Geneza i rozwój Drogi św. Jakuba w państwach Grupy Wyszehradzkiej

Abstract

The presented study is an attempt to summarize the activities associated with origin/genesis and development of St. James Route in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The authors of this study, basing on personal research and interviews with foreign associations caring for St. James' Routes, also made an attempt to present the main problems and challenges related to the further development of the Camino de Santiago in the Visegrad Group countries (V4). Among those investigating the phenomenon of St. James Route in Europe nowadays prevails consistent belief that the revival of St. James Route was preceded by a pilgrimage of Blessed John Paul II to Santiago de Compostela in 1982. In 1987 the Council of Europe declared the Camino de Santiago, to be the first European Cultural Route and encouraged local authirities to restore the old routes of pilgrimage. In 2003 the European network of St. James' Routes reached the German-Polish border in Görlitz/Zgorzelec. In 2004 polish people, who pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James, already began works on the demarcation of the Polish sections of St. James Route, which finally led to opening of the first section of St. James' Route in 2005; Dolnośląska St. James Route. In the years 2005-2011, thanks to the work of members of fraternities and St. James' associations, the Church authorities, local government authorities, tourism organizations, as well as friend the ways St. James and worshipers of St. James among the Visegrad Group countries, currently there are more than 4000 km of St. James Route already marked, including over 2700 km in Poland, over 1100 km in Czech Republic and approximately 500 km in Hungary. At present we work on the project of the first section of St. James' Routes in the Slovak Republic, which will be opened in the second half of 2012.