On 13 August 2022, during the ceremonial opening of boulevards by the Noteć River in Wieleń and the Noteć Festival, thanks to the hospitality of the Association of Towns and Municipalities by the Noteć, a team of the International Waterway E70 presented its promotional stand.
The Noteć River, the largest tributary of the Warta, is part of International Waterway E70, and the opening of riverside boulevards with a reinforced embankment and the possibility of mooring boats will have a strong impact on raising the tourism potential of this whole section.
The boulevards by the Noteć are also a modern nature-education complex offering a place for learning about Wieleń’s history, but also rest and recreation. It is one of four investments involved in the project “Revitalisation of Wieleń a chance for municipal development”. Earlier the “New Town redone” was opened (in 2020), in July 2022 “Station Education”, while in October 2022 a “Mediateque” is planned. The comprehensive project of revitalisation in Wieleń, consisting of four investments, is not only on a local scale, but also European; it combines design and ecology, enhancing the quality of public spaces and social accessibility.
For years Wieleń has been active in obtaining EU funds, and regional leaders treat revitalisation as a priority. The EU budget, in the framework of the Wielkopolskie Regional Operational Program for the years 2014-2020, allocated over 551 million PLN for this purpose. The determination of the Wieleń local government, along with cooperation on many levels, was key in preparing a good application and obtaining UE subsides to the sum of 15.5 million PLN. This is one of the largest subsidies that was granted for revitalisation by the Voivodeship in that period.
Of a key importance for successful revitalisation was the development of the Local Revitalisation Programme for the years 2017- 2023 “Two areas, one vision for the revitalisation of parts of Wieleń”, initiated in 2016, which also received support from the EU.
The stand of the International Waterway E70 enjoyed strong interest among those visiting the boulevards, especially water sports enthusiasts, but also others leading an active lifestyle.
FOT. ARCH. UMWW