Location
Monserrat
Start Date
26-6-2026 3:30 PM
End Date
26-6-2026 5:00 PM
Description
The aim of paper is to examine the changes triggered by the inscription of religious traditions on intangible cultural heritage lists - the national level and at the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Such inscriptions generate transformations observable at heritage sites, among communities safeguarding these traditions, and in the behaviours of visitors - phenomena referred to as the “UNESCO effect.” These changes often extend beyond individual sites, inspiring other communities and heritage bearers to seek heritage recognition.
The paper focuses on religious cultural heritage associated with the tradition of creating floral carpets for the Feast of Corpus Christi in Spycimierz, Poland. Each year, residents arrange flower carpets extending over one kilometre, while the village of approximately 400 inhabitants receives more than 30,000 visitors on the day of the celebration. The authors outline the historical roots and contemporary form of this practice, emphasizing its spiritual, symbolic, and communal dimensions. The analysis reconstructs the process that led to inscription of the tradition on the Polish National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016 and on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021.
The findings are based on long-term tourism-related research combining qualitative and quantitative methods. This approach enables an assessment of the organization, scale, and transformation of the event, as well as its impact on the local community and visitor experience. The case of Spycimierz illustrates living religious heritage as a space where academic research, local experience, and institutional support intersect. The study demonstrates that research functions not only as a tool for documentation, but also as a practical instrument supporting heritage safeguarding, sustainable tourism management, and the development of educational strategies. In this sense, UNESCO inscription may represent not an end point, but a new beginning for the integrated management of religious intangible cultural heritage.
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Included in
K4) UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Inscription: End of the Road or a New Beginning?
Monserrat
The aim of paper is to examine the changes triggered by the inscription of religious traditions on intangible cultural heritage lists - the national level and at the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Such inscriptions generate transformations observable at heritage sites, among communities safeguarding these traditions, and in the behaviours of visitors - phenomena referred to as the “UNESCO effect.” These changes often extend beyond individual sites, inspiring other communities and heritage bearers to seek heritage recognition.
The paper focuses on religious cultural heritage associated with the tradition of creating floral carpets for the Feast of Corpus Christi in Spycimierz, Poland. Each year, residents arrange flower carpets extending over one kilometre, while the village of approximately 400 inhabitants receives more than 30,000 visitors on the day of the celebration. The authors outline the historical roots and contemporary form of this practice, emphasizing its spiritual, symbolic, and communal dimensions. The analysis reconstructs the process that led to inscription of the tradition on the Polish National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016 and on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021.
The findings are based on long-term tourism-related research combining qualitative and quantitative methods. This approach enables an assessment of the organization, scale, and transformation of the event, as well as its impact on the local community and visitor experience. The case of Spycimierz illustrates living religious heritage as a space where academic research, local experience, and institutional support intersect. The study demonstrates that research functions not only as a tool for documentation, but also as a practical instrument supporting heritage safeguarding, sustainable tourism management, and the development of educational strategies. In this sense, UNESCO inscription may represent not an end point, but a new beginning for the integrated management of religious intangible cultural heritage.