Challenging or confirming the national sacred? : managing the power place at Wawel Hill in Kraków

This chapter focusses on the case of Wawel Hill in Kraków to reveal how bottom-up alternative spirituality influences perceptions of this national heritage site. The presence of people who draw energy at Wawel (and who believe in the Wawel chakra – an energy spot) seems to challenge dominant national and Catholic oriented heritage regime and institutional managerial strategies. Drawing on ethnographic material, the chapter discusses how heritage is being conceptualized by various social actors present at Wawel. The strategies of the Wawel museum and the Wawel cathedral are confronted by the bottom-up perspectives of tour guides and energy pilgrims.