Kraków Nativity Scene Construction in the Processes of Shaping the City’s Heritage
This paper focuses on the custom of making of the Nativity scenes in Kraków. The tradition of making meticulous constructions depicting miniaturized Kraków buildings and architectural details as a scenography for the Nativity scene accompanied by various local and national figures set in the 19th century. Today this Christmas related custom is promoted by the City of Kraków as well as by national institutions as an “authentic” intangible cultural heritage. The paper analyses, how the Nativity scene tradition relates to the heritagisation of the city of Kraków itself. The process is depicted in relation to the two UNESCO Conventions (1972, 2003) and a changing concept concerning the “authenticity” of heritage. Heritagisation is presented here as a process involving practices, objects and the cityscape. The author also discusses the commodification of the Nativity scene tradition in Kraków and analyses attempts to transform this tradition into a national brand.
