Agnieszka Niczyporuk
COMMON GOOD AS A SOCIAL VALUE ON THE EXAMPLE OF CIESZYN TRADITIONAL CRAFT SCHOOL

Il. Alicja Pakosz

Liquid modernity¹ with all its consequences (crisis of values, flexibility of relationships, identity loss) has become a fact. In the face of this phenomenon, one can analyse its outcomes and fall into melancholy, or else take specific measures to mitigate its effects, which perhaps, with successive endeavours, may lead to the development of a panacea. The question remains who should initiate the repair process and how to go about it.

Since my return to Cieszyn Silesia (the part of Poland which I come from) in mid‑2023 and launch of a career in culture (formerly at Cieszyn Castle, Museum of Printing, currently at the Department of Culture and Promotion of Cieszyn Municipality), I have been closely following a project run by Cieszyn Castle and called Cieszyn Traditional Craft School. Why? I myself am involved in the transmission of heritage on an everyday basis and this subject is a significant contribution to my own work as well as a personal journey to the sources. In the project run by Cieszyn Traditional Craft School (with the Polish acronym of SzRz used later in this text), I have positioned myself as an external observer, however it is difficult to describe my attitude to the undertaking as uninvolved/distanced since I am conducting research in the area where I grew up and where I am now professionally involved in disseminating information about local culture. Working in a “familiar” environment makes it easier to start relationships, eliminates problems of not understanding the context but at the same time may raise doubts about the objectivity of the perspectives presented. However, quoting Katarzyna Majbroda, my view is that “the focus of researchers’ attention on their own life trajectories does not always mean giving up the desire to understand and present the studied phenomena and cultural and social practices. Often, affective narrative operates separately from publications constituting their lining so to say”².

For years, Cieszyn Castle has been trying to juxtapose tradition and modernity. The strategies implemented by this institution (promoting local heritage, design, innovation and developing entrepreneurship) focus on variously classified resources of local and universal culture, developed in various combinations, creating a plane of self‑identification which is not fossilised, on the contrary, which is subject to constant changes related to the needs of the individual and the community.

The multi‑faceted nature of Cieszyn Silesia heritage moulded over the centuries, on which the work of SzRz is based, provides ground for many versions of cultural identity. This area is a subregion of Upper Silesia and possesses its own character resulting from specific historical conditions. Several hundred years under the Duchy of Cieszyn, and subsequently under Austro‑Hungarian Monarchy mean that the local heritage, as well as the community itself, is heterogeneous, since it combines features typical of the lands once consolidated by the Habsburgs. All these components played a role in the development of a keen awareness of the distinctiveness of the local inhabitants as expressed by the commonly used phrase – jo je stela (the vernacular for “I am from here”). The research area will also includes the region of the Silesian Beskid Mountains with its sense of highlander community drawing on the heritage of Vlach shepherds. The borderland nature of the subregion means dealing with the odium of peripherality, which in the case of marginalised groups is combined with a great prominence attributed to one’s own culture. Heritage therefore becomes a guarantee of maintaining a sense of self‑worth and building an image based on criteria that are key to the community.

Will the initiative of Cieszyn Castle, undertaken in such conditions and aimed at disseminating information about crafts, prove important from the point of view of developing the community?

Sharing the opinion of Katarzyna Barańska that “cultural institutions seem to be places where a kind of supply of values takes place and where the contemporaries can negotiate their humanity in contact with others and with basic values, among which truth – goodness – beauty remain invariably canonical”³, I see culture as an axiological carrier of content impacting the formation of human identity. I believe that on such cornerstone it is possible to build a structure of activities that restore the community to its rightful place, stimulate the initiative of recipients, and consequently impact the development of social good.

