Geoparks and Slovak Presidency of the Visegrad Group – meeting of representatives of national commissions of geoparks of V4 countries
Geoparks are important areas not only from the point of view of geological (inanimate nature) and biological (living nature) research, but also from the perspective of archaeology, mining geology, culture, history and ethnographic specifics and diversity (cultural component of the landscape). They are set up in line with the sustainable development strategy, offer research potential, help promote environmental science and facilitate education. Geoparks support local development in terms of new economic and cultural, regional activities (nature-friendly and sustainable tourism), while helping to protect and preserve geodiversity and biodiversity.
On the occasion of the Slovak Republic’s Presidency of the Visegrad Group, under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic, the Interministerial Commission of the Geoparks Network of the Slovak Republic, the Slovak Environment Agency and the Slovak Mining Museum, a meeting of representatives of national commissions of geoparks of the V4 countries took place (9-11 May 2023) at the historical premises of the Slovak Mining Museum in Banská Štiavnica.
The meeting was opened and led by the Chairman of the Interministerial Commission of the Geoparks Network of the Slovak Republic, Patrik Pachinger, with the aim of creating a framework for long-term and stable cooperation regarding establishment, functioning and development of modern territories that geoparks represent in individual countries. This thematic focus made the meeting extremely unique, which managed to present not only the geoparks of Slovakia, but also its exceptional geodiversity.
The meeting also included professional field excursions in the territory of the Banská Štiavnica Geopark, during which participants had the opportunity to visit the exhibitions of the geopark created both in the exteriors and interiors of important partners. These were, for example, the Educational Geological Exhibition in the premises of the Open-Air Mining Museum, the Paradajs Educational Geological Trail, the Exhibition of Mining in Slovakia, or the Exhibition of Virtual Reality.
At the end of the meeting, representatives of the national commissions of geoparks of the V4 countries performed the ceremonial act of signing a memorandum of cooperation between geoparks of the Visegrad Group countries, thereby laying the foundations for further significant cooperation between the Slovak Republic and its closest neighbours.
On this occasion, a professional, popular-educational publication Geotopes of the Banská Štiavnica Geopark – volcanism and structure of the territory was presented. Through clear descriptions, complemented by illustrative graphic and map illustrations, it presents geotopes that arouse the reader’s desire to visit the site. Its final part contains a summary of knowledge about the structure of the exceptional, impressive Štiavnica stratovolcano. This makes it possible to understand the complexity of the geological structure of the area concerned from the point of view of development in the distant past and also the state in the present.
MEMORANDUM O SPOLUPRÁCI GEOPARKOV V4 – SK
MEMORANDUM OF COOPERATION GEOPARKS V4 – EN
