Editor: Dorota Wlodarczyk
Technical University of Gdansk,
Ul. Narutowicza 11/12
80-952 Gdansk, Poland
Tel/fax +48 58 621 45 37
dwlod@pg.gda.pl

For an archive of previous newsletters click here.

1. SUPERBS Seminar III 

The LATVIAN-ESTONIAN–RUSSIAN - seminar on “Public Participation in Community development” is scheduled for April 6-12, 2001. The interest in our Project is growing constantly. There were 265 visitors on our Superbs homepage this year, mostly people from Europe, but also from Australia and US. A researcher from Manchester Metropolitan University applied to take part in our III seminar, but unfortunately we could not invite him due to lack of funding.

37 participants are registered for the seminar, which makes me estimate that by our travelling seminar VI the number of interested would have doubled. And it would not be impossible to organise - just two buses for local travelling and, more importantly, help of the Baltic University with continuing the project in the future. The final word about Development of Sustainable Community is not yet said, and there are more Patterns to discover and highlight.

The hosts are busy with finalising the arrangements, they prepared very interesting program.

2. Preliminary program - SUPERBS Seminar III

12.00 – 14.00 Arrival at hotel “Radi un Draugi”, 1 Marstalu street, Riga Tel: +371 7220372,
14.00 – 15.00 Lecture about Jugend style architecture. Prof. Hab.Dr.Arch Janis Krastins.
15.00 – 18.00 Excursion in Riga
18.00 Meeting in the cafe “Arve”, Aldara 12 – 14, Riga
18.15 Welcome speech and introduction. Prof, Lars Rydén, BUP
18.45 “Physical planning process in Latvia”. Head of Urban Planning Division, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of Latvia Lolita Cace.
19.00 “Development of Latvia Urban Structure in National Planning Context”. Director of Territorial development planning center Aigars Kuskis
19.30 Discussion
20.00 Dinner

9.00 Departure from “Radi un Draugi” to Jelgava
10.00 Meeting at the Latvia University of Agriculture, Faculty of Rural Engineering, Latvia University of Agriculture, Faculty of Rural Engineering, 19 Akademijas street, Jelgava.
10.15 “Planning process and problems in Jelgava city”. City planner, assist. prof. Iveta Lacauniece, assistant lecturer, Kristine Kalmane
10.45 “Co-operation between students and local government in city planning”. Assistant professor Mara Urtane
11.15 Excursion in Jelgava
12.00 Lunch
13.00 Departure to Livani
14.00 Departure to Livani by bus, sightseeing in bus
17.00 Guided tours, lectures and discussions in Livani
20.00 Dinner
21.00 Post dinner discussion
22.00 Hotel in Livani
Night in Livani

 Sunday, April 8

07.30 Breakfast
08.00 Meeting with NGO:s in Livani
09.00 Departure to Tartu
Discussions (and entertainment) in a bus
14.00 Arrival in Tartu - Lunch
15.00 -20.00 Seminar program in Tartu
Night in Tartu

09.00 Seminar program in Tartu
12.00 Lunch
13.00 Departure to Novgorod
21.00 Arrival to Novgorod
Dinner at restaurant “Pri Dvore”
Accommodation at the hotel Volkhov

8.00 Breakfast at the hotel
8.30 The city tour to introduce the city and its peculiarities (it will be
the framework of the seminar) on the SUPERBS' bus
9.30 Opening of the seminar at the conference-hall of the Municipal
Center of Science and Education “Dialogue”
11.00 Coffee-break
13.00 Lunch at the cafe of the Center
14.00 the seminar is continued
15.30 Coffee-break
program of the seminar till 17.30
19.00 Dinner at the restaurant “Detinets” (located in the tower
(16th c.) of the Kremlin, authentic atmosphere, traditional Russian
cuisine)

8.30 Breakfast at the hotel
09.00 Departure to St. Petersburg
12.00 Lunch in St. Petersburg
13.00 Guided tour in St. Petersburg
18.00 Dinner and Night in St. Petersburg

Travelling home day
There is a possibility to go back home from Riga,
returning to Riga late in the evening by the Superbs bus.

