The aim of the project "Cieszyn Tram Trail" is to create a cross-border tourist product based on the historical tramway route connecting parts of the city on both sides of the Olza River in the years 1910-1921, which is also a symbol of technical progress and the unity of the city. The closure of the route was forced by the division of Cieszyn between Poland and Czechoslovakia, i.e. the establishment of a state border on the Olza River in 1920.
The course of the historical route is marked in the urban space of Cieszyn and Český Těšín with symbolic stops commemorating the 11 places where the tram stopped;
and a cold replica of the tram is located on the bank of the Olza River in front of the Cross-Border Tourist Information Centre (TCIT).
Between 1911 and 1921, an electric tramway ran in Cieszyn. It was one of the symbols of the modernity of the city, which was booming at the time. Cieszyn was the capital of the dynamically developing Duchy of Cieszyn, strategically located on the road connecting Lviv and Galicia with the rest of the Habsburg monarchy, a centre of culture, education, and industry. After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, when national states were being created, the conflict between Poland and Czechoslovakia over the ownership of the Duchy of Cieszyn ended with the arbitrary division of both the Duchy and Cieszyn, decided at the 1920 Spa Conference by the leaders of the world powers. The western districts of the city fell to Czechoslovakia. The establishment of a state border on the Olza River resulted in the closure of the tram line. However, the memory of it remains.
The aim of the "Cieszyn Tram Trail" project is to create a cross-border tourist product based on the history of the tramway.
The course of the former route has been marked in the urban space of Cieszyn and Český Těšín, and symbolic stops commemorating where the tram stopped are an important element of building a tourist product – QR codes placed on them provide access to multimedia content related to the tramway and interesting places around the stops. In front of the TCIT building, on the bank of the Olza River, there is a cold replica of the tram; it is open for visitors to take a tour and watch a multimedia presentation about the tram route. Promotional materials and other attractions along the route encourage visitors to follow the trail that was driven by the Cieszyn Ringhoffer 100 years ago. The operation and maintenance of the Cross-Border Tourist Information Center (TCIT) will be co-financed by the cities of Cieszyn and Český Cieszyn.