According to Kinga Czerwińska, “heritage, which is the legacy of many past generations, is one of the most important elements determining cultural identity. Formed over the centuries by various needs, it becomes an imperative of human behaviour, a motivation to act, to mould oneself and one’s own surroundings. Cultural goods reflect collective fate as universal and at the same time as the experience of a historically shaped community. Therefore, they constitute a significant value both at the individual and group level. By learning about heritage, and to a certain extent also about culture, we shape/learn our own cultural identity. Profound impact on this process is exerted by heritage of the place where we grow up, i.e. the cultural legacy of the region, and in a broader context – the heritage of the nation, which bears testimony to the survival of a given social group”⁴. The philosophy of locality deals more broadly with the philosophy of place. According to Aleksandra Kunce, it is based on the experience of place. This place is “a domesticated space constituting the zone that constantly and opaquely pushes us towards what is shadowy, dark, but also bright at the same time”⁵. The experience of place has multiple layers. It assumes “openness to what is incomprehensible and familiar at the same time, to what is both distant and near, to what is both individual and communal, and lastly, to what is both sensual and speculative. Imagination, feelings, knowledge, interpretation, sensations, events, images, fate – all that belongs to us on both individual and collective levels, co‑creating our experience of place and our experience of ourselves in a given place”⁶. The philosophy of locality, in Kunce’s opinion, does not stand for bliss, nor for a biblical return to “paradise lost”. It is a space of confrontation with a place by filling it with meaning and obligations. It is “the intersection of individual fate with the fate of many, with those who came before us and those who will come after us”⁷. According to the idea of locality, a person forms their existence in the world using accepted customs, rules of conduct and daily routines. They are manifested by tangible traces, artifacts which accompany people as a mute witnesses to their existence. Together, they create a cultural resource around which specific symbols and identity markers can be built. Cultural heritage passed down from generation to generation “is always someone’s, it is subject to the process of negotiating meanings and assigning values”⁸. Heritage, despite being rooted in the past, leans forward into the future, it focuses on salvaging and has great significance for a given community of the past and the present alike. The work of preserving the legacy of ancestors bears the hallmarks of a mission, the aim of which is to preserve specific values and pass them on to successors. Individuals and institutions alike may be custodians of heritage. The transmission takes place in the family but also through institutions (schools, local and national bodies, non‑governmental organisations, media). The products of shared work based on heritage are durable objects, which, according to Zygmunt Bauman, “are to serve the humanity for as long as possible, constituting the fullest embodiment and symbolisation of the abstract and fleeting concept of eternity. In fact, it is on the basis of the postulated and projected longevity of “durable objects” that we create an idea of eternity. These objects are assigned special value, they are appreciated and sought after because of their connections with immortality – the highest value, ‘naturally’ desirable, which no one needs to be convinced or persuaded about”⁹.

The uniqueness of the Polish, and thus Silesian cultural heritage is manifested primarily by the artistic and aesthetic values of the goods created, but also by the expression of collective experience. According to Czerwińska, “the isolationism of traditional peasant culture and its self‑sufficiency led to the emergence of a complex of ideas and forms specific to a given area, which primarily relied on native, local elements, but also on creative adaptation of motifs originating from elite or bourgeois art and on ethnically foreign elements”¹⁰. The compliance of form, technique and tool, the logic of composition, ornamentation and expression went hand in hand with the utility of objects. Gradually, recognised and admired creative skills distinguished the peasant class, thus confirming the belief in its significant participation in the creation of national culture. Transmission between and within generations took place through testamentary inheritance of goods, which strengthened the social bond with ancestors. The unique values of regional products, including of Cieszyn Silesia, have become the object of interest of young, professionally educated artists and designers. As the researcher points out, “the current fascination with design inspired by the artistic heritage of rural life results from the essence of handicraft and craft work based on a well‑reflected and refined object, created each time directly as the fruit of human thought and hands. The works of such a creative and production process acquire the status of luxury, unique items while the simplicity of form and austerity of the material add extra value. Minimalism in this case means the desire to return to nature, to life in its atavistic sense and at the same time expresses saturation with consumerism”¹¹. It should be pointed out that today’s understanding of heritage is perceived more broadly and does not only refer to the products of human hands, but focuses on an entity (individual, community) who is the creator of cultures. According to Czerwińska, “the interest focuses on the attitude of the community to what they have received from past generations and measures aimed at using these resources”¹². Therefore, not only the artifact becomes important but so does the design process, in which everyone becomes a creator. Victor Papanek believes that “All that we do, almost all the time, is design, for design is basic to all human activity. The planning and patterning of any act towards a desired, foreseeable end constitutes the design process”¹³. The subject of engaged design is also cultural heritage, in which experiences of the past are confronted with visions of the future. The theories cited above can be a reference point for the concept of SzRz established in 2022.

At the onset of my research, I conducted participant observation, which allowed me to look at the structure and nature of classes as well as the teaching methods. Next, I did desk research, examining the documents which initiated the establishment of the School, as well as the content of the SzRz website compiled by Cieszyn Castle, and supplemented the knowledge gained in this way with individual unstructured interviews with representatives of the institutions involved in the organisation of the project. The collected data contributed to a better insight into the processes taking place within the school. Next, I analysed 35 evaluation questionnaires of adult course participants after the end of the first year of SzRz (30 participants and 30 listeners took part in the classes) and conducted interviews with selected participants and representatives of the school’s teaching staff. I supplemented the collected information with theoretical knowledge about heritage, and especially about crafts.

