Tangible Heritage of the Historical Stonework Centre in Brusno Stare in the Roztocze Area (SE Poland) as an Opportunity for the Development of Geotourism

Abstract

The investigation relates to the human-environment relationships in the development of geotourism. The study is focused on the stonemasonry heritage of the historical Stonework Centre in Brusno Stare – a former, now non-existent village, abandoned after World War II, in SE Poland. The “stonemasonry” heritage was included into the potential Kamienny Las na Roztoczu Geopark. Preparation of these usable, sacral, sepulchral objects, as well as the quarry requires geological and historical interpretation to become cultural geosites. The aim of the present study is to highlight the importance of the interpretation of these objects based on the combination of knowledge in the fields of geology, history, and culture. This objective has been achieved by querying available literature, inventory, and assessments of geosites. The conceptual spatial-temporal model has been proposed to illustrate the holistic approach to the potential cultural geosites considered in the manuscript. The results obtained in the study indicate the scientific, educational, and geotouristic potential of the stonemasonry heritage of the ancient Stonework Centre of Brusno Stare. Popularization and promotion of these objects is needed to make them attractive cultural geosites and contribute to the development of geotourism in the Roztocze area.