On 16 July 2026, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University hosted a working meeting with representatives of the Central Mountain Tourism Office of the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society (PTTK) in Krakow, Republic of Poland — Jerzy Kapłon and Agata Hanula — marking a further step in the development of Ukrainian-Polish scholarly cooperation.
Cooperation between the Department of Ethnology and Archaeology of the university and the Central Mountain Tourism Office of the PTTK is carried out under a cooperation agreement signed in 2024, aimed at joint research, promoting the historical and cultural heritage of the Carpathian region, and strengthening good-neighbourly relations between Ukraine and Poland.
One notable result of this cooperation is the latest issue (No. 11) of the academic journal on Carpathian studies, “Carpathians: Man, Ethnos, Civilisation” (editor-in-chief: Professor Mykola Kuhutiak), prepared with contributions from Ukrainian and Polish authors and published with the financial support of the Polish partners — evidence of successful international academic cooperation and a shared commitment to Carpathian studies.
Jerzy Kapłon, head of the Central Mountain Tourism Office of the PTTK in Krakow, donated a number of history books about the Carpathian region to the university’s Scientific Library.
The meeting was attended by Vice-Rector for Academic and International Affairs Liliia Turovska, Dean of the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations Ihor Hurak, faculty members of the Department of Ethnology and Archaeology including head of department Professor Mykola Kuhutiak, Professor Petro Kostiuchok, Associate Professor Oksana Drohobytska and Associate Professor Svitlana Boian-Hladka, as well as the Polish delegation, Jerzy Kapłon and Agata Hanula.
During the meeting with the vice-rector, the parties discussed prospects for further cooperation in historical, ethnological, regional and tourism research at the Department of Ethnology and Archaeology of the university’s Educational and Research Centre for the History, Ethnology and Archaeology of the Carpathians. Particular attention was paid to expanding joint research projects, preparing publications, developing tourist routes, conducting field research and organising academic exchanges, and the main tasks for further cooperation were defined.
A separate topic of discussion was the development of historical and cultural tourism and the creation of new joint tourist routes across the Carpathian region. Participants stressed the importance of promoting the shared cultural heritage, historical monuments and tourism potential of the Ukrainian Carpathians as part of the European cultural space.
The meeting demonstrated the shared commitment of Ukrainian and Polish scholars to deepening academic partnership, implementing international research initiatives and preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the Carpathian region. Continued cooperation will support the development of scholarship, strengthen international ties, and expand opportunities for students, faculty and researchers from both countries.