In its form, SzRz referred to the European Arts & Crafts movement, popularised in Poland by for instance Stowarzyszenie Warsztaty Krakowskie (an association operating from 1913 to 1926), Centrala Przemysłu Ludowego i Artystycznego called Cepelia (established in 1949) and the Institute of Industrial Design (established in 1950), however, unlike the model, the School offered added value, supporting the resourcefulness and innovation of its students. The essence of the undertaking was to “inspire the development of crafts using the potential of the intangible cultural heritage of Cieszyn Silesia, including exploration of new ways of use it for the needs of stimulating local entrepreneurship”¹⁴. And thus, the school, while protecting the intangible heritage of the region, was to educate the so‑called “new craftsmen”. The process of planning the SzRz educational service included the following stages “inventory of the local resources of intangible heritage of the region was well as of resources for the crafts, examining the needs of stakeholders and future users of the school’s service, selecting local crafts to be included in the educational service, developing the educational service based on the intangible heritage of the region, building a competence profile of the teaching staff, developing the structure and model of the school’s operation, developing the school structure, compiling a list of school equipment necessary to provide the educational service”¹⁵. The project team included: the coordinator (Ego), a company with extensive experience in designing educational services, the client – Cieszyn Castle and other stakeholders: Faculty of Educational Arts and Sciences of the University of Silesia (expert knowledge and competences to conduct ethnographic research), Stowarzyszenie Serfenta (an NGO with a business model for selling basketry), Dinksy, a creative and consulting studio (for consulting services and creating business models for craft companies), an association called Nów. Nowe Rzemiosło (a nationwide organisation of new craftsmen), School of Form SWPS (education in combining traditional crafts with modern technologies), as well as depositories of traditional crafts from Cieszyn and the surrounding area. The following crafts were selected as part of the offer: gunsmithing, basketry, wool processing, bookbinding, woodcarving, lace‑making.

These crafts were not selected at random. They are typical examples of the cultural heritage of Cieszyn Silesia. To give an example, the roots of local gunsmithing date back to the 16th century, when the production of a small‑calibre hunting rifle, the so‑called ptaszniczka, used for hunting perching birds, became widespread in the region. Apart from its original design, this weapon was known all over the continent for its unique ornamentation. Its slender shape was achieved thanks to “a long rifled barrel and a suitably profiled stock, additionally ornamented with inlaid mother‑of‑pearl, ivory, horn and brass. The surface of the weapon, both the barrel and the aforementioned stock, were decorated mostly with plant or animal motifs, often depicting hunting scenes. Due to the perfection in the manufacture of the shooting elements and unique ornamentation, ptaszniczka made by local masters acquired a special name and was called cieszynka. It was commonly known by this name to buyers from all over Europe”¹⁶. Another craft, equally deeply rooted in local culture, is Koniaków lace‑making. For over a century, lace made using a method referred to as heklowanie has been practised in villages scattered across the Beskid mountains hills, with the hub in the village of Koniaków, deemed to have acheived perfection in the execution and originality of the motifs used. Thin white cord imported from Turkey or what was then called Czechoslovakia was used to make the lace. The finished products formed part of women’s attire such as bonnets worn by married women, kabotek blouses or koszułka blouses. Over the years, the lace started to be used as an element used to decorate collars, gloves, cuff inserts, bed linen, tablecloths, skirts and even women’s skimpy underwear. The skill of lace‑making using heklowanie method is still a value passed down from generation to generation by the inhabitants of the region.

