The assessment of cultural and tourist value in developing historical buildings as exemplified by Castles on the Piotrówka River

This paper focuses on the issue of developing historical buildings, which is popular in recent years. The objective of this study is to assess the cultural and tourist value in terms of developing historical buildings. The assessment also includes the ownership status of the historical buildings and the changes made in the building architecture over the last decades. The subject of analysis concerns the castles and palaces that form the trail of the Castles on the Piotrowka River (Zamki nad Piotrówką), i.e. Palace in Kończyce Wielkie, Castle in Kończyce Małe, Castle in Zebrzydowice in Poland, and the Castle in Prstna in the Czech Republic. The study uses the research and field method, as well as, the tourist and cultural value assessment by means of a score classification system. In addition, on the basis of field observations and source materials, characteristics of development and the state of preservation of the historical buildings have been elaborated. The results of the assessment indicate the buildings with the highest cultural and tourist value.