Managing a site on a cultural route on the example of the

Managing a site on a cultural route on the example of the
Wooden Architecture Route
in Małopolska
Anna Franik, Małopolska Tourist Organisation,
Consulted by: Paweł Mierniczak, Director of MOT
Office: [email protected]
What is ‘cultural heritage’?
It is admired by the inhabitants of Małopolska, by people all over Poland... Anybody else?
Europe? Not only! The whole world... As many as eight sites in Małopolska are on the list of
UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites.
For centuries people have shown genius, skills and amazing sensitivity and intuition in
creation. What have they created? Houses, housing estates and cities, bigger and smaller buildings,
luxurious and modest, paintings, sculptures, art, inventions, everyday tools and complex
machinery. But they have ‘created’ something more. Something intangible that cannot be touched,
but can be felt and experienced. It is the beliefs, rites, traditions passed orally from generation to
generation and comprising huge intangible heritage. All of that bears testimony to the traditions
culture and years gone by, and is the legacy of our ancestors. Not everything has lasted; sometimes
only a few relics remained, which we have to protect. And the establishment of ‘cultural routes’
contributes to such protection. As it was in the past, also today the things that happen now, that
are created and constructed before our very eyes will soon become a testimony to the past, to our
children – the testimony of the lives of their parents, and to our grandchildren – of their
grandparents.
The historic output of a community, both tangible and intangible, is the foundation of all
cultural routes. The notion of the ‘community’ can be broadly interpreted, from a local community,
to national and the global community.
‘Cultural route’
A cultural route is a blazed and marked material route that combines objects and places
selected according to an agreed thematic key, which are a unique and representative example
illustrating broadly understood cultural heritage of a given region, community, ethnic group,
national minority or nation. Through the presentation of material heritage, the route should make
it possible to learn about the intangible heritage and to popularise it, treating these two areas as an
inseparable whole.
A cultural route is also a travelling suggestion for a specific group of recipients interested in
a given topic. Therefore, a cultural route also has an educational aspect; it focuses on ‘learning’.
Routes are established to promote the cultural heritage and to protect it.
‘Protection, preservation, promotion and management of a cultural route require raising
social awareness and encouraging the inhabitants of the regions crossed by the route to
participate.’
‘A cultural route springs from the history of the region, is constructed on the basis of
regional heritage, and the preservation of its authentic nature is impossible without
acknowledging the local community.’
WOODEN ARCHITECTURE ROUTE
MAŁOPOLSKA
The jewels of wooden architecture – tall churches covered with steep shingle roofs, Lemko
orthodox churches with bulbous cupolas, manor houses and peasant huts – have become an
inseparable part of Małopolska's landscape. These are the buildings that form the Wooden
Architecture Route, which presents the rich heritage of secular and sacral wooden architecture.
The route also includes sites that are not to be found anywhere else in the world. Its core is formed
by Gothic churches constructed from the 14th to the 16th century in Binarowa, Dębno Podhalańskie,
Lipnica Murowana and Sękowa, whose uniqueness was confirmed in 2003, when they were
entered on the UNESCO List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites. In 2013, the number of
UNESCO sites on the Route doubled due to the inclusion of Lemko orthodox churches in Brunary
Wyżne, Kwiatoń, Owczary and Powroźnik on the list.
Wooden architecture prevailed in the landscape of southern and eastern parts of Poland
until the middle of the 20th century. However, civilisational development contributed to a quick
replacement of wood in architecture with materials that were considered more durable. This
resulted in the need to protect the historic sites and the idea to blaze the Wooden Architecture
Route covering 252 most valuable sites that witnessed the old days and are a significant part of
cultural heritage.
Why does the wooden heritage attract people? Curiosity – that's the key concept! How did
our ancestors, our grandparents or great-grandparents live? How did their houses, modest peasant
huts and magnificent manor houses of the nobility look like? The tools that were used on everyday
basis also draw attention and amaze visitors – how was it possible to live without modern
technology? Well, how? The answer is available in Małopolska's heritage parks, museums and
manors, as well as in the towns where historic wooden houses are preserved.
