Vertical lands and horizontal gods : is East "East" and West "West"?

The article aims at characterizing vertical and horizontal types of cultural heritage dissemination. It offers an essayistic reflection on selected cultural examples from the East and the West which are relevant for the understanding of the multileveled and multidimensional nature of the role of cultural heritage in intercultural relations. The examples discussed in the article include: Buddhism, Hellenism, the history of Gdańsk/Danzing and the Great Empire of Manchuria. Although deliberately no final conclusions are drawn, the article provides a point of departure for a deeper understanding of cultural globalization.