Objects of industrial heritage as elements of city’s geocultural image

Abstract

The role of industrial heritage objects in the image of a city is considered. Using specimens of industrial architecture from Nizhny Novgorod as research material, three scenarios of their functioning in the urban socio-cultural space are demonstrated: architectural object as an illustration of the phenomenon of industrialization of the country; as a monument of engineering thought, and as an object that brings about material artifacts that become symbols of the region. Methodologically, the study displays a value-based approach: not only does industrial architecture perform a utilitarian function in the urban space, but it also contributes to the image of the city, reflecting the values that dominate and guide its communities and development strategies. A review of domestic semiotic research suggests three ways by which objects of industrial heritage become key elements in the geocultural image of Nizhny Novgorod. These include communication of invariant information, actualization of citizens’ creative activities, and preservation of iconic elements of its history and achievements in the city's memory. By performing the above informative, creative and memorial functions, objects of industrial heritage influence the formation of the so-called phenomenon of urban patriotism. Acting through its industrial facilities, urban space concentrates in itself the memory of significant events and achievements of both the city and the country about people who contributed to the development of the city, thereby forming a special mental field that can be considered as a local axiological paradigm. Action being taken to integrate former industrial facilities into the socio-cultural space of the city contributes to the understanding of the city as a mental structure.