A reader found an analysis by the Polish Academy of Sciences online, indicating that Bolesławiec ranked 104th among medium-sized towns losing their socioeconomic functions. (As the author of the text on the PAP website explains, this is meant to refer to towns at risk of marginalization and crisis phenomena.)
A resident of Bolesławiec wondered whether things really are that bad for his hometown. Agnieszka Gergont, spokesperson for the Bolesławiec City Hall:
The proximity of the surrounding rural municipality, which encircles Bolesławiec, undoubtedly affects the demographics of our city (see the presentation below). Residents of Bolesławiec settle in the rural municipality, but work and spend their active leisure time in Bolesławiec – this is a trend found in many towns situated in this way.
Economically, it is difficult to agree with the statement that this function is gradually being lost. Unemployment in Bolesławiec is below 3%. Our city is a very important center providing employment to many residents of the region. The investment boom in the residential construction market, the emergence of further large commercial facilities and workplaces, entrepreneurs’ interest in new sites for locating new investments in our city, as well as independent comparative analyses from other sources, show Bolesławiec’s leading position in various areas of social and economic life.
[...] we read that “the Ministry of Development plans to allocate more than PLN 2.5 billion over the coming years to support medium-sized towns, focusing particularly on the 122 centers identified by the Polish Academy of Sciences. National operational programs managed by the Minister of Development will provide preferences for medium-sized towns, including through dedicated calls for proposals. It will also be possible to obtain capital for own contributions to projects financed with EU funds. The ministry also wishes to stimulate the location of new private investments in medium-sized towns through preferential public-aid conditions for investors.” The Ministry of Development’s announcements can only please our city, as we intend to take advantage of the dedicated calls for proposals.
What do you think? We invite you to join the discussion.