The Fryderyk Chopin heritage legacy in the perspective of the local community and tourists

Abstract

Although cultural tourism has been known since the very beginning of the European civilisation (the Ancient Greeks and Romans peregrines’), nowadays cultural events are a great attraction not only for a local community, but they are also a strong motivation for tourists to travel. It seems that one of the special research value is to consider how deeply cultural events, connected with ‘high art’ (museums, classical music, art events of superior quality), motivate a local community and tourists. Therefore, the main aim of our survey was to recognize the role and contribution of top cultural events (on the example of ‘the Chopin Year 2010’) in marketing a city’s image and to evaluate its significance as a tourist attraction and its meaning to the local community. To examine the cultural tourism from visitors and the local community perspective and to obtain primary data, we undertook the explanatory and evaluative research. We also used (as secondary data) an academic literature review results, statistic information and materials obtained from the Chopin Museum in Warsaw, the Fryderyk Chopin Association and the Fryderyk Chopin Institute. This paper describes the main outcomes of the survey conducted in 2011–2015. In the past, cultural activities were rarely regarded as part of the tourism industry in Warsaw. The International Fryderyk Chopin Festivals and the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competitions were considered as different. From the beginning, they were aimed to be widely recognised international events, rather than attractions organised to meet the needs of the residents and domestic tourists. However, ‘the Chopin Year 2010’ celebrations remained highly exceptional as many different events took place, including ‘street music.’ They were aimed broader than to satisfy only a rather narrow niche of professional musicians. In 2010 both the International Fryderyk Chopin Festival and the 16th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition were events not only shaped for special groups of music lovers, but also for the local community who was able to actively participate in these two big festivals.