Paper short abstract:

The Polish Ethnographic Atlas starts long-term documentary works concerning scientific processing and popularization of source materials essential for conducting and developing the research on digital platform www.archiwumpae.us.edu.pl.

Paper long abstract:

What the article aims at is presenting the specificity of the Polish Ethnographic Atlas in the context of documentation, preservation and popularization of cultural heritage of the Polish countryside. Source materials of the Atlas constitute a unique source of rural history and, in contrast to other ethnographic studies, they comprise the whole territory of Poland. Arduously collected over the decades, the Atlas sources are a precious part of the material cultural heritage. Presenting and popularizing them is needed e.g. by local communities, which turn to their cultural roots to build their local/regional/national identity.

What seems particularly valuable for the representatives of social sciences and humanities are the ethnographic collections which are not widely known in the scientific environment. In order to fulfil the expectations, the Research Unit of the Polish Ethnographic Atlas (PEA) in Cieszyn has undertaken an innovative attempt at scientific processing, digitalization and providing access to some selected atlas materials.

Currently, the Polish Ethnographic Atlas starts long-term documentary works concerning scientific processing and popularization of source materials essential for conducting and developing the research (also into the non-material cultural heritage) on digital platform www.archiwumpae.us.edu.pl.