Nemoland Poland
Pictures      Map    Fotoalbum Nemoland
More information about Nemoland, projects and Stara Kamienica (pdf-file)
All information about the Pol Skal mining plans in Stara Kamienica near Nemoland
Stage and research reports

Kopaniec-Miedzylesie 5 - 58-512 Stara Kamienica
Meetingplace for lovers of nature and free roaming near the Giant and Iser Mountains in Lower Silesia (South West Poland). Centre for sustainable development.

Information
Nemo - Overbrakerpad 2 - 1014 AZ Amsterdam - Holland
Tel./Fax +31 20 6817013 - email

Nemoland wants to get as many people as possible interested in Polish nature and culture. We are not a hotel or a tourist campsite, but a meetingplace where we want to introduce visitors to the history and the special landscape of Poland, and the people from the region. Walking is the best way to get acquainted with this unexplored part of Poland. Nemoland (79 acres of grounds) is where a large mountainous area borders on hills with old farms, with densely grown small valleys and many little picturesque villages. Just the place for endless roaming!

Nemoland is situated in a region which is the divide of major events in the history, culture and nature of Central Europe, events which left visible traces everywhere. From its centre Nemo wants to contribute to the appreciation and the development of the region by means of projects for conservation, protection of its culture and ecological activity. Nemoland also wants to be a place where you can discover and learn about all the special things Poland has to offer.

Witamy! Guests are welcome!

The Nemo Centre is an activity of the Nemo association, so guests are (become) Nemo members.

What is on offer?
Nemo does not provide ready-made arrangements, but offers the facilities to embark on your own journey of discovery:

*Just rambling: On and around the Nemo estate, in the hills and along the brook, enjoying the quiet, roaming dozens of walking routes Nemo has plotted.
*A one (or more)-day walk from farm to farm: having your meals and/or sleeping at small Polish farms, walks of 15 - 20 kilometres.
*A two (or more)-day mountain walk: over the crest of the Giant Mountains, sleeping in mountain huts (may be combined with farm-to-farm walk).
*Day trips: combination of public transport and walk to: castles Chojnik, Czocha, Bolkow, Stara Kamienica, historical towns and museums Jelenia Gora, Walbrzych, Kowary, health resorts Cieplice and Swieradow Zdroj, monastery Kreszow, nature reserves Karkonosze, Rudawy Janowickie, Karjobrazowy Doliny, museum concentration camp of Gross Rosen.
*For enthusiasts: riding, looking for crystals, taking cures, theme walks, geology, nature, regional history.
*For children: explorations, tracking, searching for Rubezahl, adventures on Witches=
*Mountain, building dams and splashing in the shallow brook, building tree huts.
*Getting acquainted in an active way with: Polish language and literature, Polish cuisine and recipes, local artists (workshops). Visits to villagers who have a lot to tell.
*Assisting in: working in the garden, repairing footpaths, nature protection, pruning/mowing, restoring monuments.
*Nemo day walks: in July and August there are guided walks, and weekly guided tours of the estate.

NEMO: association for ramblers
NEMO, a ramblers= club, started an appealing project in 1998. NEMO bought, in Poland, a country house and grounds dating from 1915. Through the promotion of walking, NEMO wants to create support for the appreciation and the conservation of nature, landscape and the cultural heritage. By organizing the estate as a recreation centre NEMO hopes to contribute to the development of the surrounding countryside. In this way local population as well as landscape will gain.. The area around the house has been seriously neglected since the fall of communism.. Though factories went bankrupt, people and landscape were still suffering heavily from pollution.. Only in the last few years the cleaning up of polluting factories and reafforestation have been tackled.. There is much unemployment around Ramberg (the original German name of the hamlet where the estate is situated). Tourism in Poland has so far largely been concentrated in a number of big cities. The Ramberg area is special: the small-scale 18th-century landscape of fields, clumps of trees, castles and small villages is virtually intact. Moreover, the area is exceptionally rich in rare plants and flowers. The neighbouring Giant Mountains are the scene of countless legends and fairy-tales. A region, in short, that stirs the imagination and is certainly appreciated by people who love peace and quiet.