There are less examples of secular than of sacral historic architecture, but they are more
diversified – they include public utility buildings (taverns, bathing facilities), residential buildings
(manor houses, huts, villas) and farm buildings (granaries, barns). They were usually exclusively of
functional nature: they were used until their technical condition allowed for it, and after that new
ones were constructed. That is why most of them date back to the end of the 19 th or the beginning
of the 20th century. Some of them are used in accordance with their intended use; others have
been adapted to new functions. Among residential buildings, manor houses are most interesting in
terms of their architecture and history.
Country and small town buildings seem to be the elements of wooden heritage that are
most difficult to preserve. Small wooden houses are increasingly often replaced by more
comfortable and bigger brick ones. Yet the charm of alleys with wooden huts is unparalleled and
enables us to enter a different, old world.
The Wooden Architecture Route in Poland runs across the territory of four regions – Śląsk,
Małopolska, Podkarpacie and since recently also Świętokrzyski. This transregional route has its
own common graphic identity. Its logo presents log beams, which are the most characteristic
element of wooden architecture. Road signs, information boards and promotional materials – all of
them feature the same logo in all four regions, which facilitates the association of the graphic motif
with the cultural route. Naturally, wooden heritage is not only a Polish domain. Excellent examples
of wooden architecture may also be found in the neighbouring countries. The number of wooden
sites entered on the UNESCO List – 8 in Poland, 9 in Slovakia, 8 in Ukraine, 8 in Romania – raises
hope for the establishment of an international route – Carpathian Wooden Architecture Route –
running along the mountain range.
Since 2008, in Małopolska, the route is managed on behalf of the Local Government of the
Małopolska Region by the Małopolska Tourist Organisation (MOT).
1. Wooden Architecture Route's operation
Each cultural route, including the Wooden Architecture Route, consists of at least several
sites. The Wooden Architecture Route in Małopolska currently contains 252 wooden sites or
building complexes. The sites differ in terms of their intended use, location, historical and cultural
connotations, as well as their ownership. The latter is particularly interesting. Even though a given
site is a part of the Route, it does not imply that the institution managing the Route (in this case the
Małopolska Tourist Organisation) has the right to administer this site and make decisions about its
operation. The situation is constantly being improved, e.g. owing to the inclusion of the consent to
‘make the site available to tourists’ in the Route's accession form. In practice, it is the
administrators of a given site who decide whether and when they will allow people to ‘peep’ inside
a catholic or an orthodox church. The general situation of a given site is also determined by the law,
the budget and the economic condition of the region.
The Wooden Architecture Route includes:
252 sites
125 catholic churches
49 orthodox churches
30 buildings
23 building complexes
16 museums
9 heritage parks
 Wooden facilities adapted for tourists (e.g. accommodation and catering facilities) are available
to visitors all year round during opening hours specified by their owners, e.g. the ‘Polana Sosny’
recreational centre in Niedzica or the ‘Rzym’ tavern in Sucha Beskidzka.
 Museum facilities (e.g. heritage parks, museums) are available to visitors all year round during
the opening hours of the institution, e.g. the Vistula Ethnographic Park Museum in Wygiełzów,
the Karol Szymanowski Museum in the ‘Atma’ Villa in Zakopane, the Church of St Mary
Magdalene in Rabka-Zdrój or the Museum of Bee-keeping in Stróże (private property).
What are the benefits of enlisting a site as a part of the Wooden Architecture Route?
