Cultural heritage and tourism in the nineteenth century: a study of Polish guidebooks

Travel guidebooks are often rich with information concerning cultural heritage. This paper discusses the results of research concerning the historical and artistic content of Polish guidebooks published during the nineteenth century. This research covers both the textual content of these publications as well as the illustrations included in them. Analysis of Polish guidebooks is presented within a broader context of tourism development and guidebook literature during the period under study. This makes it possible to demonstrate many similarities between Polish and foreign guidebooks as well as to illuminate how knowledge regarding cultural heritage is transmitted. The article addresses the description of monuments and works of art, the use of various terminology, the values perceived in material heritage, and the iconography present in the illustrations in the guidebooks studied.