Mesto Kežmarok

THE TOWN OF KEŽMAROK

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ABOUT US

The town of Kežmarok is a historical center of the Spiš region. It has a population of over 15,000 inhabitants and is located in a mountainous area between three national parks – the Tatra National Park, Slovak Paradise National Park, and Pieniny National Park. Kežmarok is the holder of several national and international awards. 

  • In 2016 and 2017, the city received the Senior Friendly award for its care for senior citizens. 
  • In 2019, Kežmarok joined the Digital Coalition and today ranks among the leaders in digitalization in Slovakia.
  • The citizens of Kežmarok are passionate about sports, and in 2022 the city successfully defended its title of European City of Sport, for which it also received the award for Best European City of Sport. 
  • This year, Kežmarok plans to apply for the European Community of Sport 2024 award jointly with the cities of Liptovský Mikuláš and Nowy Targ.

 

Environmental protection and sustainable management are among the city’s key priorities. Kežmarok began focusing more intensively on sustainability in 2019, when it also received the title Enviromesto (Eco City). The city’s ecological development is guided by the strategic document Smart Green City, which was specifically developed for Kežmarok. In the environmental field, the city is simultaneously advancing several projects, including a geothermal borehole, for whose implementation Kežmarok received the Félix – Local Government for Future Generations business award in 2022.

 

The three pillars are sustainable city are environmental, economic, and social balance. Kežmarok is successfully developing green infrastructure, seeking new heat sources, investing in public lighting, implementing smart solutions, constructing smart buildings, and focusing on energy monitoring. The city continuously updates its development strategies, prioritizes low-energy housing, renaturalizes the environment, limits urban sprawl, and supports mixed-use development combining housing, services, and commerce, along with density and micromobility.

 

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NAŠE AKTIVITY V RÁMCI KONZORCIA

WP6 – Blockchain Transformation Grid Kežmarok

Within the STICS project, Kežmarok focuses on establishing a municipal Living Lab for testing and deploying smart and green innovations. The main areas of focus include:

  • data interoperability, 
  • energy transformation, 
  • strengthening community resilience, 
  • and developing innovative tools for urban governance.

 

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BENEFITS OF OUR OUTPUTS AND TARGET GROUPS

Thanks to the project, the Blockchain Transformation Grid Kežmarok will be created—an innovative and experimental environment enabling the city to:

  • Implement and test smart and green solutions for energy, climate resilience, and urban services.
  • Build an interoperable urban data ecosystem and improve data governance.
  • Develop new digital public services, dashboards, and analytical decision-support tools.
  • Support energy-positive communities (Energy Positive Districts).
  • Strengthen community adaptability and resilience, particularly for vulnerable groups.
  • Reduce the city’s carbon footprint and increase the efficiency of municipal processes.
  • Prepare groundwork for intelligent investment strategies and modernization of public infrastructure.

 

Target groups include:

  • the municipal administration of Kežmarok,
  • professionals and innovators,
  • communities and households,
  • public service providers,
  • stakeholders in energy, mobility, social services, and environmental protection.
Dominik Čižik

Dominik Čižik

Data Analyst of the City of Kežmarok

What do you expect from the STICS project?

  • Development of smart and green innovations applied directly in the urban environment of Kežmarok.
  • New digital solutions in the fields of energy, resilience, and data governance.
  • Strengthened cooperation between the city, academia, companies, and communities.
  • Creation of new datasets, methodologies, and models for future projects and solutions.
  • Higher quality decision-making processes supported by data and intelligent tools.
  • Improved practical preparedness of the city to face challenges such as climate change, energy poverty, and social exclusion.
  • Foundations for a long-term smart city ecosystem and sustainable digital transformation of Kežmarok.

For whom and when will your outputs be usable?

The outputs will be made available gradually during pilot testing in the Living Lab, with full usability achieved after the solutions have been validated.

 

Benefits for:

  • the general public – higher-quality services, improved energy efficiency, and solutions for communities and households,
  • municipal authorities and city organizations – better data, higher efficiency, and transparency,
  • stakeholders of the urban innovation ecosystem – space for collaboration and knowledge transfer,
  • entrepreneurs and startups – new data-driven opportunities and innovations.