-
A single site can become visible in a greater project; it becomes a part of a greater whole – a
solitary site has smaller chances of being a tourist attraction and of drawing visitors;
-
The site is covered with a large-scale promotional campaign – it is described and presented
in photos on the Internet at www.drewniana.malopolska.pl; it is included in the Route's
road map covering the entire Małopolska (more information about promotional measures is
available towards the end of the document);
-
The site and the route leading to it are marked, so that tourists can easily find it;
-
MOT supports the initiatives undertaken by such a site; selected sites are made available to
tourists; ‘Music in Magic Wood’ concerts are organised;
-
The sites on the Route share visual identity – logo;
-
A site that draws tourists to a given region invites them also to visit other sites in the
vicinity, e.g. a regional museum or a site from a different cultural route;
-
A site on the Route can count on preferential terms of granting subsidies from the Marshal
Office of the Małopolska Region in a call for proposals for maintenance works;
-
The local community may benefit from economic growth – improved quality of life of
inhabitants offering their services: accommodation, catering services, as well as running
service points such as gas stations, car parks, shops, etc.;
-
Local community may feel more united and have a sense of belonging to a group with
shared interests, objectives and aims; it gives a feeling of participation in the creation of
something exceptional – shared European good;
-
Local community integrates; the awareness of the value of cultural heritage in the
municipality rises; people have a prospect of self-realisation and professional fulfilment;
-
Local institutions and entrepreneurs join their forces;
-
Municipalities become more competitive and attract partners and investors.
Enlisting as a part of the Wooden Architecture Route
The course of the Route is monitored systematically. In 2000–2001, when the Route came
into existence, it included 237 sites. Due to the submitted requests to include new sites in the
Route, cooperation was established with the Centre for Research and Documentation of Historic
sites in Krakow in order for it to pass a judgment on the candidates to be included in the Route.
Apart from outstanding historic value, any new site that wants to become a part of the Route has
to provide a declaration from its administrator stating that it will be available to tourists.
The Wooden Architecture Route is an exceptionally lively being. It changes all the time. For
example in 2008, after stocktaking by MOT, 20 new sites were included in the Route, and 7 sites
were removed from it – these were mostly buildings whose technical condition posed a threat to
the life and health of tourists (e.g. the manor house in Raciechowice), or those that have lost their
original features in the course of ill-considered human intervention (e.g. Tylicz's development).
Unfortunately, due to the properties of wood – a highly inflammable material – it happens
sometimes that precious historic buildings are destroyed for ever, burnt in fires (e.g. the church in
Wola Justowska, the bell-tower in Łapczyca).
In 2010, two new sites were added to the Wooden Architecture Route: Dom Ludowy
cultural centre in Bukowina Tatrzańskia and the Peasant Hut of Gąsienicowie-Sobczakowie in
Zakopane. In 2013, the Route was supplemented with the Manor Granary in Ryglice. Currently (14
December 2013), the Wooden Architecture Route in Małopolska includes 252 sites.
1. Procedure of inclusion in the Wooden Architecture Route (in the form of a chart)
1. Site ADMINISTRATOR requests including a site in the Route:
– A letter is submitted to the department competent for tourism in the Marshal Office of
the Małopolska Region;
– A request and a declaration stating that the site will be made available to tourists are
filled in.
2. The Marshal Office asks three institutions to pass their judgment on the request:
- the Regional Centre for Research and Documentation of Historic sites in Krakow (ROBiDZ),
- the Małopolska Tourist Organisation (MOT),
- the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society (PTTK).
3. Consulting institutions familiarise themselves with the request submitted by the site
administrator and pass a positive or a negative judgment.
4. The Marshal Office announces its decision.
Procedure of inclusion in the Wooden Architecture Route
Site administrator
Marshal
Office
MOT
ROBiDZ
Marshal
Office
Site administrator
PTTK
2. Cooperation between site administrators and local governments
No route in Małopolska is more integrated with the region than the Wooden Architecture
Route, which runs across all poviats and the biggest cities of the region (Krakow, Tarnów and Nowy
Sącz). The Route's sites are located in the territory of 100 (out of 182) municipalities. In order for
the Route to function as a whole, local governments need to cooperate closely on the local level
with site administrators on coordination from the regional level. Due to the fact that most sites are
owned by parishes or individuals, local government bodies cannot take a purely administrative
approach towards this issue. In the case of such a specific and unparalleled undertaking as the
Wooden Architecture Route, it is necessary to customise measures in a non-standard manner on
the basis of a dialogue between all stakeholders. After 12 years of the Route's operation, during
which the Regional Government bore nearly 100 percent of costs related to the establishment,
promotion and organisation of availability to visitors, municipal and poviat governments need to
increase their involvement. Currently, most local governments are already aware that a wooden
historic site may and usually does attract tourists. Yet, most frequently, the administrators of those
sites are usually only supported by means of promotional materials of individual local governments
‘bragging’ about a Wooden Architecture Route's site. This is, however, not enough. Counting only
on the initiatives of the Regional Government, and the Małopolska Tourist Organisation acting on
its behalf is insufficient. It is necessary to tighten cooperation, establish partnership and draw on
own funds that could support an initiative e.g. opening a facility to visitors, ordering works,
supplementing the marking or the organisation of cultural events. The Wooden Architecture Route
currently includes 252 sites, which means that regardless of good intentions regional support for
activisation cannot cover all sites. Examples of good practices in this regard include the cooperation
between the municipality and the parish in Lipnica Murowana or the municipality and the parish in
Dobra. Reasonably spent small amounts supporting a site on the Route will bring multiple benefits
in the future. It is worth remembering that although it is difficult to make money with culture, it is
possible to make money owing to culture.
