Abstract
The aim of the paper is to present the tourist and image potential of contemporary public architecture. Wrocław was chosen as the research subject, as it is a historical center with an extremely rich architectural heritage, which has enjoyed great interest among visitors for centuries. With the announcement of Wrocław as the European Capital of Culture 2016, and then the European Best Destination in 2018, its attractiveness increased significantly, which was reflected not only in the number of visitors, but also in the advertising materials themselves. Both before and after arrival, millions of tourists encounter a multitude of various advertising forms, both virtual and printed, which determine the direction of sightseeing and shape a specific image and perception of the city. In general opinion, Wrocław is considered a historic city, the most interesting places of which are concentrated around the Old Town and Ostrów Tumski. The Centennial Hall, built at the beginning of the 20th century, stands out from the „newer heritage”. The idea of the study, however, was to answer the question whether contemporary architecture is used in any way in the current tourist advertisement of the city. Another goal was to identify and list the most frequently appearing objects from the adopted group, and to analyze the manner of their presentation. Based on the collected materials, efforts were made to assess the role of the media in creating a tourist product in terms of promoting local architecture in recent years. At the same time, an attempt was made to evaluate the role of architecture in creating the city’s progressive brand. In the research, the author used the method of analyzing the existing statistical data, iconographic research and the method of analyzing the content of advertising materials, as well as scientific studies on cultural heritage and tourism in the city. The final part of the paper shows that modern architecture can be a significant element increasing the tourist attractiveness of the city.
Highlights
Each city has some distinctive features that distinguish it from other cities (Adamus & Dzik 2019)
Wrocław is considered a historic city, the most interesting places of which are concentrated around the Old Town and Ostrów Tumski
Thanks to numerous architectural investments, including such objects as the futuristic shape of OVO, Wrocław is consistently gaining attention from the world’s media, which shapes the new, tourist image of the city. Still, it is not contemporary but historical architecture that is the main destination for tourists
Summary
Each city has some distinctive features that distinguish it from other cities (Adamus & Dzik 2019). Cultural tourism has become a priority image product of many European cities It was no different in the case of Wrocław, its popularity as a strictly tourist center began to grow only after the demolition of the city walls, and successively with the reconstruction and modernization of the city carried out in the 19th century. The article shows that modern architecture can be a significant element increasing the tourist attractiveness of the city. It can as well significantly influence the shaping of the image of Wrocław. In addition to the theoretical and cognitive aspect that seeks to contribute to the academic discussion on city branding, this article may have application significance, as it can be used in the preparation of different advertising forms- virtual and printed by the advertising agencies responsible for shaping a positive image of the city
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