Welsh Youth Visit Kraków City Hall

On 4 March 2026, a group of young people from the Welsh town of Llanelli visited the Wielopolski Palace – the seat of the authorities of the City of Kraków. The meeting was an opportunity to learn about the functioning of Kraków’s local government and marked the first step towards building cooperation between young residents of the two cities.

The students are staying in Kraków as part of a youth exchange project in cooperation with the Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz Secondary School No. 21. The exchange involves 14 students aged 16–17, studying Public Services at Coleg Sir Gar in Llanelli, accompanied by four teachers. For most of them, it was their first visit to Kraków. The Welsh side expressed strong interest in learning about the role and responsibilities of the City Hall, as well as the practical aspects of how local democracy functions.

The group was welcomed at the Wielopolski Palace by Marek Mirosławski, Chief Specialist in the Organisation and Supervision Department of the Kraków City Hall. He presented the organisational structure of the City Hall, its scope of responsibilities, and the decision-making processes within the local government. Both students and teachers expressed their interest in the municipal work, the challenges facing modern public administration, and aspects of everyday life for young people.

A particularly meaningful moment of the visit was the presentation of a letter and a symbolic gift from the Mayor of Llanelli to the authorities of Kraków, as a token of friendship and a sign of hope for future joint projects and youth exchanges. The meeting at City Hall was not only a practical lesson in local governance, but also an opportunity to get to know one another better, exchange experiences, and explore cultural similarities and differences. Direct contact with peers from another country fosters openness, mutual understanding, and lasting relationships that may lead to further joint initiatives in the future.