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Sopotnia Wielka since 1996 is seen as a place where the dark sky is protected for astronomical observation, so that with little intermission, street lighting in the late hours of the night is suppressed.
Ultimately, however, a better solution has been sought for a few years, which would allow for even partial street lighting at night, but at the same time, without detriment to the observation here. The solution turned out to be the strategic support of the Local Action Group "Żywiecki Raj", which was incorporated in 2006 by the POLARIS-OPP Association - initiator of the Dark Sky Program, POLAND.
Thanks to the developed development strategy for the area as well as Sopotnia Wielka and the acquisition of funds from the European Union in cooperation with the Office of the Commune of Jeleśnia, today we can already talk about the first place in Poland, where street lighting has been adapted to the requirements of protection of the dark sky according to international standards International Dark-Sky Association.
First photos after replacing part of street lighting 29 August 2011 (stage I):
The next stages of lighting modernization are planned for the better. At the destinations, the lighting of the off-shore parking lot should be replaced and the light of the wall lighting should be replaced and the illumination of the lighting should be anticipated. By 2015, they wanted to build a dome of astronomical observatory, and by 2018 to create a dark sky teaching room and permanent measuring point SQM-L.
Welcome to Sopotnia Wielka on the night view, protected sky!