Cieszyn-Czeski Cieszyn - wybrane aspekty funkcjonowania miasta podzielonego na granicy polsko-czeskiej w kontekście transgranicznej mobilności mieszkańców

Sylwia Dołzbłasz

doi:10.18778/2300-0562.04.08

Authors

Sylwia Dołzbłasz Zakład Zagospodarowania Przestrzennego, Instytut Geografii i Rozwoju Regionalnego, Uniwersytet Wrocławski, 50-138 Wrocław, ul. Kuźnicza 49-55

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/2300-0562.04.08

Keywords:

divided city, border twin city, transborder shopping trips, cross-border relations, Polish-Czech border

Abstract

The existence of national borders does not only mean formal-legal barriers, but also, or above all, mental and economical barriers and as a consequence the pace and scope of integration processes depend on local conditions e.g. local actors, physical barriers, infrastructural connections, differences in the level of economic development. In the context of transborder mobility divided cities appear to be a good research subject in terms of immediate neighbourhood, population density and concentration of institutions, etc. resulting in high intensity of social, economic and spatial phenomena and processes on both sides of the border and the opportunity to research the impact of the border on these processes. The existence of a border in everyday life of the inhabitants and ample potential opportunities for integration are also very important factors.

The aim of this study was to research selected aspects of transborder practices at the local level in Cieszyn-Český Těšín, the divided city at the Polish-Czech border. In the paper the transborder openness of service providers and transborder mobility of inhabitants were chosen for analysis. The study on firms covered the urban centres on both sides of the border and the space connecting them to the border crossings. Economic entities providing chosen services for the people, such as: retailers, gastronomy, museums and selected offices were researched. The study aimed to show the level of openness of these institutions to clients from the other side of the border (e.g. offers in the language of the neighbour, possibilities of payment in the neighbour’s currency, knowledge of the language). This allows, in turn, to determine the level of permeability of institutional space, its character, strength etc. The intensity of transborder mobility and attitude towards neighbours were assessed on the basis of a questionnaire survey conducted among the inhabitants of Cieszyn.

The permeability of institutional space and perception of neighbours seems to be a significant elements of the integration processes of the divided city. It was assumed that the high level of transborder openness as well as intensive and positive relations between local communities may lead to the formation of a common public space and strong functional connections. The analysis has shown positive attitude towards inhabitants of the other side of the border. Moreover, relatively intensive connections between citizens of Cieszyn and Český Těšín was observed. As regards transborder openness of service providers a clear symmetry was visible (common knowledge of neighbour’s language, moderate share of firms with banner/marketing materials in neighbours’ language). In the scope of the type structure of analysed firms, however, some differences were noticed (e.g. higher share of restaurants and bars on the Czech side, higher share of clothes shops on the Polish side). It can be stated that except for the economic factor, cultural factors are also significant elements shaping the permeability of institutional space and perception of the neighbours across the border in the divided city.

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