The ready project was implemented by Cieszyn Castle in cooperation with selected craftsmen from the region and experts co‑creating the business module. Classes were attended by 30 participants and 30 listeners selected from 250 applicants (mainly designers, architects, ethnologists). The teaching modules of traditional craft techniques were enhanced by classes on how to run a business, use modern marketing techniques and in cooperation with interdisciplinary project teams. Starting in March 2023 and lasting for ten subsequent months, the participants took part in live classes (in a workshop of their choice) and in on‑line classes (part of the business module). Their progress was supervised by experienced master craftsmen who introduced the students to the secrets of craftsmanship, as well as by experts in the field of business, marketing, psychology and cultural anthropology. In addition to regular classes in workshops and training in the business module, the participants also went on two study trips to The Museum of Folk Architecture in Sanok, Folk University of Artistic Crafts and Bieszczady Crafts School. They also attended workshops ran by a weaving company from Łódź called Tartaruga and training on creative craft brands with Prêt‑á‑create, a consulting company. The project also included SzRz Open Days, an opportunity to learn about the practical aspects of the school’s operation, the participants’ progress and to promote the project. The official end of classes took place in December 2023. The event was accompanied by an exhibition on the history of SzRz also presenting the works of its participants. In early 2024 SzRz offer was extended to include weekly classes for children (Children’s Craft Workshop: age group 8–13, 2 series) and courses in selected crafts for teenagers (bookbinding, woodcarving, basketry, ceramics).

In the course of devising the SzRz offer, a group of experts appointed for this purpose formulated profiles of a typical recipient, i.e. “the professional” and “the hobbyist”. They were provided with empathy maps indicating what a given person feels, sees, thinks and does.

After the first year of SzRz classes, I analysed the surveys of course participants. In order to find out what motivated applicants to sign up for courses at SzRz, I compared them with the answers provided in the evaluation survey to the question: “What did you expect when applying to Traditional Craft School? What exactly did you want to learn, what skills did you want to acquire, what was your motivation?” 96.97% of my respondents answered that they intended to learn new skills related to a specific craft, to meet new people (9.09%), to do something new (9.09%).

To illustrate whether the expectations of the students corresponded with the results obtained, I selected the following question for analysis: “What specific skills did you learn in one year of attending the Traditional Craft School?” The answers were as follows: skills related to craft – 96.88%, art/design skills– 21.88%, business skills – 9.38%, skills related to character formation – 9.38%, skills related to the cultural context – 9.38%.

From the above list, it may be concluded that as far as content went (acquiring competences), the aims expected by the course participants were achieved. Craftsmanship, manual skills, including art and design skills, were pivotal. Theoretical and social skills, in the participants’ opinion, played a secondary role. According to interviews, the actual contact with raw material was a source of interest and at the same time a real challenge (especially for adepts of a given field), because working with it required concentration, discipline and diligence. On the other hand, to trained designers it provided an opportunity to verify the concept by confronting it with technological possibilities. It may be assumed that growing interest in learning practical skills is the result of a deficit in the educational offer currently available on the market. The formula proposed by SzRz is an alternative to the increasingly popular e‑learning which impoverishes perception and reduces contact with traditional tools and local materials. Overall, the type of interaction offered by SzRz enhances dialogue with the natural environment. This, in turn, seems to be crucial to cope more easily with the reality, to stimulate the imagination, develop sensitivity and aesthetic sense. These aspects are components of the fundamental experience of beauty, the patterns of which we consciously or unconsciously transfer to other fragments of reality. In my observations, this immersion in the world of matter triggered emotional reactions in the participants (starting from discouragement/weariness/loss of patience to a state of satisfaction/fulfilment/flow), which they could share during the classes.

The respondents’ responses to the following question is also interesting: “Has attending SzRz changed the position that craft had in your life? If so, where was it before and where is it now?” The answers were: Yes, it has – 70.97%, I have expanded my knowledge and awareness of craft – 45.16%, I have more respect for craft – 38.71%, craft is what I want to do– 16.13%.

The above answers clearly show that an in‑depth study of the subject matter verified the attitude of the course participants towards craft. This seems to be crucial from the point of view of transmitting heritage. Living in what may be dubbed “a supermarket of cultural goods”, we often reject our own heritage in favour of new products which seem more attractive. This phenomenon leads to decreasing enthusiasm for domestic goods despite measures taken by various institutions. This in turn results in the deprivation of a given group of its culture‑forming power and in destruction of bonds, which, combined with pauperisation of the society and the depopulation of villages and small towns, may mean a crisis of local cultures in the long‑term¹⁷. Paradoxically, however, alongside such a pessimistic reality, there exists a different one of numerous local communities which preserve their generation‑long culture as a value around which they concentrate (e.g. regions of Podhale, Żywiec, Beskid Śląski, Kurpie, Kaszuby). This is due to local leaders who embed the value of heritage in the local community. The collective definition of the past creates the cornerstone of a shared cultural identity, while the activity of individuals impacts relationship bonding and their further unification¹⁸. Therefore, increased awareness and respect for heritage declared by the participants may mean that the graduates will become ambassadors of local culture.

