Intergenerational workshops, a concert, photography workshops, a publication about the Gate House and a flash mob. Such projects will be implemented as part of the sixth edition of the Oliwa Neighborhood Budget, financed by Olivia Centre, Andrzej Stelmasiewicz and Przemysław Skokowski – councillor of the Przymorze Małe district.

The Oliwa Neighborhood Budget is a local program to support initiatives that develop Oliwa and Przymorze Małe and strengthen ties between the residents of two districts located at Olivia Centre. The initiative has been consistently implemented since 2020. Its aim is to enable the implementation of projects submitted by residents and for residents. The results of this year’s edition were announced on October 26 during a ceremony in the main hall of Olivia Star.

In the sixth edition of the budget, as many as 15 initiatives were submitted. The jurors decided to co-finance or provide comprehensive support for the implementation of 5 projects.

The first of them is a concert for the residents of Oliwa and tourists, which will take place in July 2026 in the Adam Mickiewicz Park in Oliwa. The event continues the tradition of summer concerts and responds to the need to participate in culture for people of all ages and with different health abilities. Based on the attendance from previous years, the organizers estimate the attendance of about 250-300 people. The location and time of the concert are conducive to the participation of a wide range of recipients – you can participate in it on a blanket with a pet, in a wheelchair or together with children, who will also get to know live music.

The second project that has received funding is a continuation of the initiative implemented so far in other districts of Gdańsk. Project “Time and image of Gdańsk: Olive oil and the Little Littoral” It includes workshops on creating collages from old postcards and combining them with images of everyday life of the inhabitants of both districts. The initiative strengthens intergenerational and intercultural dialogue, drawing on the diverse history of Oliwa and the involvement of participants of different ages, countries and backgrounds. 4 workshops for 50 people are planned. The project is complemented by meetings in other parts of the city, which are ultimately to enable the creation of a historical map of places and their transformations over the years.

The project of the Regional Centre for Information and Support of Non-Governmental Organisations “Oil in the Objective of Word and Image” – workshops combining education and creative activity of residents – also received funding. As part of them, classes will be held on creating reportages and photographs documenting the life of the district. The meetings will be led by an experienced journalist, and participants will learn the basics of reportage, preparing questions, collecting materials and building a story. A field workshop on reportage mobile photography is also planned, devoted to the use of a smartphone as a reporting tool, the principles of composition and visual narration, and capturing the daily rhythm of Oliwa.

Among the projects selected for implementation there was also a publication on the history of the Gatehouse in printed form, with distribution among residents. The Gatehouse is an important meeting point for the inhabitants of Oliwa and the oldest gem of brick Gothic at Stary Rynek Oliwski Street. The building from the 15th century, despite its location in the center of the district, remains relatively unknown. Enthusiasts of the history of Oliwa were involved in the process of creating the publication: volunteers and seniors, who take part in the classes in the Neighborhood House on a daily basis. For centuries, the building served as the entrance gate to Oliwa for Polish monarchs: Jan III Sobieski, Jan Kazimierz, Sigismund III Vasa, Queen Louise Maria Gonzaga and deputies negotiating the Oliwa Peace after the war with the Swedes. The publication will also present the history of the Cistercians of Oliwa and contemporary initiatives carried out in the building.

Thanks to funding from the Oliwa Neighborhood Budget, children from Primary School No. 23 in Oliwa will organize a flash mob as part of the nationwide National Reading. On an October Sunday, the participants of the project will promote Jan Kochanowski’s poetry in Oliwa Park, reading his works to the guests of the park. The event will be recorded and edited into a short film, which will support the promotion of the school and the popularization of the poet’s work.

The history of the Oliwa Neighborhood Budget dates back to 2020, when a platform to support local initiatives for the development of Oliwa and Przymorze Małe, two districts of Gdańsk located directly at the Olivia Centre, whose residents very often work in Olivia, was created. “In this way, we want to support all initiatives that are important for residents and contribute to the development of the environment in which we operate” – says Bogusław Wieczorek, Representative of the Management Board of Olivia Centre. „As the largest business center in Poland, we support the development of Gdańsk and Pomerania, offering jobs and space for business development. However, the micro-community of which we are neighbors is equally important to us. We want to help organize extracurricular activities, activation workshops for seniors and people in need, as well as support the development of common spaces with new facilities or elements of small architecture. Experience shows that the Oliwa Neighborhood Budget works well where support is needed on a daily basis, and other sources of financing are sometimes unavailable. We are happy that we can improve the quality of life and be good neighbors to the local community.”

The Oliwa Neighborhood Budget is an initiative of Olivia Centre, which has been supported from the beginning by Andrzej Stelmasiewicz, a local entrepreneur, cultural activist and long-time Gdańsk councillor. From 2024 , Przemysław Skokowski, a councillor of the Przymorze Małe district, also a Gdańsk entrepreneur, has also joined the group of partners. The jury deciding on the selection of co-financed initiatives includes: Małgorzata Skwira – headmistress of Primary School No. 35, Tomasz Strug – chairman of the Board of the Oliwa District, Przemysław Skokowski – chairman of the Przymorze Małe District Council, Andrzej Stelmasiewicz – a resident of Oliwa and a social activist, Grzegorz Kidybiński – a member of the board of Olivia Centre and Bogusław Wieczorek – a representative of the board of Olivia Centre for the protection of the Olivia Centre. public relations.

Concert in the park with James P. and a hat in the background
Park ON Association

The Time and Image of Gdańsk project. Oliwa and Małe Przymorze
Atelier Jerszow Foundation

Oil in the lens of words and images
Regional Centre for Information and Support of Non-Governmental Organisations

Print a folder about the Gatehouse
Stara Oliwa Association

Kochanowski in the park – FLASH MOB action
Primary School No. 23, Children of the World