2026/03/31 by Ondřej Elbel, Vincenc Kopeček, Luděk Krtička +1
Social Sciences · #Cross-Border Cooperation and Integration #Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies #Urbanization and City Planning
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/08865655.2026.2643838
openalex publication_date 2026/03/31 · openalex created_date 2026/04/02 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Border twin villages remain understudied in the field of border studies, as the pivotal studies focused primarily at the level of towns. This exploratory study conceptualizes the phenomenon of border twin villages. Using the method of qualitative interviews with the representatives of municipalities, it analyzes nine cases on the Czech–Polish border to find what kind of networks operate between the border twin villages. At the village level, the paper identifies the manifestations of cross-border cooperation in the fields of education and employment, transport and infrastructure, community-building activities and tourism. The study argues that border twin villages have a particular climate for cooperation characterized by close informal contacts between municipalities and their representatives. In total, the detailed view of border twin villages may shed new light on cross-border cooperation – stressing the importance of community aspects of cross-border life.