KULTÚRNE DEDIČSTVO AKO SYMBOL IDENTITY

The contribution is based on the case study of the Municipality of Čičmany. In highlights how the strong identification elements of a local cultural tradition – in the case of Čičmany the elements of buildings, clothing and decorative culture – have been preserved in live form from a longer historic perspective and how their meaning has been modified in time. The contribution shows the phenomena, inherent to the authentically lived world of local people, have gradually turned to a representative cultural particularity appraised both by experts and by the general public. The article shows how they have become a cultural commodity with the potential to be used in the development of tourism, or as a cultural element transformed to a national representative symbol.