The urban-rural partnership is a concept of local and regional development, which emerged in EU studies at the end of 1990s. This partnership is to pose a bridge between the policy of regional and rural development. Purpose of the work is to describe the significance of rural areas for contemporary societies. Expectations towards the village and perception of the rural areas by the citizens, and the accompanying developmental opportunities and barriers, will exert long-standing influence on transformation directions of rural areas and their relationships with urban territories