The next set of questions focused on the willingness to work in crafts and their specific nature: “Do you intend to pursue crafts after completing SzRz? If so, would it be for you: an additional job, a primary source of income, a hobby, other?” The respondents answered as follows: hobby – 74.3%, additional job – 48.6%, primary source of income – 2.9%, other (I will use my skills in my current job) – 14.29%. This is also related to the subject of growing competences in the future. Questions related to this topic are as follows: “Would you apply to SzRz again, if so, would you study another craft, the same craft but a different level of advancement, a selected element, I would not apply, I would apply again”. The answers given by the respondents were: next level – 80%, another craft – 54%, selected element – 5.7%. Another question was asked on this subject: “Are you planning further development in crafts at some other school or course (no at SzRz)?” Answers: Yes – 76.92%, on my own – 42.11%, another school/organised workshops – 26.92%, practical training – 11.54%.

Analysing the answers provided by the respondents, it may be concluded that the year‑long education instilled in the participants of the Traditional Craft School a positive attitude towards craft, but they think their knowledge must be increased. This gives hope that if they continue, they may become fully grown recipients of local culture, and perhaps by gradually launching measures of their own, they will eventually start disseminating knowledge about the heritage of the region themselves. Such caution in assessing one’s own skills is, in my opinion, also the result of comparing themselves with the craftsmanship of masters in a given profession. The skills displayed by craftsmen are the result of many years of contact with the material, thorough studies on the subject, at times also of many years devoted to compiling workshop facilities and perseverance in following the chosen path. Heightened sensitivity to the cultural heritage of their ancestors and its depositaries means that graduates may be able to distinguish the original from a cheap, clumsy forgery and that when launching their own operations, they will consciously draw on the achievements of past generations, in order to remain in dialogue with the legacy of their ancestors, avoiding distortions. Increased responsibility for the continuity of the common culture, saving the intangible heritage from oblivion, misinterpretation, lack of uncritical acceptance of mass culture products while respecting local achievements are therefore crucial to becoming a depositary of heritage in the future. Whether and what percentage of participants will accept this role remains be seen.

From the point of view of the research subject formulated in the title of the article, what seemed most important to me was the reflection on the hierarchy of values postulated by the participants in relation to the proposed SzRz offer. I compared it with the following question: “If you had to name only one thing/value/skill/experience that SzRz gave you, what would it be (what is the most important element of attending the courses for you)?” The answers were as follows: contact with the master – 43.75%, contact with other participants – 31.25%, skills related to the craft – 31.25%, experience related to a specific value – 31.25%. The answer to the following question seems to correspond with the previous one: “What did you like most about the Traditional Craft School (and why)?” The answers were as follows: the relationships I established– 76.47%, the skills I acquired– 47.06%, offer of the Traditional Craft School– 20.59%.

Looking at the answers, one may conclude that the impact of SzRz goes far beyond acquiring purely practical competences. Relationships turned out to be the main resource of the first edition of SzRz. In my opinion, this is closely related to the human factor, which is key to the transmission of heritage. It is collective experiences that shape symbols which are a manifestation of the cultural heritage of a given community. The emerging culture‑forming potential which facilitates the creation of a tangible and non‑tangible traces, depends primarily on the quality of interpersonal bonds. The stronger they are, the greater the chance for intergenerational contacts. In the examined project, the relational dimension consisted of personal contact with the master and common experiences. Group support also had a significant impact on the formation of attitudes and was sometimes decisive in aspects important for the well‑being of a given individual (finding the meaning of life, a new life path). My interviewees emphasised that the atmosphere during the meetings had a therapeutic effect – it pulled people out of indifference, stagnation and confusion.

The thus formed a community of people and the interests that brought them together had an impact on the future activity of the graduates. According to the interviews that took place 2–3 months after the end of the classes, work in some workshops (gunsmithing, woodcarving) was still going on. This was related to the complex craft processes that were typical of a given material, the initiative taken by a given group which independently sought to extend their knowledge (gunsmithing) and the desire to strengthen relations (lace‑making, wool processing, woodcarving). According to the respondents, the skills acquired by the course participants were passed on. Referring to the resourcefulness of the participants, it is worth pointing out several emerging trends. Some participants signed up for master workshops (Serfenta), and several organised their own workshops promoting the craft they had learned. Graduates of SzRz came up with an initiative to obtain funding to continue creative work related to the use of craft. Some of the grant procedures are still ongoing, some have been successfully completed. Several participants, working in a different craft on the daily basis, having acquired new skills, now combined both and began to use them in their work. Others are learning a given craft on their own.

