Cieszyn-Český Těšín

Countries: Poland , Czech Republic
Regions concerned: Poland – Voivodeship of Silesia, municipality of Cieszyn
Czech Republic – Region of Silesian Moravia, municipality of Český Těšín

Overview

Before 1920, the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín separated by the river Olse/Olza were one and the same town: Teschen. After the First World War, Teschen was divided and the western bank became Czechoslovakian (under the name of Český Těšín), the eastern portion becoming Polish (Cieszyn).

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 61,000 inhabitants.

Until 1989, there had been no form of cooperation between Cieszyn and Těšín. 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 various fields.