Turystyka religijna jako czynnik rozwoju Karpat Polskich
Religious Tourism as an Incenitive of the Development of Polish Carpathian Mountains

Summary/Abstract: The research has been aimed at analysing the development of pilgrimages and religious tourism to shrines in Polish Carpathian Mountains and the assessment of the influence of religious tourism on social and economic development in the examined region. The article indicates that the modern network of pilgrimage centres in Polish Carpathian Mountains is the heritage of long-term tradition. The network comprises more than 120 shrines in which miraculous images of Virgin Mary, images of the Lord, of the saints and blessed are venerated, as well as calvaries and a Eucharistic shrine. The vast majority of Carpathian shrines (75% of all) are connected with Marian cult. In Polish Carpathian Mountains, there are 14 shrines of Lord, connected mainly with the cult of miraculous images of Christ, and more than 20 shrines of saints and blessed figures. This paper is the result of in-house studies and field studies conducted during the years 1995–2017 in more than 100 Carpathian shrines. The studies were conducted in Polish Carpathian Mountains, i.e. in the part of Carpathian Mountains that lies within the actual borders of Poland. The presentation of research results mainly makes use of a dynamic and comparison method, and cartographic presentation methods (the matic map and choropleth map). The conducted research indicates that tourism and pilgrimages to shrines in Polish Carpathian Mountains exhibit an increasing trend year by year and the main factors which have an influence on this are pilgrimage traditions, landscap evalue of the region, historical and architectural value of churches functioning as shrines, care for the development of the cult, and pastoral work of priestsor congregations that take care of the shrine.

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