Marshal Office
Poviat Office
Municipal Office
Know-how (the Marshal Office has
competent human resources to blaze and
mark the Route; cooperation with external
experts necessary to select sites);
 Brand ownership (the Route is treated as
a brand on the tourist services market, and
requires taking measures for its promotion,
image development and animation);
 Development of the elements of visual
identity;
 Coordination of measures taken by other
entities (including cooperation with
NGOs);
 Evaluation and verification of sites;
 Support in the acquisition of funds from
external sources;
 Training for site owners/administrators;
 Content-related supervision of the
production of promotional materials;
 Animation of activities aimed at
including the sites on the Route in the
general tourist traffic;
 Organisation of study visits for
journalists in order to popularise the Route
 Establishment of tourist
information points;
 Distribution of information
materials at the sites in the
territory of the poviat;
 Coordination of measures
taken by municipalities;
Cooperation with
associations,
NGOs and private companies
aimed at developing the
tourist services market on the
Route (e.g. organisation of
seasonal round tours);
 Development of small
tourist infrastructure in the
vicinity of the sites on the
Route
 Inclusion of the sites in the
programme of regional
events;
 Cooperation with schools
in the municipality in order to
develop educational
programmes dedicated to the
local cultural heritage,
cultural identity, etc.
addressed to children and
teenagers;
 Cooperation with site
owners in order to improve
the quality of provided
services (e.g. help with the
employment of seasonal
guides from cultural centres,
libraries and schools in the
municipality);
 Development of
programmes stimulating the
life of the municipality with
the use of the sites on the
Route
If a municipality is the owner
of a site, it will also be
responsible for:
 taking care of the site's
surroundings,
 the maintenance of
information boards,
 ensuring fixed opening
hours of the site.
Table: Gaweł Ł., ‘Zarządzanie Szlakiem Architektury Drewnianej w kontekście procesu profesjonalizacji szlaków
kulturowych, ‘Turystyka Kulturowa’ 2011, no. 1
Since 2008, at the request of the Małopolska Region, the Route has been managed by the Małopolska
Tourist Organisation
3. Route ‘animation’
The concept of the Wooden Architecture Route came into being at the end of the 1990s. In
2000–2001, the Route was blazed and marked. In the following years, measures were taken to
promote the wooden heritage of Małopolska. In 2008, the idea of the Open Wooden Architecture
Route was conceived, which is currently implemented by the Małopolska Tourist Organisation at
the request and owing to the funds of the Małopolska Region. Why was the project called an Open
Route? Because its main objective is to make the sites that are usually closed available to visitors.
Each year from May to September, during specified days and opening hours, several dozen wooden
churches and manors open their gates and present a world that has remained as yet unknown.
The Open Route project is accompanied with a series of concerts entitled Music in Magic
Wood and a photo competition. It also includes published materials promoting the sites that are
available in a given year. Stamps presenting an outline of the local architecture have become a
charming souvenir. Large-scale promotion with the involvement of media, in particular the printed
press and the Internet, makes the Route not only Open, but also Animated.