3. Seminar travellers’ guide

Everybody please inform Iveta Lacauniece e-mail: ivlac@cs.llu.lv - about your time and place of arrival. She is prepared to take care for early and late comers- in case of emergency - her mobile number is +371 9269076.

“I think I should tell you how to get to the hotel "Radi un draugi" from the airport. First of all you can take the taxi. The other way is to go by bus Nr. 22. Then you have to get out of it, on the first stop after it crosses the river Daugava, you cross the street through the tunnel and go straight ahead along Grecinieku street till Marstalu street. If something is not clear, you ask to explain you the way in the airport.

Special invitation from Iveta, for those arriving earlier on 6^th of April:

You are invited to the opening of "Identity of Baltic Sea region" conference at 10.00. It will be State president speech about Identity of Baltic region. You are welcome to attend this morning session.

Latvia, currency rates USD 0.6290000

DEM 0.2874770

EUR 0.5622560

It is also possible to pay by visa or master cards; bank machines are working 24 hours.

You can find more information about Latvia on the Internet www.tvnet.lv

St. Petersburg     28 USD double room
Novgorod           24 USD single room
Riga                     876 Ls for  36 people

4. Information about Veliky Novgorod
 by Olga Zinchenko

 Every country has towns of special significance to its history. Veliky Novgorod is one of those towns for Russia- its living history. It was here on the Volkhov river, at its source from the Ilmen lake where a political and a cultural center of the Slavonic, the local Finno-Ugrian and the Baltic tribes was formed. Here are the sources of the Russian State and of the republican and the democratic traditions. First mentioned in the chronicles under 859, Veliky Novgorod is the oldest Russian town. The only town that could preserve so many exceptional historical sites and architectural monuments of X-XVII cc. that have world significance and recognition. By the decision of UNESCO, the monuments of Veliky Novgorod are registed as the World Cultural Heritage. For more information and photos, please visit www.novgorod-museum.ru

Climate: The temperature will probably be between 0 and +10 degrees. You should be prepared for rain, snow and, hopefully, sunshine.

Hotel: The Volkhov hotel is the 3star hotel in the city center, the hotel is popular among business people and tourists. It has been recently renovated to European standards and is clean and the staff are friendly.

Rooms are equipped with TV, telephone, douche or bath. You will find the following services in the hotel: restaurant, money exchange, casino.

Seminar venue: The seminar will take place at the Municipal Centre for Science and Education “Dialogue”.

 Currency: In March 2001 1 USD was worth ~28.70 rubles.

1 DM ~ 14 rubles
10 SEK ~ 30 rubles
10 FM ~ 45 rubles

Normally, the Novgorod banks exchange only USD and DM. However, if you have a credit card and it is a Visa, or a MasterCard, or a Eurocard or a CirrusMaestro you can withdraw money (you will receive the equivalent of the sum in Russian rubles) in the commercial banks, or at the 24hours bank-machine not far from the hotel.
While in St. Petersburg, in the centre of the city, it is possible to exchange SEK and FM.

Travelling to St. Petersburg from Veliky Novgorod:

By bus, it will take you about 3 hours and a half.

Translation: Translation will be arranged in two working languages English and Russian.

5. The Second BALTIC MEETING POINT Conference Reminder

THE SECOND BALTIC MEETING POINT CONFERENCE on Sustainable Community Development is to be held in Uppsala on May 6-9, 2001. Superbs Projects participants prepares several workshops at the conference. All are invited to register at www.balticmeetingpoint.com where also the preliminary program is available.

6. 

HAPPY EASTER, HAPPY SPRING.
 SUPERB, SUPERB EVERYTHING!

TO ALL FRIENDS WHO CANNOT JOIN US DURING
 THE COMING SEMINAR.

Dorota Wlodarczyk