Wheelwrighting today: transformation and sustainability of the craft in Central Europe (an example of Czechia, Slovakia and Poland)

Abstract

The study deals with the transformation and current form of wheelwrighting in three Central European countries - the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia.  The introductory section informs about the research on the theme in the above territory, and using the example of the range of products, manufacturing technology and producers, it points out that traditional crafts can exist even today without maintaining their viability artificially. However, the text also takes into consideration how the craft has developed recently, and while evaluating its viability the author argues that the sustainability of wheelwrighting is affected not only by the economic purpose, but it is also its entertaining and tourist role and the nostalgia that begin to prove successful in addition to the former purely financial aspect. The original financial aspect shifts from the use of the wheelwright´s products for transport and livelihood to the modern use of tradition and heritage concept in business, especially in emphasizing the symbolic value of the products of traditional craftsmanship for both the producer and the consumer. Moreover, it is not only the vision of economic profit but also the element of remembering and evoking the past that are being pursued. Institutional protection of wheelwright's trade is equally important for the existence and sustainability of the craft.