Summer School of Heritage Interpretation 2014

A warm and sunny weekend, 5 and 6 July, 2014, was perfect for attending the Summer School of Heritage Interpretation 2014 in Šmarje pri Jelšah, Slovenia. The Summer School with a topic titled An Analysis of Visitor Experience in the Case of Baroque Art in Obsotelje and Kozjansko was led by ethnologist Janja Sivec from the Legends – Association for the Development of Heritage Interpretation, Tourism and Art which organized the whole course.

Saturday has been devoted to a fieldwork at which we obtained information about a state of the heritage interpretation at individual locations in Obsotelje and Kozjansko, a part of the Savinjska region. Our study visit included:

– the Museum of Baroque, the Calvary path and the Church of St. Roch (Sv. Rok);
– the Pilgrimage Church of Mary on Sladka gora (Marijina romarska cerkev na Sladki gori);
– a town hall (rotovž) with a stone pillory (pranger) in Lemberg pri Šmarju;
– the Churches of St. Mary (Mother of God) and St. Anne at Spodnje Tinsko;
– the Olimje Minorite Monastery with the old pharmacy;
– Pilštanj (a pillory, St. Michael Church, St. Emma of Gurk Chapel, the Castle path and the Pagan woman natural monument);
– the Parish Church of Our Lady of Mercy and the Lourdes Cave in Zagorje.

The second day our course continued with a case study of heritage interpretation in Sweden presented by Jana Voršič and an analysis of visitor experience related to the Saturday’s study visit. In collaboration with local community a document including analysis, findings and recommendations will be prepared. Based on the analysis, it can already be concluded that the Baroque art has a great potential for further development of culture-related activities and tourism in Obsotelje and Kozjansko, but only if its interpretation plan is considered as a long-term comprehensive strategy.

An Addition to the Article (22. 10. 2014): Legends – Association for the Development of Heritage Interpretation, Analysis of visitor experience in the case of Baroque art of Obsotelje and Kozjansko, Summer School heritage interpretation (5.-6- 7. 2014), Tourism and Art, Šmarje pri Jelšah, October 2014.

 

 

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