Warszawska Praga jako miejska przestrzeń eksploracji turystycznej

Abstract

The aim of the article is to show that Warsaw’s district of Praga is a space of tourist exploration, to investigate the processes which led to this phenomenon and to answer a question of direction, in which the further transitions within this area can go. The theoretical framework of this paper is based on the concept of a tourist space by S. Liszewski (1995). The author distinguished five types of tourist space and adapted her typology to the urban space (Liszewski 1999). The areas of tourist exploration within a city include areas undiscovered by mass tourism, as well as those, commonly visited by tourists. According to S. Liszewski (1999), the tourist exploration spaces can include residential areas, production areas (warehousing, industrial), communication areas (stations, airports, seaports) as well as green and recreational areas (zoos, botanical gardens, parks, cemeteries, recreational facilities). This article analyses Warsaw’s district of Praga, defined as three out of four regions comprising an administrative borough of Praga Północ: Nowa Praga, Stara Praga and Szmulowizna, according to Civic Information System (see Fig. 2). As far as Warsaw is considered, this area is not particularly outstanding in terms of population size or cultural values, but it does have a genius loci of a sort, which is related, among other things, to the fact that this part of the city was not destroyed during World War II. Since the mid-1990s, artists started to intensively populate the district (cataloguing performed in October 2010, showed 28 art galleries and artist studios, although it can be assumed that these figures are lower than the actual amount) and their migration brought the boom of new trendy cafes and clubs (see Fig. 2). The artists of Praga contributed to the change of the district’s image. The Warsaw’s district of Praga fulfils all the criteria of tourist space’s exploration. It is a unique and interesting part of the city, which is emphasized by both, artists and interviewed owners of a dozen clubs, bars and restaurants in the area. Mass tourism has not (yet?) reached this location. Those tourists, who visit Praga are scarce. Are they attracted to a myth of artistic Praga? They do not necessarily visit the area to see an art gallery or to explore open artist studios. Instead, they rather come to see a trendy district, frequently mentioned by the media. Praga has a chance to become a space of tourist penetration (although some of its parts, such as the City Zoo, already function as this type of tourist space). As one of the photo studio owners in Praga says: “This is Warsaw, at its most original. (...) If managed properly, this district can become a real tourist-magnet, although not for all, as not everyone likes this type of ambience”.