The Trans-boundaries of Cultural and Natural Heritage through Interrelationship of Landscape, Art, and Tourism: Case study of Forest of Fontainebleau in France

Abstract

This paper traces the process of the heritagization of the landscape of Fontainebleau Forest in France, while trying to understand interrelationship between landscape and tourism as heritage through historical approach on representation of a place. The artistic and aesthetic landscape of the Fontainebleau Forest was represented as a work of art through the gaze of the 19th century painters. Through the activities of these artists, who were also visitors, the forest became an artistic conservation area and a beloved place for Parisians, and the landscape gradually began to be protected as an institutionalized heritage. On one hand, tourism could be seen as an opposite concept to forest conservation, but on the other hand, the aesthetic and historical value of the landscape has been developed together as a tourism component. Local governments and actors are trying to preserve the landscape and the identity of place through the development and promotion of artistic visits, following the footsteps of painters. In the ever-expanding concept of heritage, this case study shows the necessity of an integrated approach to understanding the interaction between cultural and natural heritage, and the possibility of developing organically in relation to landscape and art rather than a separated policy.