Reflections on Industrial Heritage Transformation in Slovakia (Case Study: Forest Railway Čierny Balog)

Viera Krešáková

doi:10.12797/Politeja.18.2021.74.12

Authors

Viera Krešáková Matej Bel University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7353-4893

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.18.2021.74.12

Keywords:

industrial heritage, transformation of industrial heritage, industrial tourism in rural regions

Abstract

In the paper, we have a look at one of the most popular and most used forms of protection of industrial heritage today: transformation. Central Slovakia is the region with the most industrial monuments and sites in Slovakia and many of them are more or less aesthetic elements of the local landscape since the Middle Ages. However, except of some popular destinations, Central Slovakia does not belong among the regions with high attendance of domestic and foreign tourists. Several industrial monuments are in poor condition and located in remote places where tourists rarely venture. In this article, we would like to point out transformation and adaptive reuse as an appropriate form of protection for industrial monuments and have a closer look at the potential of rural regions and small towns. As a positive example of a conversion, we analyze the Čiernohronská Forest Railway in Čierny Balog in more detail. We focus not only on its positive economic and aesthetic impact on the surrounding landscape and people’s lives, but also on building prestige and an important position of the rural and unattractive touristically region in comparison with popular and prestigious tourist destinations.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Viera Krešáková, Matej Bel University

Is an assistant professor at the Department of Professional Language Communication, Faculty of Economics, University of Matej Bel in Banská Bystrica. As part of her teaching activities, she provided lectures in Russian cultural studies for the second year of bachelor’s studies in European Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Matej Bel in Banská Bystrica. She specializes in professional terminology, the Russian language and culture, as well as the German language and culture. As a member of the research team in the project ‘European cities in the process of constructing and transmitting of the European cultural heritage. International curriculum for undergraduate and master students (Erasmus+ Programme),’ she deals with the research topic Transformation of Industrial Heritage.

References

Brenner M., From Overtourism to Sustainability: A Research Agenda for Qualitative Tourism Development in The Adriatic, at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/92213/.

Cole D. et al., Abandoned Slovakia: Abandoned Buildings as Part of the Development Potential of Cities and Municipalities, Banská Bystrica 2021.

Čiernohronská železnica, at https://chz.sk.

European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH), at https://www.erih.net.

The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Herigate (TICCHIC), at https://ticcih.org.

Krešáková V., Pecníková J., “Akceptovateľná miera komercializácie technickej pamiatky Čiernohronskej železnice a Lesníckeho skanzenu vo Vydrovskej doline návštevníkmi”, Ekonomická revue cestovného ruchu, vol. 53, no. 4 (2021).

Landschaftspark Duisburg, at https://www.landschaftspark.de/.

Muñoz Viñas S., “Contemporary Theory of Conservation”, Studies in Conservation, vol. 47 (2002), pp. 25-34, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780080476834.

Slovenská železná cesta, at https://www. zeleznacesta.sk.

Jahre Holztransport mit der Spiegelauer Waldbahn, at https://waldwissen.net/de/lernenund-vermitteln/forstgeschichte/die-spiegelauer-waldeisenbahn.

Vysoká pec na Troch Vodách, at https://www.lesy.sk/lesy/pre-verejnost/kam-do-prirody/vyznamne-lesnicke-miesta/zoznam/vysoka-pec-troch-vodach.html.