Dobków, Poland

Dobkow is a small village in south-west part of Poland under administration of Borough of Świerzawa and Złotoryja County about 100 km south from Wroclaw (in the Kaczawskie Mountains) and about 40 km north from Karkonosze Mountains. It's located along Bukownica River on the attitude of 230-295 meters.
The population it's a mix of after war imigrants from Ukraine and east and central part of Poland.
 

Short history:
The village is over 800 years old. The first written information about Dobków comes from 1203 under the latin name of Villa Helmerici after the name of it's first locator – Helmerich.
Until 1810 the village belonged to the Lubiaz monastery. It's ownership was the reason the Reformation never happened in Dobków. It was one of the very few pure Catholic villages in the Silesia. Also having monastery as a owner was the reason the village never had a palace like so many other villages around.
The II World War didn't cause and damages in the village. Right after the war, polish settlers and German inhabitants lived together in quiet a harmony until July 1946 when all the Germans (except one, who married a polish soldier and stayed) were deported to West and East Germany.
 

Industry:
The villagers were always dependand on farming and small industy in the surrounding area as there is no industry in the village itself. Some people had to travel to work up to 30 kms to factories in Złotoryja, Legnica, Jelenia Góra, Jawor and Bolków.
For the last 20 years many villagers found employment abroad. Only few had stay in Germany or UK for good. Most of them still consider Dobków as home and work abroad from time to time.
 

Main challenges:
The main challenges refer to employment and improvement of village itself. Also, the investment in wind farming and mink farming brought by outside businessmen caused unrest among the villagers and was dropped.
 

Public protests:
- protest against the construction of the American mink farm. Dutch investor wanted to build a farm for more than 50,000 animals.
 

About orgnization:
Stowarzyszenie Dobków was established in 2002 by group of  people from the village. The main reason was to stimulate small and big initiatives in the village like water supply and to keep history of the village and bring alive forgotten traditions.  Association members are working together to improve the quality of  life and  sustainable development of the village. Young people working with older, they learn together photography, filming, organizing exhibitions, Kaczawskie Art Workshops.
Main projects organized so far:
Ecomuseum – established in 2005. Its is not a building not the organization its „living museum”. This is a few places in the village where is oportunity to meet  „face to face” local farmers and local craftsmens. We belive this is the best way to learn about how the some  people in village work.
Chapel's Trail – established in 2010. It is a result of cooperation between the association and the community. The Association has developed the content of the trail. Community renewed several chapels and has marked trail.
Fairy Tale Bus Stops, - children with the adults painted three bus stops in the village, and then took part in two education tours,  2009.
The Beauty Spot above the village, 2011.
Three decades of the Vulcanism: education notice board located on the beauty spot, 2010.
Yoga Project – we bought the accesorries for yoga classes. The project was to encourage especially the seniors from the village to  spent their free time in the active way, 2011.
Exibition of the photography during the Kaczawskie Warsztaty Artystyczne Festival in 2011. The photographies were collected by teenagers from the old people which arrived to Dobków in 1945 after Second World War to star their new life.
 

Local heritage:
The Chapels
St Giles Church
Monument of  St Nepomucen
Ruins of the Old Manor House
Almost  all the houses in the village are monuments, because are old and for  hundreds years they change not a lot, same like stones bridges on the river. A monument is also well-preserved village settlement system.
Local product:
Hand made and painted ceramic and pottery etc
honey and bee products
home made pickles, jams and juices etc
paper flowers
all artisans, owners of accommodation and beekeepers in the village create together local tourism product - Ekomuzeum Rzemiosła in Dobkow.  Guest can participate in workshops of ceramic, making paper flower , cutting agate stones  and purchase the local products from the area, such as, honey, pottery, home made food, etc.
 

Traditions:
Summer Harvest Festival – celebrated each year at the end of August.
Kaczawskie Warsztaty Artystyczne Festival – celebrated each year along the Summer Harvest Festival. This is the time when we invaite craftsmens from the area specialized in the ceramic, embroidery, crochet, stone mosaic, papercrafts ,woodcraft, painting, drawing, glazing. Etc.
Corpus Christi Procession – celebrated each year on the streets of the village.
Indulgence on St. Giles.