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Conditions and possibilities of using Baltic amber heritage in the development of territorial cooperation
 
PIIS221979310017342-9-1
DOI10.37490/S221979310017342-9
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Tomasz Studzieniecki 
Occupation: Assistant Professor
Affiliation: Gdynia Maritime University
Address: Gdynia, Poland
Journal namePskov Journal of Regional Studies
EditionVolume 18. No1 /2022
Pages14-23
Abstract

Baltic amber, also referred to as the “gold of the Baltic Sea”, is one of the most valuable fossil resins in the world. Due to its valuable properties, it has been the subject of international cooperation and exchange since ancient times. Then numerous trade routes were laid, which gradually turned into tourist attractions. Nowadays, amber contributes to the development of cities and regions where it is mined and processed. This gives them a competitive advantage, creates a positive image and stimulates territorial cooperation. The essence of this cooperation lies in the use of the socio-economic capital of interested parties connected by common interests. Representatives of the world of science, business and non-governmental organizations participate in this cooperation.

An example of the effective use of amber and its heritage in activities that stimulate territorial development is Pomeranian Voivodeship with its capital in Gdańsk. The article analyses the activities in this area carried out since 1996 by two non-governmental organizations: the Agencja Rozwoju Regionalnego Foundation (Agency for Regional Development) and the association Academia Europa Nostra. The study was conducted using of secondary sources, including the resources of both organizations and the knowledge of the author, the initiator and coordinator of numerous initiatives related to the heritage of amber.

 

KeywordsBaltic, amber, territorial cooperation, promotion, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland
Received15.11.2021
Publication date28.04.2022
Number of characters13625
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1 Introduction. The heritage of amber has been reflected in the material and non-material culture of Baltic societies since the earliest times [13, p. 10]. This is evidenced by numerous archaeological discoveries [2, p. 28]. An amber, or more precisely a succinite, is associated with the Baltic Sea Region. It is a fossil resin of conifers, at least 40 million years old, with a succinic acid content of 3 to 8 percent. This distinguishes succinite from about a hundred other fossil resins identified in nature, which contain less than 3 percent of this acid [9, p. 9]. Baltic amber is famous for unique inclusions of small fragments of plant, tissues and animal organs, which are immersed in the aromatic resin abundantly secreted by amber-bearing trees [5, p. 165]. Everyday tools and ornaments made of amber have become museum exhibits and can be found in numerous exhibitions [22, p. 92]. Historical amber routes have transformed into linear tourist destinations. Tradition and the contemporary life are reflected in tourist products, the development of which was enabled by territorial cooperation [20, p. 65].
2 Study of the issue of territorial cooperation. Collaboration is an ambiguous term used in many areas of science [8, p. 70; 15]. Man as a social being [1, p. 5] enters into relationships with other people [7, p. 423]. Reality is actively transformed, which allows for the satisfaction of individual and collective human needs [3, p. 157]. This process leads to the formation of organizations. Their activities are influenced by the system of connections, relations and rules [12] the participants of these organizations are subject to [6, p. 42].
3 The territorial cooperation makes a special case of collaboration, also known as decentralized cooperation [27, p. 27]. It is the sub-state entities that make participants of this type of cooperation [4, p. 15]. The spatial scope of this cooperation is determined by the boundaries of both administrative and functional regions distinguished for a specific purpose. The subject scope covers practically all spheres of social and economic life. Territorial cooperation is implemented at the national as well as international level [25, p. 45].
4 Results of the research. Tourism as part of territorial cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region. Political changes and the development of good neighbourly relations in late 20th century led to the opening of interstate borders. One of the directions for bringing the states closer together was the development of territorial cooperation. This included a wide range of foreign activities of local authorities and the NGOs. It contributed to overcoming stereotypes and existing prejudices and overcoming the state border as a social, economic, infrastructural and cultural barrier. Political transformations additionally created favourable conditions for a fuller utilization of the economic and intellectual potential of the Baltic Sea states [11].
5 Territorial cooperation in the field of tourism has developed particularly intensivelyin the Baltic Sea region [10; 16; 26]. It focused on the use of natural and anthropogenic resources for the development and promotion of unique tourism products [21]. It was supported by the European Union through pre-accession programmes followed by cohesion policy programmes and neighbourhood policy [17, p. 56].
6 One of the initiators and coordinators of the territorial cooperation was the Gdansk-based Secretariat of the “Visions and Strategies Around the Baltic Sea 2010” Programme. This Secretariat identified potential areas for cross-border cooperation. One of these cross-border areas was the Jantar Euroregion (Fig. 1), so named owing to the rich amber resources found in the area [18]. However, the suggested name did not gain the approval of all the founders and thus the Euroregion started in 1998 under the name “Baltic”.
7

Fig. 1. The planned „Jantar” Euroregion1
8 In 2010, another proposal to institutionalise cross-border cooperation using the amber heritage idea was put forward. The Pomeranian Regional Tourist Organisation in cooperation with the Ministry of Regional Development of Kaliningrad Oblast in Russia developed a joint project “Amber Heritage Network — a system of experience and information exchange in the field of preservation and promotion of amber heritage in the South-Eastern Baltic Region”. The project was aimed at the transfer of knowledge, experience and good practice in preserving and using the amber heritage to create a competitive tourist offer [19]. One of the results of the project was the concept of the Polish-Russian transboundary area, the “Baltic Amber Region”, with the main emphasis put on creating various amber tourist products, building the image and recognizable destination brand (Fig. 2).
9

 

Fig. 2. The planned „Baltic Amber Region”2
10 The development and promotion of the amber heritage idea by the “Regional Development Agency” foundation. The beginning of an institutionalized international cooperation related to the development and promotion of the amber heritage was the “Amber Road” project implemented in 1996–1997 by partners from Sweden, Greece, Latvia and Poland (Fig. 3).

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