The Speaker of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński opened an exhibition on the history and traditions of skiing in Poland. It was created in cooperation with the Museum of the Przemysl Land and Tatra Museum in Zakopane. Photographs and exhibits show the development of skiing in the Tatra Mountains, the Carpathians and the Eastern Borderlands. Objects such as mountaineering equipment or sledges come from the interwar period. - This is a gift we received for the exhibition from the Fifth Highland Rifle Battalion," says Jan Jarosz, director of the Museum in Przemyśl.

- If we look at the geographical map, Przemyśl is in the middle - between Czarnohora and Tatra Mountains. Today's date is not chosen by accident. It is the 110th anniversary of the establishment of the Carpathian Skiing Society in Lviv," said the Speaker of the Sejm. He also mentioned that the Society was famous for organizing competitions and expeditions to the Bieszczady and Montenegro. It cooperated with the Tatra Society and gave rise to other tourist organizations such as the Polish Ski Association that exists to this day.

The Marshal reminded that January 31st is the 150th birth anniversary of an extraordinary man - general Mariusz Zaruski - a distinguished Tatra people's man of Piłsudski, independence activist, sailor, president's adjutant and an outstanding mountaineer, who was commemorated by the Polish Sejm with a resolution: Resolution of the Polish Sejm

The opening of the exhibition preceded the international conference under the auspices of the Presidents of the Visegrad Group countries in the series Carpathian Europe. - We are organizing the Carpathian Europe with an ambitious plan to make it a forum for strengthening and developing cooperation in all forms of mountain activities, including tourism. Today's international tournament in alpine skiing with the participation of the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Senate and many citizens of Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia is the best proof of that - said the Marshal. He also argued that in times of competition and challenges we must speak well of our countries, act well for them, and sports such as skiing should unite us.

Photo: P. Kula, M. Olejnik

Director of the Przemysl Land Museum Jan Jarosz and Director of the Tatra National Park Szymon Ziobrowski

Marek Kuchciński, Speaker of the Sejm

Prime Minister Beata Szydło and Speaker of the Senate Stanisław Karczewski