VISEGRADOPEDIA: Guide to the Four Visegrad Countries

Thematic area of the project: Educational and cultural development/School education

Project leader: 6water Club – Hungary

Project partners: EDUcentrum – Czech Republic, e-code – Slovakia, Fundacja Rozwoju Demokracji Lokalnej – Poland

Timeframe: 1. 10. 2022 – 30. 9. 2024

Webpage: https://visegradopedia.com

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/visegradopedia

                          https://www.facebook.com/visegradopediaCZ

Focus of the project:

The focus of the Visegradopedia project is to create a reliable, verified online encyclopaedia that provides comprehensive information about the history, culture, economy, science, art and gastronomy of the Visegrad countries (Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia).

The project aims to achieve the following objectives:

  • Educational Resource: Provide a valuable educational resource for young people, particularly those aged 10-18, to learn about the Visegrad countries in a way that is not typically covered in school curricula.
  • Cultural Understanding: Foster mutual understanding and reduce prejudices by highlighting the shared history and cultural connections among the Visegrad countries.
  • Innovative Learning Tools: Develop a user-friendly website and mobile application to make this information easily accessible and engaging for students, teachers and the general public.
  • Multilingual Content: Ensure the content is available in the languages of the Visegrad countries (Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, and Czech) as well as in English, allowing a wider audience to benefit from the resources.
  • Combating Misinformation: Provide factual and objective sources of information to counteract misinformation and misconceptions prevalent on the internet.

Target group:

  • Primary Target Group: Students (10 – 18 y.o.) in public education and vocational training. The project aims to provide these students with access to verified and comprehensive information about the Visegrad countries which is often lacking in standard school curricula.
  • Secondary/Tertiary Target Groups:
    • Teachers: Educators who can use the Visegradopedia as a teaching tool and integrate its content into their lessons.
    • Parents: Parents who are interested in providing their children with additional educational resources.
    • General Public: Anyone interested in learning more about the history, culture and other aspects of the Visegrad countries, including older age groups who may have entrenched prejudices.

Main project assumptions:

  • Interconnected Histories: The history of the Visegrad countries (Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia) is deeply interconnected, with shared historical periods under the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg Monarchy and other regional ties.
  • Lack of Authentic Knowledge: Despite their shared history, the populations of these countries have limited authentic knowledge about each other, leading to the persistence of harmful prejudices and stereotypes.
  • Educational Gaps: The school curricula in the Visegrad countries lack comprehensive information about each other’s histories, culture and contributions, particularly in areas like literature, art, music and film.
  • Youth Openness: Younger generations, particularly schoolchildren aged 10-18, are more open to new information and critical thinking, making them an ideal target group for the project’s educational goals.
  • Digital Literacy: Students in the target age group are digital natives who regularly use the internet and mobile apps to expand their knowledge, making digital platforms a suitable medium for delivering the project’s content.
  • Combating Misinformation: There is a need for verified, professionally credible sources of information to counteract the vast amount of misinformation and misconceptions available online.
  • Multilingual Content: Providing content in multiple languages (Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Czech and English) is essential to ensure accessibility and engagement across all Visegrad countries.
  • Innovative Educational Tools: Modern educational tools and methods are necessary to meet the learning preferences and needs of Generation Z and Generation Alpha, who find traditional teaching tools and methods obsolete.
  • Collaborative Efforts: Collaboration among organisations from the four Visegrad countries will not only enrich the project’s content but also strengthen regional cooperation and professional networks.
  • User Engagement: Engaging users through a user-friendly website and mobile application will facilitate a deeper understanding of each other’s countries and encourage continuous learning and cultural exchange.

Main project activities:

  • Content Development:
    • Creation of articles and multimedia content covering various aspects of the Visegrad countries, such as history, culture, economy, science, art and gastronomy.
    • Ensuring the content is available in multiple languages: Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Czech, and English.
    • Hiring experts to develop and verify the content to ensure accuracy and reliability.
  • Website and Mobile Application Development:
    • Design and programming of a user-friendly website and a mobile application.
    • Integration of searchable keywords and easy navigation features.
    • Extensive testing of the website and application to ensure stability and functionality.

Project results:

  • Multilingual Online Encyclopaedia: An online platform and mobile application offering verified and comprehensive articles about the history, culture, economy, science, art, and gastronomy of the Visegrad countries. Through the website and mobile app that allows for individual work on topics of interest, the project shall enable a deeper understanding of each other’s countries and the discovery of similarities arising from their common past and history. Multilateral cooperation helps to build mutual trust based on credible knowledge and to overcome remaining prejudices. The countries presented in the encyclopaedia give student users a more nuanced, broader view of the countries than available in their textbooks.

Contracting authority: Tempus Public Foundation (TPF)– National Agency of the Erasmus+ Program in Hungary.