Open Wooden Architecture Route
In 2007–2013, the developed and implemented scheme of making sites available to visitors
allowed for the opening of ca. 320 sacral facilities (11 in 2007, 30 in 2008, 56 in 2009, 50 in 2010,
41 in 2011, 58 in 2012 and 75 in 2013). Some sites, in particular the sanctuaries entered on the
UNESCO List – owing to the efforts of their administrators – are available to tourists for longer, a
few of them even 7 days a week all year round.
Other places of worship may be visited subject to prior arrangement with their owners and
administrators. Sanctuaries are open in the summer season not only due to increased tourist traffic
during summer holidays, but mainly due to the wall paintings in the interiors, whose preservation
requires specific temperature and humidity. Moreover, many churches still hold services that can
be attended by the local community and tourists. Numbers of tourists visiting the Open Wooden
Architecture Route: 80,000 in 2008, 130,000 in 2009, 150,000 in 2010, 188,000 in 2011, 264,000 in
2012; in 2013 counting is still in progress.
According to the estimates, the Route (objects within the Open Route and other sites) is visited
by 700,000 tourists a year.
The ‘Open Wooden Architecture Route’ project (2008–2013):

249 information boards next to the Route's sites have been replaced, and wayfinding signs
have been supplemented (104 signs at E-10 and E-22a express roads);

23 new sites have been included in the Route;

Over 320 sites have been made available to visitors;

7 editions of the ‘Music in Magic Wood’ concerts have been organised; in 2013 the series was
extended and included also concerts in the Podkarpacie Region in churches entered in 2003
on the UNESCO List in Haczów and Blizne. Additionally, 4 concerts in wooden UNESCO sites
in Małopolska – Owczary, Kwiatoń and in Slovakia – in the church in Kežmarok and in
Ladomirová – were organised in cooperation with the Europa Karpat Institute in Nowy Sącz;

Some of the summer ‘Music in Magic Wood’ concerts held on the Wooden Architecture Route
have been recorded;

In 2011 and 2013, media cooperation was established with the RMF Classic radio station
(http://www.rmfclassic.pl/polecamy/muzyka,cykl-koncertow-na-szlaku-architekturydrewnianej-w-malopolsce-muzyka-zakleta-w-drewnie,8170.html), TVP Kraków and Dziennik
Polski in connection with the ‘Music in Magic Wood’ concerts, as well as with numerous
Internet services, such as ‘Muzyka Dawna’ http://muzykadawna.info/wydarzenie/muzykazakleta-w-drewnie-2011-06-12. In 2012, the concerts were held under the auspices of Radio
RDN Małopolska (which recorded programmes promoting the concerts), Dziennik Polski and
TVP Kraków;

Cooperation has been established with Religia TV, which has broadcast services from several
dozen selected wooden churches in Małopolska;

Study visits to the Route have been organised for journalists and tour operators specialising in
Małopolska inbound tourism;

Stamps and information leaflets have been prepared for available sites;

Three editions of a photo competition dedicated to wooden architecture have been organised
(followed by exhibitions and publications);

Promotional materials have been prepared in different languages: a brochure, leaflets and a
tourist map in over 464,000 copies distributed to the sites and tourist information points
Each year summer concerts are organised:
‘Music in Magic Wood’ is a combination of two creative human passions – architecture and
music. Year 2013 was an anniversary: 10 years passed since six wooden churches in southern
Poland were enlisted as UNESCO Heritage Sites. On this occasion, six out of fourteen concerts were
held in these wooden, historic temples in the Małopolska and Podkarpacie Region. They are topclass historic buildings, which attract thousands of tourists every year and contribute to raising the
awareness required to protect this unique heritage. Owing to such initiatives as the concerts, the
Route draws more and more attention and becomes a noticeable flagship of the region and of the
entire country. During concerts tourists may visit the buildings and discover their history,
architectural values and invaluable furnishing. In the case of some less known and underestimated
sites, it is the only chance to draw attention. The initiative also contributes to raising awareness of
the local inhabitants of the richness and cultural values of the sites in their vicinity and helps to
understand the point of the Route and the idea behind it.
