EN
The village renewal as a development method is one of the ways to achieve development goals, understood not only as an improvement of the infrastructure quality but broader as improvement of the widely comprehended quality of life, which cannot be achieved without involvement of the inhabitants. The aim of this article is an attempt to present the Village Renewal Scheme (shown by the example of the Opole Voivodeship) as an element stimulating local communities, strengthening social capital and contributing to support of entrepreneurship in rural areas. It was to achieve the aim that the reports of the village administrator's offices (about 600 per year) on the implementation of the Village Renewal Scheme in the years 2010-2015. The most important conclusion resulting from the conducted research is that the village renewal scheme has proved to be an effective concept and method for development of rural areas, in which it was implemented so far. Therefore, it was possible to mobilize numerous rural communities with small amount of funds to many activities, which was reflected in the number of implemented projects, generating significant effects with strong developmental stimulus.