Paper short abstract:

The aim of this presentation is to describe phenomena of 'communist heritage' which attracts attention of tourist in post-soviet region. The basis of these considerations will be a case study of 'crazy tours' led in Cracow (Poland).

Paper long abstract:

After the collapse of communist regimes societies in Middle and Eastern Europe were forced to confront with the cultural heritage of the last decades, which shas been shaping a collective and national identity. While many people have been obsessed with the memory, the most tengible and and visual aspects of this heritage easily become tourist products. Thematic tours, exhibitions, and events devoted to recent past mashroomed all over the region. Using the case of "crazy tours" in Cracow (thematic tours, showing Nowa Huta District, where guests can discover traces of socialist history), I'll try to shed light on the problem of history, place and authenticity. Basing on Graham Danns' theory I'll explore the subject of stereotypes in tourist narrative, concentrating on the methods in which the image of the past is sold in 'cultural supermarket'.