The series of concerts is also aimed at promoting the beauty of music composed by Polish authors
and the works of foreign artists from different centuries. During the meetings, participants have an
opportunity to admire various artists who present early music, often performed with copies of
historic instruments, the music of famous foreign composers, and of those who have been
forgotten, yet whose works are worth showing, as well as more contemporary music. Concerts
broaden the knowledge of playing styles, music eras and instruments. They also provide an
opportunity to watch dance shows and mystery plays. The series of concerts enables contact with
the music of various cultures, environments and religions. Diversified programme covers both early
and contemporary music; therefore, it presents a broad landscape of music culture created
throughout the centuries. Tradition intermingles with modernity; the programme includes concerts
of early music, as well as folk music, mountain music, or even jazz and opera music. All concerts are
held at the sites along the Wooden Architecture Route. The sites are away from big cities, owing to
which the concerts become an exceptional event and encourage the organisation of similar events
with own resources. The local community has an opportunity to take part in an unprecedented
event in terms of the high level of performances. A large group of recipients consists of the
inhabitants of villages or undeveloped areas, who have limited access to such cultural events. The
fact that admission is free of charge is another incentive.
3.
PROMOTION
‘Promotional activity consists in providing information, persuading and influencing the decisions
of possible customers by familiarising them with offered products and stimulating the interest in
their purchase.’
It is a general definition of the notion of ‘promotion’. However, if we talk about culture, we
cannot limit it to the transactional level. Here, it is much more important to establish a relationship
between the ‘customer’, that is the tourist, and the Route. It should be based on the formation of a
specific relation and attachment, so that a warmly welcomed tourist would only have good
memories. When this bond and relationship with the Route is strong, the information and positive
evaluation will spread to the world with the words of a satisfied tourist.
Measures related to the development, promotion and activisation of the Wooden
Architecture Route are implemented both as own tasks of the Regional Government, and through a
network of local partners cooperating with the Regional Government in this regard. Since 2008, a
majority of promotional measures related to the Wooden Architecture Route have been carried
out on behalf of the Regional Government by the Małopolska Tourist Organisation. Local
governments and the owners of sites included in the Route also undertake own initiatives related
to their promotion.
Promotional measures on the Route may be generally broken down into two groups: those
implemented by the Małopolska Region (in particular in the first year of the Route's operation) and
those implemented by the Małopolska Tourist Organisation (since 2008).
1. Main initiatives undertaken by the Małopolska Region:
-
Brochures and leaflets about the Wooden Architecture Route;
-
An album dedicated to the Route;
-
A guide book;
-
Route's promotion at national and international tourist trade fairs;
-
A multimedia presentation published on CD's (which became the corner stone for the first
website);
-
An information point dedicated to the Route (established in 2005 at the Diocesan
Information and Tourism Promotion Centre – operated effectively for two years);
-
Małopolska Days of Cultural Heritage.
2. Main initiatives undertaken by MOT
Internet – website www.drewniana.malopolska.pl and a Facebook page.
Modern tools for the promotion of tourist attractions and products – in 2012 the Route's
website was expanded www.drewniana.malopolska.pl. Currently, it contains: a list and
description of 252 sites illustrated with a map of the Route, opening hours for visitors in 2013,
schedule of concerts within the ‘Music in Magic Wood’ festival, news and reports from artistic
events held on the Route. The website is translated into English, German and French. Currently
works are carried out aimed at developing the website with materials that will enable virtual tours
of key (UNESCO) historic sites and with a catalogue of tour operators offering guided tours along
the Route.
The Route's tourist offer is distributed within the Małopolska Tourist Information Scheme (MSIT),
which is implemented by the Regional Government in cooperation with 25 local governments
(subsidised with the funds of the Małopolska Regional Operational Programme 2007-2013). Since
2013, on behalf of the Regional Government, MOT has been taking care of the sustainability of the
Tourist Information Scheme.
