Live, reside, work in Jelenia Góra! – project of the City of Jelenia Góra

Project information 

• Project: Live, reside, work in Jelenia Góra! 
• Beneficiary: City of Jelenia Góra  
• Partners: Karkonosze National Park, Karkonosze Regional Development Agency, Karkonosze Association of Disabled Persons, municipalities and districts, Jelenia Góra Agglomeration, City of Akureyri (Iceland)  
• Programme: Local development  
• Project coverage: Jelenia Góra, Dolnośląskie Voivodeship  
• Funding awarded: EUR 3,518,736.34  
• Project period: 1 December 2021 – 30 April 2024  
• Website   

Get inspired in Jelenia Góra  

The main idea of the project is to improve the quality of life in Jelenia Góra. This picturesque city in the heart of the Karkonosze Mountains is facing demographic (population decline) and environmental (including deteriorating air quality) challenges. To stop these negative changes, the project ‘Live, stay, work in Jelenia Góra!’ is being implemented. 

The local development project implemented in Jelenia Góra has six main objectives: 

• Jelenia Góra- ECO-logical choice (improvement of attractiveness and quality of life taking into account the potential of the natural environment), 
• Jelenia Góra opportunities (increased competitiveness and economic attractiveness), 
• potential with a view to the future (building civil society and local identity), 
• raising the level of performance standards and competence of the local public administration, 
• improving the quality and accessibility of public services, 
• developing social dialogue.  

Initiatives underway include a community-based environmental education campaign or the reconstruction of paving in the historic city centre, taking into account the elimination of barriers for the disabled and the creation of new, attractive green zones. One of the important aspects of the project is career counselling in schools, job fairs, meetings for students and local businesses as well as entrepreneurship courses. 

An interesting and very successful event was MOVI CITIES Festival –The Jelenia Góra Festival of Light. Both editions of the event combined concerts by major Polish stars with laser or mapping shows.  

Another aspect of the project is the bilateral cooperation with the Icelandic twin town of Akureyr, where study visits were organised – both by Icelanders in Poland and by Poles in Iceland. One of the results of these meetings is – among other things – the video clip filmed by young people from both cities. 

Examples of effects 

• document entitled ‘Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the Jelenia Góra Agglomeration, the City of Jelenia Góra as well as the Districts and Communes of the Jelenia Góra Agglomeration’, 
• two editions of the Movi Cities Festival (30 September – 2 October 2022, 29 September – 1 October 2023), 
• environmental action: creation of the lesson scenario ‘Bumblebee-friendly school’, 
• reconstruction of the paving in the historic city centre, taking into account the elimination of barriers for the disabled, 
• excursion for senior citizens and their families with a Nordic Walking coach and an employee of the Karkonosze National Park (29 April 2023), 
• video guide to official matters for residents.