PRIDE* participants on a visit for sustainable lifestyle through traditional crafts
PRIDE* (PARTNERSHIP FOR RURAL IMPROVEMENT & DEVELOPMENT IN EUROPE) is supported by the EU Erasmus Plus programme and is an adult education staff mobility partnership.
From the 6th to 13th June we hosted participants of PRIDE3 from the UK within GRAMPUS Heritage & Training projects. They decided to come to Pomurje region (NE part of Slovenia) to find out if and how traditional crafts can provide a sustainable lifestyle. The participants arrived on Monday afternoon and were provided accommodation at the guest house “Pri štorklji” in Moravske Toplice.
The next day our participants took a walk through the history of Prekmurje region at the Regional museum in Murska Sobota. In the afternoon we went for a lovely walk around the lake at the EXPANO pavilion. On Wednesday morning our participants had their first workshop of traditional crafts – straw weaving – in Lipovci at the Smodiš family house. Monika, the workshop host, explained and showed them how it is done and then they started their own products. They all enjoyed the workshop and
finished with a souvenir to take home. In the afternoon we went to visit the local company “Ocean Orchids” in Dobrovnik, where the technical director, Tomaž Jevšnik, showed us the production department and the tropical garden. It is also one of the companies in the region that uses geothermal water for energy.
On Thursday morning the next traditional craft workshop, corn husk and wicker handicraft, took place at “Pomelaj” homestead in Velika Polana. “Pomelaj” is a cooperative that offers employment to disabled and other vulnerable groups from the Prekmurje region. Two of their employees showed and explained our participants how the products are made and stayed with them during both workshops to help and guide. Again, our participants enjoyed the work and ended with excellent products – small baskets from osier and little rabbits and butterflies from corn husk. In the afternoon we visited another company using geothermal water for energy – the tomato producer “Lušt” in Renkovci. We had a presentation of the company and also tomato tasting. We then visited the “Island of Love” at the Mura river where we finished the day with a walk along the river.
On Friday we started with the visit of the chocolate shop “Passero” in Tešanovci, where the director, Tomaž Sotošek, prepared a presentation of the company and chocolate tasting. After a cup of coffee, we went to Bukovnica Lake and energy spots around it. In the afternoon we visited the wine cellar “Dom penine” in Gornja Radgona near the Austrian border, where we had a presentation and wine tasting.
On Saturday morning our participants had their last traditional craft activity, a pottery workshop in “DUO Veržej”. Urša, the pottery lady, prepared two workshops – one was pottery on the wheel, the other was making things from clay. Once more, our participants proved how good they were at making things with hands. Unfortunately, this time they could not take their products home as they will be burned in the oven. Nevertheless, they enjoyed their time. In the afternoon we visited another wine cellar at “Zidanica Malek” in the landscape park Jeruzalemske gorice.
On Sunday morning we went to visit the oxbow “Bobri” in Dolnja Bistrica. There our participants learned about the management of it as well as different animals and plants species in the protected areas, such as Nature 2000 sites. We finished the day and the stay of our PRIDE participants with another visit to the lake at the Expano pavilion, where some of them went for a swim and others went for a walk around the lake. Monday, 13th June, was departure day.
DOWNLOAD ITINERARY: Itinerary for PRIDE 3_group 1