Project-proposal by Nemo for rural development and sustainable tourism in Stara Kamienica, South-west Poland
The Dutch Association Nemo develops together with Polish partners a project aimed at:
Preservation and improvement of ecological, cultural-historical and socio-economic functions of valuable agricultural landscapes in Poland near nature reserves. Education, exchange and promotion of agro/ecotourism and employment are the most important means in this project.

Although Poland is doing well in many respects, vital functions of valuable agricultural landscapes near nature reserves (usually transitional areas around national borders and around national parks) fall victim to economic and ecological catastrophe. An example of this is the community of Stara Kamienica in South-West Poland, in the foothills of the Karkonosze National Park. The emerging free market and the agricultural expansion associated with it, has all but pushed aside the traditional small-scale agriculture that was typical to the region which succumbs to economic isolation. Most agricultural land lies waste, firms stop their activities and factories are empty. There is a lot of unemployment and there are hardly any social services to deal with the problems. Community spirit, vulnerable after the forced migrations in 1946 and 45 years of communism, evaporates steadily. Because of the geographical and economic isolation of the district and the growing influence of the West, the cultural identity of the region disappears and dissolves in favour of an international focus. This identity is also damaged by harmful construction works and the fact that the woodlands are encroaching on rural land. Residents are hardly aware of the special cultural-historical and ecological value of their district. And so the region deteriorates visibly and no tourist- or other regional products are developed that could generate new income and protection of the regional character.

Although Polish authorities and the European Union recognize that sustainable regional development should be approached integrally (social, ecological and economic problems should be solved in relation to each other) there are insufficient instruments in order to direct a favourable development. There is a lack of possibilities for schooling and practical training aimed at employment). A combination is called for of rural development that benefits local population and sustainable recreation, in which tourism contributes to preservation of culture and nature.

The project in Stara Kamienica offers this combination through setting up an education centre and an experimental farm in which local people should participate and be integrated so as to promote community building. An important part of the project is therefore co-operation and exchange with local and (inter)regional non-profit organisations, enterpreneurs, artists, schools and authorities.

Because of its situation Stara Kamienica connects the two most important regions in Southwest Poland, viz. Izerkie and Karkonosze. Although the region is typically Polish, the project gets an international character because of the proximity of the Czech and German borders. Therefore this project can be a stimulating example for comparable initiatives elsewhere in the border area of the three countries (Eurregio Nysa).

The project consists of four parts that are interlinked:
1 Promotion of sustainable agriculture: through offering employment and education, development and promotion of regional products and practical support for beginning enterpreneurs. The aim is introduction of sustainable forms of agriculture. An important part of this concerns strengthening the position of rural women and training unemployed young people through special education programmes.

2 Promotion of rural and sustainable tourism: improvement and extension of accommodation and attractions; development of recreational routes and integration of these into tourist arrangements, training and education of future employers and people who offer recreational facilities.

3 Conservation: making a landscape-plan for the whole municipality and execution of the existing landscape- plan by H. Piek that has been made for the area around Miedzylesie. Aim of this plan is appreciation and preservation of agricultural landscape. It is the first time that such a plan is developed in Poland.

4 Protection of cultural heritage: through exhibitions, publications and restoration of monuments and historical elements in the landscape, in collaboration with former German residents and German/Polish cultural organisations. Its aim is promotion of German-Polish friendship, underlying theme would be continuity in history with an emphasis on the Polish and German history of the landscape and its inhabitants.

Educational centre and experiential farm offer the basis of the project.

The facilities and instruments for the execution of the project are offered by an educational centre in the existing Nemoland in Kopaniec-Miedzylesie (Stara Kamienica). Linked up with this is a experimental farm in adjoining Mala Kamienica. The educational centre has a function as a visitors= and activities centre: courses, exhibitions and events are organised there. The farm is an existing agricultural enterprise that is converted to an experimental farm that aims at development of products and education through exploitation of regional dairy products, culture of traditional crops and manufacture of fruit products.

Because of the concentration of education, management and facilities in the educational centre and the experimental farm, the project gains a firm base in the community which may influence the whole region. The centre will also help the extension of the existing international school-exchange-projects and camps for volunteers.