Losing Genius Loci in Cultural Heritage Sites – Landscape of Defensive Castle Open-Air Museums of the Jurassic Belt, Poland

Losing Genius Loci in Cultural Heritage Sites – Landscape of Defensive Castle Open-Air Museums of the Jurassic Belt, Poland Cultural heritage gives places meaning and an atmosphere called genius loci based on tangible and intangible values. Nowadays, we can observe a commercial and consumerist approach to the spirit of place: it is used as a promotional tool and a tourism product, reduced to a cliché satisfying popular consumers tastes. The aim of this study is to identify the values which determine the identity of a place and the dangers they face, trying to answer the question: how can genius loci be protected? We analyse the problem based on the example of selected open-air museums at defensive castles in Poland’s Jurassic Belt. These museums have become a field of commercial entertainment and fallen victim to irreversible transformations.