"Living history" as a tourist product: typology of international practices

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the phenomenon of "living history" as a tourist product, which is formed at the intersection of museum work, historical reconstruction, experimental archaeology and cultural tourism. The subject of the study is modern living history centers, represented by open-air museums, living museums, heritage centers and specialized tourist and scientific complexes. The goal of the work is to conceptualize the concept of "living history" in the tourist context and develop a typology of the corresponding centers based on international experience. To achieve the goal, the following tasks have been defined: to analyze the evolution of the concept of "living history" in humanitarian and tourist studies; to distinguish the related concepts of an open-air museum and a "living museum"; to systematize the key models of functioning of "living history" centers; to outline their tourist, scientific and educational potential. The methodological basis of the study is an interdisciplinary approach, methods of comparative analysis, typology. The results of the work consist in the proposed typology of “living history” centers, taking into account the configurations of combining reconstruction, experimental archaeology and the tourist component, as well as in determining the key characteristics of “living history” as a form of interpretation of cultural heritage. It is proved that in modern conditions “living history” is transformed from museum practice into an independent direction of tourist activity. The conclusions confirm the expediency of considering “living history” as a promising tool for the development of cultural tourism, as well as the relevance of further research into foreign experience and options for its possible adaptation in the Ukrainian context.