Heritagising the Vernacular in a Central European Borderland: Wooden Churches and Open-Air Museums in Upper Silesia

Abstract

This article focuses on how the demand for social and political meanings, generated by nation-building processes and competence between nationalisms in Central Europe, has determined the protection and heritagisation of vernacular architecture. The problem has been analysed using the example of the wooden churches in Upper Silesia—the region contested by Germany and Poland. These monuments gained unprecedented importance as they were believed to testify to ancient architectural traditions and were used to prove the Germanic or Slavic roots of regional culture. The article reveals the evolution of churches’ meanings and the ways they have affected the monument protection and functioning of open-air museums.