Cmentarz Symboliczny pod Osterwą. Miejsce pamięci i tekst kultury

The Symbolic Cemetery in the Slovak High Tatras, in the Mengusovská Valley, commemorates people who died in the Tatras as well as those who made particularly valuable contributions to tourism, mountaineering or rescue service in the Tatras, and who died in other mountains across the world. The present article is an introduction to further in-depth reflection on the genius loci of the Cemetery, its place in culture, and on an interpretation of the meanings of material traces in nature. The author gives the Polish terminology associated with the analysed place as well as research categories — “place” (as opposed to “space”), “memory” (including its special type, “cultural memory”) and “cemetery” a broad, comparative and interdisciplinary approach. The reflection is presented within the framework of the most important cognitive category — experience. The experience of the creators of the place, experiences of the commemorated individuals (tourists, mountaineers, athletes, rescuers), those who remember them, as well as the experience of visitors — tourists, travellers, sensitive observers.