MPs, but to heads of Ukrainian regional administrations and specialists in the fields of tourism and protection of historical monuments, too.

It is no accident that the event will be held in Ternopil region, since as much as a third of the nation’s castles, palaces, and fortifications are located there. Most of them are in poor condition, and an action to preserve then from further destruction has been long overdue. “State funding is clearly inadequate for the task, so we look forward to some interesting proposals from both the Ukrainian and the Polish sides, as our neighbors have more experience in these matters. Legislation needs amending, too, because there are many problems with it,” the head of the Department of Tourism and Resorts of Ternopil Regional State Administration Lesia Seretna tells The Day. She emphasizes the need to discuss not just the preservation of historical monuments, but the development of tourism infrastructure, too, including the construction of museums and hotels. However, here again there is a shortage of appropriate ways to resolve these issues. “We would like our joint effort at the meeting to result in communicating these issues to the authorities in Kyiv,” Seretna remarks.