Pilgrimage sites in Slovakia as the base for the formation of ecomuseums: Case study of L'utina pilgrimage site

Abstract

Religious tourism is one of the oldest types of tourism and is connected with visiting various sacred places of religious significance. In Slovakia, the tradition of pilgrimage has rich history, as evidenced by a large number of pilgrimage sites that attract many pilgrims from Slovakia and abroad and still have their irreplaceable significance. However, these religious centres are not separated from other natural and cultural-historical attractions, as they together form the genius loci of a particular territory. The aim of this paper is to link the pilgrimage site with individual natural and cultural-historical interests in its surrounding in the context of the ecomuseum phenomena, which are now becoming more and more aware of the inhabitants and local communities in individual regions. Linking these locations should improve people's awareness of the territory they live in while making these places more attractive for visitors/ pilgrims. Part of the paper is a case study on the example of the largest pilgrimage site of Greek Catholics in Slovakia - L'utina, which has the largest potential to become a leader within a religious tourism and within a formation of ecomuseum in the region of eastern Slovakia in the context of implementation of projects and realization of activities directly in this pilgrimage site and surrounding attractive places.