Geotourism / Geoturystyka
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ISSN 1731-0830
e-ISSN: 2353-3641
Issue Date
2017
Volume
Number
No. 1-2 (48-49)
Description
Journal Volume
Geotourism / Geoturystyka
(2017)
Projects
Pages
Articles
Geotouristic attractions of the Saaremaa Island according to the opinions of tourists
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2017) Łach, Janusz
The article presents chosen geotouristic attractions of Saaremaa. High landscape values and touristic attractiveness are typical of the island. They may be observed in the Vilsandi National Park with rich fauna and flora, and geological and morphological forms, together with historic mills, houses, military objects from the 1st and 2nd world wars and industrial objects connected with recent fishing in the area. Rocky cliffs and the highest cliff in Saaremaa – Panga – as well as the meteorite lake Kaali are other objects with high touristic attractiveness located on a geotouristic trail. Medieval churches from the 12th and 13th centuries and the impressive Kuressaare castle also draw tourists' attention. The architecture of those buildings refl ects the geological history of the island. As a result of field works, the an understanding of the motivation behind the visitors to the Saarte Geopark was obtained. As such, the author was able to determine their touristic profile. On the basis of their opinions, an analysis and evaluation of touristic development and touristic attractions infl uencing geotouristic attractiveness of the island was conducted.
Evaluation of the geotourism potential of selected geological sites in the eastern part of the borderland between the Siedlce Upland and Łuków Plain
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2017) Orłowska, Anna
Evaluating the geotourism potential of geological objects is now one of the main directions of geotourism development in Poland. So far, these have been usually carried out for famous and interesting objects, which are situated in physical-geographical regions of great morphological-geological values and are places of high intensity tourism. However, recently more and more attempts have been made to evaluate geotourism potential of geological objects situated in the areas considered unattractive to tourists. This paper reports the results of such an attempt, which has been made in the eastern part of the borderland between two physical-geographical regions of low-intensity tourism, i.e. the Siedlce Upland and Łuków Plain. To evaluate the tourism potential of geological objects, the method of geosite evaluation has been used. The results allowed the author to distinguish the objects of high and unique scientific values, which may be proposed as geosites and a geotourist trails in the study area.
Evaluation of the geotouristic attractions from the Wojcieszów area
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2017) Muszer, Jolanta; Muszer, Antoni
The paper presents the results of geological and landscape studies in the Wojcieszów area (the Kaczawskie Mountains), which include investigation, inventory, documentation and a first of its kind evaluation of its geotourism objects. This area has high values of the natural environment and a rich geodiversity associated with a complicated geological structure (the Kaczawa unit, the metamorphic Kaczawa Complex). Some of the anthropogenic activities (mining), which have revealed interesting fragments of the geological structure, have also influenced the increase of geotourism attractions in this area. The area is one of the best examples of the region in the Sudetes, where economic considerations predominate over the protection of the natural environment. Since the 16th century, the crystalline Wojcieszów limestone was mined in numerous quarries (e.g. Silesia, Gruszka, Połom, and Miłek). In the limestone, intensive karst processes occurred mainly in the Paleogene (numerous caves and speleothems). As a result of economic activity, some of the caves had been permanently destroyed and the former »Połom« nature reserve was liquidated in the late 1970s. Currently, the only nature reserve is the »Góra Miłek in Wojcieszów«. The area around Wojcieszów is rich in numerous quarries, where other construction materials were obtained (e.g. phyllites, greenschists, and metarhyodacites). Since the 12th to 20th centuries, copper ore was also exploited (adits and shafts) in the Żeleźniak massif (east of Wojcieszów in the Radzimowice area). In the 20th century, uranium ore was mined at t Chmielarz Hill adit. Recently, the Cambrian limestones (Połom) and Quaternary deposits (Okrajnik, Stara Kraśnica) have been exploited. Paradoxically, economic activity, which caused destruction of some protected objects, has also enriched the geodiversity the Wojcieszów region. The results of the evaluation proved the signififificant geotouristic potential of the studied area. The most attractive geosites around Wojcieszów demonstrate typical lithologies of the Kaczawa Succession and depict the pre-Variscan geological evolution of the area.
Scientific documentation required during the exploration of caves and technical work carried out in tourist show caves - examples from central Poland
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2017) Urban, Jan; Tyc, Andrzej; Kasza, Andrzej; Ślusarczyk, Marceli
The procedure of scientific documentation of caves explored and/or arranged for touristic use is proposed and recommended in this paper. This procedure has been verified on the basis of work done during the arrangement of the Underground Touristic Trail combining three caves in the Kadzielnia Park, city of Kielce, Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) Mountains, and Jaskinia Głęboka (Deep Cave) in the »Góra Zborów« nature reserve, Kraków–Częstochowa Upland. The objective of the cave documentation is the preservation of scientific evidence of the geological history of karst systems and the region, which are recorded in sequences of cave sediments (including their physical, petrographic and mineralogical properties, palaeontological remains and archaeological artefacts), mineralogical and isotopic composition of speleothems and specific features of cave morphology. These elements are often totally or partially destroyed (i.e. removed, changed in shape) during cave exploration and/or any technical work carried out in tourist caves. This makes it necessary to document thier scientific study, which is also required by law. The procedure of such documentation and study proposed and verified in this paper include the photographic documentation of sediments and cave morphologies, sampling of sediments, as well as their basic petrographical-palaeontological analyses, which make it possible to plan exploration, technical work and further research.
Związki geologii z historią jako podstawa tworzenia geoproduktów na obszarze Geoparku Przedgórze Sudeckie - fakty i perspektywy
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2017) Tarka, Robert
The Sudetic Foreland Geopark area includes plenty of interesting objects of high geological value. Their value is highly increased when they originate from human activity. These may be old underground mine workings, objects made with human hands such as stone walls on Ślęża and Radunia mountains, or sites of former open-pit exploitation. Especially interesting in education and tourism is the connection between the area of mineral resources exploitation and both the structures, and the artifacts made from this material. Hence, such objects and areas are cultural geosites important for the region. Their presence increase the tourism value of the region and may also increase the tourist flow there. In order to identify the most interesting cultural geosites located in the Sudetic Foreland Geopark, geotourism valorization of 20 selected objects was run. Thanks to the valorization, it was possible to evaluate the substantive, educational and tourism attractiveness of selected geosites. Evaluation has shown that many described geosites have great potential for tourism despite still insufficient level of their development. There is also a problem of promotion and small amount of relevant information that can be found in public media, including the Internet. The evaluation enabled us to distinguish 10 most valuable cultural geosites in the area of the Sudetic Foreland – the Geo-culture TOP 10. These cultural geosites should be of particular interest to local authorities, institutions and organizations, as many of them require action to improve their tourism infrastructure. Achieving this goal will be possible through cooperation and mutual support of these institutions. Therefore, it may be important for the Sudetic Foreland Geopark to undertake actions and, possibly, to operate as a coordinator of joint activities. Such actions may contribute to the improvement of tourism attractiveness of the region and, consequently, to its socio-economic progress.