Małopolski Camper
Route's promotion with the Małopolski Camper! The Wooden Architecture Route and other
tourist attractions of the Małopolska Region are now promoted with a camper – a mobile
advertisement of the region that will visit most countries of the European Union in the next two
years. In June 2013, it promoted the Route in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Luxembourg. In
September 2013, it visited the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The campaigns and routes of
the Małopolski Camper can be followed on the blog
http://campermalopolski.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CamperMalopolski
Promotional materials
Materials promoting the Route have a common graphic design, which enhances the visual
identification of its brand. They are distributed directly at the sites, at TI points and at tourist trade
fairs.
Major brochures and maps of the Wooden Architecture Route published in 2010–2013:
2010
A map of the Wooden Architecture Route presenting all of its sites.
2011
A map for tourists travelling with campers or passenger cars with caravans. The map
includes marked sites on the Wooden Architecture Route. The map has been published
in English and in German.
2012
A tourist guide to 58 sites that are made available as a part of the KONSERWATOR
project and ‘Małopolska Gościnna’ for the summer season 2012 – PROMO publishing
house.
2013
-
A leaflet in French and English promoting the entry of 4 wooden temples on the
UNESCO List;
-
A leaflet in Polish about 8 sacral sites on the UNESCO List;
-
A guide book to 75 sites that are made available as a part of the ‘Open Wooden
Architecture Route’ project;
-
Update of the Route's map – new entries on the UNESCO List and new orthodox
churches on the Route;
-
Supplemented and corrected brochure of the Małopolska Tourist Information
Scheme ‘Małopolska. Wooden Architecture Route’ – available free of charge at
all MSIT points in Polish and in English.
Study visits of journalists and tour operators
Promotion in the tourist industry – study visits, workshops
Since 2007, Małopolska has carried out intensified promotion of the Route on domestic and
foreign markets among the representatives of tourist offices specialising in Polish inbound tourism,
as well as in Polish and foreign media. These measures aim at introducing the Route's tourist offer
to the catalogues of tourist offices and at developing the Route's brand. Example measures:
1) Study visits for journalists and tour operators along the Route combined with the
presentation of its tourist attractions (accommodation facilities, regional cuisine, etc.). The
visits' outcomes include press articles reaching foreign, national and regional audience,
published in Polityka, National Geographic, Newsweek, Rzeczpospolita, Gazeta Wyborcza,
Gość Niedzielny, Na Żywo, Polska Gazeta Krakowska, Dziennik Polski, etc. and strengthening
the Route's brand among tour operators;
2) Workshops for the representatives of the tourist industry within the Krakow Tourism
Salon entitled ‘Commercialisation of tourist routes on the example of the Krakow Industrial
Heritage Route and the Wooden Architecture Route’;
3) press conferences dedicated to cultural events and sites on the Route that are open to
visitors in a given year; the first one – before the beginning of the summer season, the
second one – summing up the season (2008–2012).
Tourist trade fair
In 2011–2013, we presented the region at 26 foreign and 10 Polish trade fairs, during which the
Wooden Architecture Route was promoted as one of the main tourist products of the region.
Other events
Joint organisation with other regional tourist events, e.g. the opening of the summer season
was combined with the opening of the 7th series of the ‘Music in Magic Wood’ concerts, which was
held on 25 May 2013 in front of St Leonard's Church in Lipnica Murowana. At the same weekend,
Małopolska Days of Cultural Heritage were also held, organised by the Małopolska Institute of
Culture.
Distinctions
GOLD CERTIFICATE FOR THE BEST POLISH TOURIST PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2013!
The ‘Gold Certificate’ is an exceptional distinction awarded since 2008 by the Polish Tourist
Organisation. Regional Tourist Organisations nominate the most interesting tourist offers of the
region, and the Chapter evaluates their attractiveness and improvement in the quality of services.
