Preserving Lithuania's heritage
By Henning
Poulsen - Newswire Norway
The Aukstaitija National Park in Lithuania is a unique blend
of natural and cultural landscape, renowned for its special mix
of nature, tourism and historic monuments. A Norwegian survey reveals
a wider picture of what the park can offer.
Lithuania is a country in a state of change. Since independence
from the Soviet Union and opening up to the West, its nature and
cultural heritage has assumed greater interest. A characteristic
feature of the Lithuanian landscape is its medieval villages.
A Norwegian institute, the Eastern Norway Research Foundation
(ENRF), with the support of the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority
(SFT) has surveyed what tourists and visitors want from Lithuania's
national parks. Two researchers, Odd Inge Vistad and Bjørn P. Kaltenborn,
have produced a report based on Aukstaitija National Park showing
where, when and how the park is used.
Learn from Lithuania
"Lithuania's national parks include everything from unspoilt
nature to forestry and homes. We have sought to capture the natural
and cultural essence of the land, or what it means to be a national
park. And so preserve all the social, cultural and biological aspects.
I am convinced many western countries can learn from Lithuania",
says Odd Inge Vistad.
Aukstaitija lies in a lakeland area dominated by pine forests.
It is inhabited by mammals such as wolves, bears, elks and deer,
as well as a rich array of fish and fowl. It is also home to the
endangered black stork, the national symbol of Lithuania.
There is an old, unchanged, man-made heritage in Aukstaitija in
the form of 70 - 80 villages, with a population of a couple of thousand.
The way of life here has not changed much since the houses were
built in the Late Middle Ages. The mainstay of the economy still
remains primitive farming. Today, emigration has become a major
problem for these villages, where the average age of the population
is now around 60. The authorities are aware that a rise in tourism
can slow this emigration, thanks to the local jobs that the visitors
create.
Camping and backpackers
"We interviewed several hundred tourists with the aid and co- operation
of the park authorities. They hoped to use the findings of our work
to develop the parks in line with visitor wishes", explains Vistad.
The report revealed a wide range of people who came to the park.
A large and growing group were regulars, who visit the park year
after year and happily stay with the same host family each time.
Another major group was classified as canoeists and backpackers,
who want to experience unspoilt nature and prefer a tent to a comfortable
bed. A third group is the active users of the park's recreation
facilities, who rent log cabins or stay on campsites.
Proud heritage
"There was a widely expressed wish to have opportunities to hire
equipment such as canoes and bicycles. Some wanted improved facilities.
Our advice is to tread carefully when it comes to making investments
to attract tourists from the West, as the costs involved in improving
the infrastructure can be disproportionate to the potential tourist
interest. We therefore recommend that the national parks emphasise
their cultural heritage when they market themselves", says Bjørn
P. Kaltenborn.
Lithuania is proud of its past as one of the first nation states
in Europe. The national parks have countless old houses, water mills
and farm buildings. There are also ruins of old castles on hilltops
and vantagepoints that bear witness to Lithuania's golden days as
a regional great power in the Middle Ages.
"Our study shows a considerable potential for many different kinds
of tourism", claim the two researchers enthusiastically.
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