Networks or Structures? Organizing Cultural Routes Around Heritage Values. Case Studies from Poland

Abstract

The most common way of managing cultural heritage recently takes form of cultural routes as they seem to offer a new model of participation in culture to their recipients; they are often a peculiar anchor point for inhabitants to let them understand their identity and form the future; they offer actual tours to enter into interaction with culture and history, to build together that creation of the heritage, which so is becoming not only a touristic product, but, first of all, the space for cultural, social and civic activity. Yet, so far, according to what we know, the research problem concerning the method of cultural route organization (points on the route) into solid structures or more of the networked nature, has not been deliberated. A question arises, what values are brought by routes and how to organize routes to be the carriers of the values important for communities, where routes are functioning. And, as a consequence, if, from the point of view of the values of local communities, organizing solid route structures or organizing more widely-spaced, network-based routes would bring effects and what those effects would be. Thus, the posed question is of course scientifically imprecise because a network is a type of structure but presents a given direction for the development of cultural route structures. Our objective here is to present a certain solidity and rigidity of structure with dynamic and smooth understanding of the network. The research presented in the article is based on 3 case studies. We have selected for this purpose the three largest cultural routes in Poland, organized to various degrees. The outcome of the research was referred also to other cultural route organization research.

The Role of Trust in Sustainable Heritage Management Networks. Case Study of Selected Cultural Routes in Poland

“…Contemporary heritage theorists evoke the need to adopt an integrated approach to the issue of cultural heritage, focusing on its social and economic impact on the sustainable development of regions and examining the networks and ecosystems that they create [25][26][27]. In the course of these reflections, the idea of cultural routes was born, at first as a local grassroots initiative that, in time, grew to an international scale.…”

“…The basic premise of this study was to treat the route as a network structure that is formulated by a wide group of its participants and stakeholders, in accordance with the belief that the basic reference group for the functioning of the route comprises those who remain in its immediate environment (residents) and, rarely, entities appearing in its area occasionally, and sometimes only once (tourists). An important reference point was also the research that was conducted by Bogacz-Wojtanowska and Góral [25], which showed that the structures that were adopted by cultural routes vary, starting from network relations that are fragmentary and under development, to very loose, bottom-up networks, to formalised and hierarchical permanent sites. In their research, Bogacz-Wojtanowska and Góral [25] emphasised that the type of the adopted route structure (loose, built at the grassroots level on the basis of relations between people, or more formalised, with top-down construction and management) has a significant impact on how a route is organised and how it develops.…”

“…An important reference point was also the research that was conducted by Bogacz-Wojtanowska and Góral [25], which showed that the structures that were adopted by cultural routes vary, starting from network relations that are fragmentary and under development, to very loose, bottom-up networks, to formalised and hierarchical permanent sites. In their research, Bogacz-Wojtanowska and Góral [25] emphasised that the type of the adopted route structure (loose, built at the grassroots level on the basis of relations between people, or more formalised, with top-down construction and management) has a significant impact on how a route is organised and how it develops. Looser structures create more space for the activities of people who form the routes; more autonomy generated by such sites favours the genuine involvement of people in their development.…”

“…The research refers mainly to the engagement of stakeholders [21,22], principles of effective management [22,23], certification, and evaluation of the effectiveness of cultural routes in local communities [21,24]. There are also studies raising the issue of cultural routes as a network of collaboration between various entities, which create network structures and network management methods [22,25]. These studies enabled the identification of a clear research gap in the area of the features of route networks, in particular with regard to the shared values that connect the entities-elements of the route network.…”

“…What is important from the point of view of the discussion that is presented in this article, in their disputes, contemporary heritage theoreticians with increasing frequency evoke the necessity of adopting an integrated approach to the issue of cultural heritage, departing from perceiving this issue through the prism of specific structures and mainly focusing on the social and economic impact of such resources on regions' development and looking closely at the ecosystems that they create [25,26]. Therefore, when designing the research that is presented in this article, we assumed that the reflection on the phenomenon of heritage requires looking at it through the lens of its function in local communities, and the ways in which it is used (intentionally or not) in shaping the social and economic development of these communities.…”