Conurbations 

• Cieszyn municipality

• Česky Těšin municipality

Number of inhabitants:

Approximately 62,000 inhabitants, 36,000 of whom on the Polish side.

Historical and geographical background

Before 1920, the towns of Cieszyn and Česky Těšin separated by the river Olse/Olza were one and the same town: Teschen. After the First World War, Teschen was divided and the left bank became Czechoslovakian (under the name of Česky Těšin).
Today the two towns constitute an important point of communication as they form the main road passage between the north and south of Europe.
The population of the cross-border conurbation has reached a total of 62,000 inhabitants. The population on the Czech side has undergone considerable growth since 2005.

 Background to the move to cross-border cooperation

Until 1989, there had been no form of cooperation between Cieszyn and Česky Těšin. It was only in 1998 that the two towns and neighbouring municipalities decided to sign an agreement to pave the way for institutionalised cooperation within the Euroregion Cieszyn Silesia. Nowadays, the Euroregion is the main actor in terms of cross-border cooperation and has helped with the implementation of a number of projects in several areas.

Functioning of cross-border administration

Close cooperation at Euroregional level: The geographical scope of the Euroregion covers 14 Polish and 39 Czech municipalities.

The internal operation of the governance structure: The Euroregion operations are supported by a council, a secretariat and four working groups.

A cross-border strategy: The cooperation of the Euroregion is based on the  "Cieszyn Silesia development strategy  2001-2016" which sets out the strengths and weak points of the territory, as well as the issues and actions to be undertaken until 2016.

Symbolic projects 

The towns of Cieszyn and Česky Těšin often organise joint festivals of a cultural nature.

Unique features of the territorial project

Cross-border towns in the heart of a Euroregion: The cross-border conurbation of Cieszyn-Česky  Těšin, of one continuous urban fabric, functions as the capital of the Euroregion. This dimension allows for local cooperation actions to address concrete needs.

Networking of European cross-border conurbations: Cieszyn and Česky Těšin are members of the City Twins association, which in turn is a partner of EUROMOT.