Title: Regional Profile Report - Central Europe

(more or less pronounced) negative demographic development, that stands in marked
contrast to the former growth rates many of these regions had experienced when mining was
still active.
These trends are more or less well pronounced in each region analysed in this Regional
Profile Report. The impact of these structural changes differs from case to case, because of
local factors, such as infrastructure provisions (i.e. universities), other location factors (i.e.
alternative economic branches), level of nation’s state involvement (i.e. subsidies, special
regional development funds) and the general state of transformation (i.e. mine closure
imminent or decades ago). Nevertheless all regions struggle with the same kind of problems,
when met with the situation to complete a transition from a mining to a post-mining region,
that requires a new vision in times of great economic and social challenges.
Almost all regions have replied to this situation by drafting regional development plans and
instigating cooperation across affected municipalities (FLOEZ, Zasavje, Sokolov, Steirische
Eisenstrasse). Often supported by national or European Union funding (LEADER, PHARE,
INTERREG) and determined by local factors (existing infrastructures or expertise), the
regions have tried to develop new strategies for their regions.
Some of these strategies refer explicitly to the mining heritage. Especially important are
cultural potentials in the field of tourism, when mining traditions (“Miner’s day” celebration) or
infrastructures (Mining Museums) are incorporated into a wider touristic marketing. Good
examples are to be found in “Miners Day” celebrations in the Steirische Eisenstrasse or the
Hard Coal Mining Museums in Oelsnitz/Ergebirge.
Also the use of post-mining landscapes for tourism or leisure activities is part to improve
the overall image of the regions. A good example are the efforts from the Sokolov area,
where land reclamation is used as away to create leisure facilities from the former open-cast
sites, which aim towards the altering of the regions “black image”. Some projects also involve
the re-usage of former mining buildings as office or exhibition spaces, as examples from
Wałbrzych show (“Julia project”).
In the case-study areas ecological potentials are not that well developed. Geothermal
energy use or the production of biomass have been tested in some regions (Zasavje,
FLOEZ), but none of these schemes has been transformed in a fully funded project. Here the
ReSOURCE project could initiate new activities.
The actors and their interplay in these projects have been largely determined by local factors.
While in some regions mainly informal network structures shape development efforts
11