The results of the Chapter's meeting held in September in Warsaw were announced at the largest
tourist trade fair in Poland: Tour Salon, organised on 18 October in Poznań. In 2013, the title of the
GOLD TOURIST PRODUCT was awarded to the Wooden Architecture Route in Małopolska! Hidden
in the thicket of villages and towns of Małopolska, wooden historic sites are a part of the cultural
heritage, an entirely different, fairy-tale world that we enter when we cross the wooden doorsteps,
in particular the doorsteps of the catholic churches in Binarowa, Dębno Podhalańskie, Lipnica
Murowana and Sękowa and the orthodox churches in Brunary Wyżne, Kwiatoń, Owczary and
Powroźnik, which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. ‘Gold Certificate’ is not only prestige and a
diploma to be hung on the wall. The distinction entails a vast promotional campaign of the Route
next year for PLN 100,000, financed by the Polish Tourist Organisation. The guidelines for the
campaign will be developed by the end of 2013.
Wooden Architecture Route in movies
Recently, the Wooden Architecture Route has also become the star of several movies. In
May 2013, an episode of the ‘Nie ma jak Polska’ series entitled ‘Małopolska – Wooden
Architecture Route’ was aired by Telewizja Polska S.A. On 23 and 24 April 2013, the Wooden
Architecture Route was followed by exceptional tourists: Maciej Orłoś and Anna Karna, who also
visited other interesting places in the region. The TVP1 hosts met at the Market Square in Krakow
to plan a trip that would include the most breathtaking jewels of wooden architecture.
Additionally, Maciej Orłoś was discovering Małopolska's cuisine: its traditional tastes and regional
products. His route led through Sucha Beskidzka, where a Renaissance castle and the oldest
regional tavern ‘Rzym’ are located. Next, the film crew went to the Orawa Ethnographic Park in
Zubrzyca Górna, where it filmed one of the oldest wooden manor houses, and to Orawka, where
the beautiful Parish Church of St John the Baptist is located. At a short stop on the Route, Maciej
Orłoś tasted real oscypki (smoked sheep cheese) in a shepherd's hut in Leśnica. Less than ten
kilometres away, in Dębno Podhalańskie, the crew took footage in the Parish Church of St Michael
the Archangel dating back to the 15th century. The last stop on the route was Łącko, which is
famous for its orchards and natural juice production. Anna Karna also followed an interesting trail,
starting from Lipnica Murowana and St Leonard's Church entered in 2003 on the UNESCO List.
Next, she watched an agribusiness in Iwkowa, which offers various activities and workshops for
children This was followed by some amazing wooden buildings that attract numerous tourists: the
Parish Church of Michael the Archangel in Binarowa, the Museum of Bee-keeping in Stróże and St
Paraskevi's Greek Catholic Church in Kwiatoń. Whose trail was more interesting? You can decide on
your own! Watch the ‘Nie ma jak Polska’ episode:
http://vod.tvp.pl/audycje/wiedza/nie-ma-jak-polska/wideo/malopolska-szlakiem-architekturydrewnianej/11032181
WOODEN SOUL OF MAŁOPOLSKA
In the summer of 2013, footage was taken for a 30-minute film about the Wooden
Architecture Route in Małopolska. The movie was made by the Małopolska Tourist Organisation
requested by the Małopolska Region. The film presents a journey discovering the ‘wooden soul of
Małopolska’. Discovering, and making friends with the material that is easy to work with and which
was crucial for the subsistence of people in the old days. Modest peasant huts, luxurious manor
houses, churches filled with worshipers, everyday tools – all of that made of wood.
LITERATURE:
Gaweł Ł., ‘Szlaki dziedzictwa kulturowego. Teoria i praktyka zarządzania’, Wydawnictwa
Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, Krakow 2011.
Gaweł Ł., ‘Zarządzanie Szlakiem Architektury Drewnianej w kontekście procesu profesjonalizacji
szlaków kulturowych, ‘Turystyka Kulturowa’ 2011, no. 1
‘Małopolskie muzea na wolnym powietrzu. Architektura drewniana.’, Joanna Hołda, Magdalena
Kroh, published by the Culture, National Heritage and Tourism Department of the Małopolska
Region.
Ruszczyk G., ‘Architektura Drewniana w Polsce’, Sport i Turystyka MUZA SA, Warsaw 2009.
‘Szlak Architektury Drewnianej. Małopolska’, published by the Promotion and Tourism Department
– Marshal Office of the Małopolska Region, 2nd edition, Krakow 2010.