Paper short abstract:

For many centuries transhumance economy has been the main source of income for highlanders of Silesian Beskidy Mountains. Restoration of sheep breeding in The Beskids in XXI century launched a reflective approach not only to economic development but also definition of cultural heritage.

Paper long abstract:

Redefinition of "hut pastoralism" in the contemporary cultural context helped to design tourist products and services related both to ecolifestyle and promotion of cultural heritage of the region. For example an unquestionable tourist attraction in the Silesian Beskid are annually performed customs and ceremonies connected with sheep farming, especially with their ascent to the mountain pastures in spring and coming back to stalls in autumn. Transhumance that is being reinvented today redefined traditional institution of baca (head shepherd). Nowadays he turns out to be not only a experienced and influential shepered but also a sort of business men and local leader (but in modern sense). One of the most active people who acts for returning pastoral economy in Silesian Beskid is baca Piotr Kohut from Koniaków village. He herds annually more than thousand sheep in the form of hut economy, he conducts the grazing interchangeably on several pastures such as Podgrapa, Barania Hala, Magurka and Ochodzita. He identifies contemporary hut and pastoral economy with "wallachian heritage", talking about "Carpathian community".

The paper is based on years of cooperation and friendship between ethnologists from University of Silesia in Katowice, who has been undertaken a number of events and researches on new pastoral economy in the borderland of Poland and Czech Republic.