Based on the observations, interviews and results of SzRz evaluation surveys, one may define the factors impacting the development of a cultural institution offer which is adequate for social needs, determine the impact of such an undertaking on increasing the role of cultural heritage in the region and assess the effects of the actions on interpersonal relations.

As a result of an analysis of external factors, the location of the undertaking turned out to be conducive to bond building. The term borderlands should not be limited to territory, but its understanding should be expanded to include psychological, sociological and cultural dimensions. Borderlands which foster contacts between various groups of people and their different traditions, values and languages, have the potential to connect through dynamism of processes taking place within. Crossing objective and subjective borders of consciousness or symbolic ones impacts the formation of personality and social identity. Kinga Czerwińska notes that the coexistence of various communities generates new needs that allow “to maintain proportions between the micro and macro world, a balance between attitudes of openness to otherness and sovereignty of one’s own on the national, ethnic, religious or regional level. The development of such attitudes is supported by various forms of animation and education, focused on intracultural and intercultural dialogue”¹⁹.

Taking into account organisational issues, defining the mission and vision of the planned measures turned out to be the cornerstone of a well‑operating venture. The next stage was to engage partners with different competences (representatives of heritage custodians, local government, business, science and future participants) in setting up the foundations of the service. Good communication and participatory nature of the activities were of key importance in the course of the process. It was also extremely important to determine the cultural resources available in a given region and to precisely define the needs of the recipients, which required research efforts. The needs of the recipients proved to be decisive in the attractiveness of the offer. Another important factor was the selection of the right teaching staff. The process of efficient implementation of the service itself, preceded by extensive information sharing on the principles of the school’s operation, recruitment and the purpose of the facility, significantly influenced the effects of the work. Verification of whether the motivations declared by the participants matched the achieved aims was also of great importance. This was the purpose of evaluation carried out at all stages of the project and addressed to both stakeholders and users. It also allowed for verification of whether the offer was complete, whether it had been implemented correctly and what organisational work had to be done for education to be effective. Both the processes of creating the offer and providing it should be conducted in partnerships based on trust and mutual respect. All the measures should be organised and verified in relation to the aim of the undertaking, which is to preserve the cultural heritage of the region through the use of traditional craft techniques, and an effort should be made to increase the initiative of the recipients.

The outcome of actions based on the above‑mentioned components was the establishment of strong interpersonal relationships which were kept up due to mutual kindness and shared values. Frequently it was the therapeutic dimension of actual contact with another person and the special master‑student bond forged in the course of common struggles with matter which determined the attractiveness of the offer. In turn, the acquired respect for craftsmanship or awareness of the uniqueness of the content taught, as well as contact with local materials (wool, wicker, straw, wood) were factors determining the uniqueness of the undertaking. The instilled positive attitude towards crafts and the acquired skills of the course participants translated into successive actions based on local heritage. Manufacture, training, courses using the skills acquired in classes and involvement in cultural events referring to tradition on the part of SzRz graduates contributed to the creation of an intergenerational bond that resonates in the local community and gathers a growing group of enthusiasts. It is no wonder that Cieszyn Castle decided to continue the project.

In conclusion, the SzRz project shows how subsequent actions based on local crafts unite the community. Strong relationships based on common values and goods created in small, local clusters have impact on the process of rooting and identity building. A positive attitude towards what is “known”, “common” and “from here” contributes to the preservation of cultural heritage, and makes fully aware participants its depositaries. “Rooting” becomes the driving force for new ventures, a pretext for starting numerous alliances with manifestations of modernity. The cultural legacy of ancestors is not an unnecessary burden, but the core around which the local community gathers. The acquired knowledge and the emerging responsibility for cultural heritage of the region also allow to confront the influx of manifestations of mass culture, and instead of depreciating what is “our own”, respecting and highlighting it. Observing this phenomenon leads to the reflection that the slogan “you are a citizen of the world” promoted for years has lost its relevance. Liquid modernity, which results in confusion, uncertainty, loneliness, triggered in people the need for belonging, spiritual support, rooting in locality. The values connected with heritage in the form of striving for common good, respect for locality, building lasting interpersonal relationships, cultivating the memory of ancestors through creative use of the potential of heritage, referring in their essence to the determinants of ancient philosophy i.e. truth, goodness and beauty, despite various social or political turbulences, still constitute the pillar of human existence.