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AMBER TRAIL
„Linking nature, tradition and people”
The Amber Trail is a joint Polish-Slovak-Hungarian ecoutourism initiative, which is being implemented along a culturally and ecologically valuable route currently stretching from Budapest through Bańska Szczawnica to Kraków. A final, as yet uncharted segment will run alongside the Vistula River down to the Baltic Sea. This heritage route, which is made up of an international bicycle trail and local theme loop trails, highlights the unique qualities of sites along the Amber Trail, as expressed through the natural environment, traditions, local dishes, art and handicrafts, local festivities and annual fairs.
Amber as the processed material and coveted item of trade symbolized the excellence of the local product, which brought greater prosperity to the people and places located along the main amber trading route. Today's Amber Trail strives to carry on this tradition of excellence by supporting local products, jobs in traditional occupations and the use of sustainable resource management methods, which even today open up opportunities for economic development, while allowing local communities to preserve their heritage.
The symbol of the Amber Trail is the mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia), also known as the rowan. This beautiful tree is a species that grows in the regions through which the trail runs, while the orange color of its fruit is reminiscent of the amber's hue.
The Amber Trail belongs to the Central and Eastern European Greenways (CEG) trail system, created by the Environmental Partnership Consortium, with member organizations from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.
Greenways are trails centered around the natural and cultural heritage of a given place and run alongside 'green' corridors, whether these are rivers, historical trade routes or environmental corridors. These environmental trails link regions, tourist attractions and local initiatives and help support the development of an sustainable tourism and recreation industry, thereby promoting a healthy lifestyle and non-motorized
transportation.
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