Hello, I’m Philip Campagna, one of your town councillors.
This column is the second in a series introducing Frome’s four partner towns, ahead of a planned trip to Murrhardt this summer. This time, we’re focusing on Rabka-Zdrój, in southern Poland.
Frome’s friendship with Rabka-Zdrój began in 2003 and has continued to grow through visits, exchanges and community connections over the past two decades. You may have noticed that Frome has an area dedicated to Rabka in Victoria Park, near the bandstand and with benches to enjoy a beautiful flower bed.
Rabka-Zdrój is located at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, around an hour south of Kraków. Like our neighbour Bath, it’s a ‘spa town’, a traditional place to relocate for rest and recuperation in the 19th century, especially for children, although references to the health-giving qualities of the area’s water date back to medieval times. It’s a beautiful place, surrounded by forests and rolling hills and a popular destination with walkers and cyclists, as well as winter sports enthusiasts.
Sadly, one of the reasons you may remember hearing about Rabka is because of a tragedy in April 2024, when exceptionally high winds and storms across southern Poland caused a tree in Park Zdrojowy to fall. Three Rabka residents, including a young child, lost their lives and the town had two days’ official mourning. I wrote to the mayor Leszek Świder at the time to express Frome’s condolences, as did Rabka’s other partner towns.
Over the years, the partnership between Frome and Rabka-Zdrój has included visits by school groups, musicians and community representatives. These exchanges have helped people from both towns learn more about each other’s traditions and ways of life, while developing lasting friendships.
The relationship continues to offer exciting possibilities and there is great potential for new links between schools, artists, sports clubs, youth organisations and local businesses. If your organisation would be interested in developing connections with a group in Rabka-Zdrój, contact me at pcampagna@frometowncouncil.gov.uk.
Pictured: Rabka Garden in Victoria Park. Credit: Asia Pryjda
