Historic Cafes Route Expands into Poland
One of Europe’s most prestigious cultural routes is extending into Poland: the Historic Cafes Route, one of 49 cultural routes operating under the High Patronage of the Council of Europe.
The decision to expand the Historic Cafes Route was made by Arnold Gunter Klingeis, the president of this cultural route and the first Romanian citizen to hold the presidency of a European cultural route promoted by the Council of Europe.
He appointed Jan Lech Skowera, an entrepreneur from Wroclaw, as the route's ambassador in Poland. Skowera is the president of the Polish Catholic Entrepreneurs Club and also the Grand Master of the Order of the Polish Crown. A passionate advocate of cultural heritage, he has fostered and maintained diverse collaborations with iconic historic sites in Poland and is actively engaged in promoting many historic sites, aiming to attract national and international visitors through programs offered by the Historic Cafes Route.
The appointment ceremony took place during the Royal Silesian Forum, organized in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Radu of Romania, in the conference hall of the John Paul II Hotel in Wroclaw.
The new Historic Cafes Route ambassador for Poland, Jan Lech Skowera, was born in 1952 in Wroclaw and graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Wroclaw University of Technology in 1971.
An engineer by profession, he was active in the Polish Catholic Socialist Union, a member of the Solidarity Movement and other opposition movements, and co-founder of the Union of Democratic Youth, which was banned by Polish Communist authorities in the late 1980s. He collaborated with the Polish government in exile in London.
Jan Lech Skowera participated in the historic meeting of monarchists in Stará Ľubovňa in 2006, which led to the creation of the Spiš Confederation. He served as a chancellor and later as a marshal of the Confederation and is also the initiator behind the founding of the Polish Crown Foundation, the Royal Academy of Business and Diplomacy, and the Knightly Order of the Polish Crown of Saint Casimir. In 2018, he received the appointment as Grand Master of the Order from His Excellency Archbishop Józef Kupny.
As the new ambassador of the Historic Cafes Route, he will start his activities by including notable sites such as royal or aristocratic castles and palaces in Poland that now host cafes, restaurants, and historic hotels. The list includes castles such as Zbozen and Sierakow, where Skowera has organized numerous cultural events in recent years. Together with the technical team of the Historic Cafes Route in Europe, Jan Lech Skowera aims to launch the first tourist program for Poland in the spring of 2025.
"Poland has a rich royal and aristocratic heritage, part of its tourism offerings, which will add significant value to the Historic Cafes Route. Warsaw, Krakow, and Wroclaw airports will become main entry and exit points for tourists. Following the model developed in Romania and already applied in Italy, we will identify suitable partners in Poland to promote and operate the offerings of the Golden Cafes Route in Europe!
The extension of the Historic Cafes Route into Poland represents an important step toward a country where tourism is well developed, sharing a border with Europe’s largest tourism market - Germany.
The wealth of historic heritage in castles and palaces with historical cafes that also offer accommodation for tourist groups targeted by the Historic Cafes Route in Europe will be a major attraction.
I would especially like to thank Mr. Roman Fritz, a member of the Polish Parliament, for his support in promoting the Historic Cafes Route among cultural institutions and within Poland's Cultural Routes Program," said Arnold Gunter Klingeis, president of the Historic Cafes Route and the manager of Brukenthal Palace in Avrig, the former summer residence of Baron Samuel von Brukenthal, governor of Transylvania in the 18th century.
The new Historic Cafes Route ambassador, Jan Lech Skowera, expressed his gratitude: “I am deeply honored and grateful for this nomination. Including Poland in the Golden Cafes Route acknowledges the importance of my country’s historical heritage.
As ambassador, I will work to develop tourism programs that showcase the legacy of the Kingdom of Poland.
It is remarkable that this nomination comes as we prepare to celebrate the millennium of the Kingdom of Poland in 2025,” stated Jan Lech Skowera.
The Royal Silesian Forum was attended by members of the Parliaments of Bucharest and Warsaw, including deputies Viorel Băltărețu and Roman Fritz. Representatives of universities from Poland, Romania, and Moldova also participated, including Father Professor Sorin Russu from the Greek-Catholic Theology Faculty of Babeș-Bolyai University, Alexandru Machedon, president of the Strategic Development Council of the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, and Aurelia Salicov, a member of the Strategic Development Council of Moldova State University. Entrepreneurs from Poland, Romania, and Moldova were also present.
The Royal Silesian Forum was founded in 2019 at the initiative of His Royal Highness Prince Radu of Romania.
