Cultural Heritage and Strengthening of Local Image: Golubac in Iron Gates Region, Serbia

Abstract

During the last several decades, the nature of tourism has changed. Technological and social changes made tourism more affordable and accessible for people, and shift in tourism from leisure to self-discovery. Cultural tourism, oriented towards heritage and tradition, is one of the fastest growing markets in the industry today. It provides an opportunity for people to experience culture in depth, whether by visiting attractions, historic or culturally places, or by taking part in cultural activities. It could be the initiation and the main potential of the development of undeveloped regions and towns in its surroundings. Iron Gates or Đerdap in Serbia is the longest gorge and probably the most attractive scenery along the Danube. This region possesses many features to be considered as an exceptional cultural landscape. Many small towns along the Iron Gate are rich by valuable natural and cultural heritage and attractive for tourists thereof. However, due to limitations in their accessibility and infrastructure, they have faced many socio-economic challenges in the recent decades. A proper case is Golubac. Despite the facts that this town is positioned in the widest part of the Danube and has the notable medieval Golubac Fortress, it has been in decline for decades. Golubac is still marked with the acute problem with decreasing population, overall isolation and the weak accessibility. The newest incentives and investments have made influence enough to overcome these negative patterns. They are mainly based on conventional planning and strategic documents, which have not carried adequate on-site investigations on how people comprehend space as a potential to improve the offer of cultural tourism. Hence, the aim of this paper is to present how to use one such research to obtain the data that can be used to properly link cultural tourism with identification of the town image and identity. However, the methods that were used in analysis could be divided into two parts and include: (1) method of direct surveying of inhabitants based on the Kevin Lynch’s determination of the image of the city and (2) the method of mapping users on social maps (via social networks). This research has indicated the potential of the analysed area for the strengthening of the local image and connections between cultural heritage and town of Golubac.