Geography and tourism potential of cultural heritage of ethnic minorities of Vinnytsia Oblast

Abstract


 
 
 The article describes theoretical foundations of the study of geography and tourism potential of ethnic minorities’ cultural heritage in the Vinnytsia Oblast of Ukraine. The historical preconditions for the formation and development of cultural heritage of ethnic minorities in the modern Vinnytsia Oblast are studied. According to the 2001 census, there are more than 100 ethnic minorities in Vinnytsia Oblast, representing almost 6% of the total population. The most numerous are Russian (3.83%) and Polish (0.22%) ethnic minorities. The Oblast has a rich historical and cultural heritage. Jewish and Polish minorities have the largest number of preserved cultural heritage objects of ethnic minorities, mostly sacred buildings and palaces. It was found that the main centers of cultural heritage of ethnic minorities of the Oblast are the cities of Vinnytsia, Illintsi, Zhmerynka, Bar, Brailiv, Khmilnyk, Mogyliv-Podilsky, Sharhorod et al. A map of the geography of cultural heritage of ethnic minorities of Vinnytsia Oblast in the context of modern ethno-geographical relations is developed. It was found that the largest share of ethnic minorities is in the following areas with centers in the cities: Koziatyn, Bar, Tyvriv, Tulchyn, Gaisyn, Tomashpil, Bershad. The main types of preserved objects of ethnic minorities’ cultural heritage of Vinnytsia Oblast are highlighted. The main preserved cultural heritage objects of the largest ethnic minorities of the studied area, in particular Jewish, Polish and Russian, are described. A number of historical and cultural heritage problems of ethnic minorities of Vinnytsia Oblast were identified, in particular: violation of the connection between the number of minorities and the number of cultural heritage objects; unsatisfactory condition of certain cultural heritage objects; low level of their use for tourism purposes; misuse of some objects. Two new tourist routes are developed with the objects of historical and cultural heritage of the Polish and Jewish minorities of Vinnytsia Oblast and the corresponding maps are created. Involving the cultural heritage of ethnic minorities in the tourism process will contribute to the sustainable development of territories, preservation and promotion of historical and cultural objects.