Scholarly record

THE ROLE OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN STRENGTHENING THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF UNDER-INVESTED AREAS

K. Asanowicz

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the cultural heritage in the context of the possibility of its use to increase the value of economically under-invested areas of the eastern part of the Podlasie region. The paper consists of four parts. The first part contains general considerations about cultural heritage and discusses its structure. Cultural heritage is often expressed as either intangible or tangible cultural heritage. In the second part of this paper, the research area is described and the cultural heritage of this area is discussed in detail. The area of research has been defined as the Hajnowka county. The material heritage of this area has created a specific cultural landscape that is formed by the urban layouts of villages and forestry as well as wooden rural architecture. In the third part, the tourism infrastructure of the Hajnowka county is presented. In the last part of the paper, ways to improve the economic situation of the inhabitants through the intensification of the use of cultural heritage are proposed. The growing interest of tourists in gastronomy and food characteristic of a given region has influenced the development of culinary tourism, which is a new phenomenon within the rural tourism market in Poland. The goal of the economic and social development of rural tourism should be to stimulate the development of farms offering tourism services and provide an additional source of income for farmers. A comprehensive approach seems to be desirable, with a mixture of tangible and intangible heritage, and with a connection to the values of natural environment, as well as culinary and cultural heritage of the region.

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