Abstract: A particularly important issue in the context of cultural heritage management is currently the question of sustainable development, in which cultural heritage objects are analyzed in terms of their economic, social and cultural values. Most accepted perspective in the current discussions focuses on the formulation and implementation of cultural policies. While on the other hand much less space is given to local communities, their needs and expectations in relation to the available resources of cultural heritage. In this text I will discuss the issue of the functioning of various objects of cultural heritage within local communities and management of those objects at the local level. Particular emphasis will be placed on the issue of multiplicity of cultural heritage stakeholders and interactions between them.

Key words: cultural heritage, cultural heritage stakeholders, social participation, cultural heritage management

A particularly vital issue in the context of cultural heritage management today is the question of sustainable development, in which cultural heritage objects are analysed in terms of economic, social and cultural values.1 The most common perspective adopted in the debates focuses on the formulation and implementation of cultural policies. Much less attention is devoted to local communities and their needs and expectations related to the available cultural heritage resources. The following text discusses the management of cultural heritage objects on the local level, and how such objects operate. Particular emphasis will be placed on the issue of the multiplicity of cultural heritage stakeholders and their mutual interactions.

Introduction

Concepts such as a ‘sense of belonging’ and ‘sense of identity’ are widely referenced in discussions about cultural heritage. There are also other words, including ‘culture’, ‘value,’ ‘tradition,’ ‘history,’ as well as associations with the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites. Th is was confirmed by the report named “Dziedzictwo kulturowe w oczach Polaków – raport z badań społecznych” (“Cultural heritage in the eyes of Poles – social research report”), commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in 2012.2 Such connotations make people associate cultural heritage with something grand, e.g. an architectural object, which is of great importance to the history and cultural identity of the nation, like the Wawel Hill in Cracow.