Abstract:

Rural public space is an important element of the spatial layout of rural settlements, gaining in importance along with social changes in the countryside and the opening of the inhabitants to guests, and new sources of income related to tourism. Objects of cultural heritage, and especially the associated green areas, constitute a characteristic element of rural systems, predestined to fulfill a new role within the public space. Green areas associated primarily with former noble residences are a characteristic element of Pomeranian villages in N-W Poland. Due to the complicated history of the region, they almost completely lost their former functions and in the absence of a new concept of use, these objects quickly lose their historic value and disappear from the landscape. The article presents the potential of such places, their diversity as well as the chances and possibilities for their survival by including them into the system of rural public spaces, primarily related to tourism development.