In June 2025, an International Educational Tour across the national parks of the Visegrad Group brought together students, lecturers, and experts from Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. The event was implemented within the project “Shifting towards Ecotourism in Protected Areas through Heritage Interpretation”, supported by the International Visegrad Fund.
Over six days, participants followed a route that passed through key protected areas of Central Europe within the Carpathian Mountains — focusing on biodiversity conservation, interpretation of cultural and natural heritage, environmental education, and the development of ecotourism.
20 June | Budapest – Zvolen – Banská Štiavnica
The tour began with a meeting with Hungarian partners in Budapest and continued with a trip to Slovakia. In the town of Banská Štiavnica, the first training session was held, where participants learned about examples of environmental education and local volunteering. An online meeting was also held with the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine, the project coordinator.
21 June | Danube-Ipoly National Park (Hungary)
Participants visited Danube-Ipoly National Park, explored its ecosystems, walked along an ecological trail together with a ranger, observed wild species, and studied water bodies. The day concluded with a lecture on ecotourism in the Carpathians.
22 June | Gajdošovo Wetland (Slovakia)
The training day focused on interpretive planning. After the lecture, participants visited the Gajdošovo wetland and completed a group assignment — to develop concepts for updating the information board of the protected area, taking into account modern approaches to interpretation.
23 June | Muránska Planina National Park
The program included a tour of a medieval castle, a visit to a contact zoo with ground squirrels, and a lecture on brown bear conservation in the national park. Participants learned about examples of adapting environmental education activities to the needs of different target audiences.
24 June | Crossing into Poland through the Low Tatras
On this day, participants climbed Mount Chopok (2,024 m), hiked along the mountain ridge, and finished the day in the town of Zakopane. The program combined physical activity, teamwork, and the contemplation of natural landscapes — as an example of integrating ecotourism with environmental education.
25 June | Tatra National Park (Poland)
The day was spent in Tatra National Park, where participants explored protected ecosystems, studied approaches to nature conservation, and visited the high-mountain lake Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy. The final discussion focused on initiatives planned for implementation in four national parks of the Ukrainian Carpathians — Hutsulshchyna, Verkhovynskyi, Carpathian, and Vyzhnytskyi.
26 June | Tatra National Park Visitor Centre (Poland)
On the last day of the international tour, the group had the opportunity to analyze the work of the Tatra National Park Visitor Centre in Zakopane. The visit showcased a different approach to presenting information — thematic exhibition halls accompanied by an audio guide, which may inspire improvements in visitor centers of Ukrainian national parks.
This tour became an important platform for exchanging experience, inspiration, and intercultural cooperation. Its focus was on the role of youth, the integration of environmental education into ecotourism, and interpretation as a bridge between heritage and modernity.
We sincerely thank our colleagues from Danube-Ipoly National Park in Hungary, Muránska Planina National Park and Low Tatras National Park in Slovakia, and the team of Tatra National Park in Poland. Special thanks also go to lecturers, experts, guides, and volunteers for their warm welcome and meaningful contributions. We express our deep gratitude to the Visegrad Fund for supporting this initiative, which united the youth of Central Europe in the spirit of sustainable development and nature conservation.
The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund.
The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.