Tourist function of Licheń Stary – from local place of religious cult to new tourist-sacred space

The tourism function development is shaped by many factors, mostly of endogenic character. Village of Licheń Stary is the example of functional transformation – from rural village to a pilgrimage centre. The history of Licheń Stary as the pilgrimage centre began in 1850, when the Virgin Mary’s revelations in Grąbliński Forest took place. Now, about 1.5 million pilgrims and tourists arrive yearly to the Licheń sanctuary, thus village is one of the largest sanctuaries in Poland. The largest church in Poland and surrounding space are unique. More and more people arrive to Licheń sanctuary not only to pray and experience God, but also to see this peculiar object, to rest or spend the leisure time with family. So, their visits to Licheń are not caused only by religious motivations. Thus, religious function of Licheń sanctuary is mixed with the tourist one. Needs of pilgrims and tourists became the factor of tourist facilities development. There are three churches, many smaller chapels and monuments, via dolorosa, and tourist facilities, like : accommodation, catering, car parkings and souvenir shops. It is the space where the sacrum and profanum is mixed.

Ashoka’s inscriptions from Kandahar

The article presents the silhouette of one of the most famous rulers in the history, the Indian emperor Ashoka. However, the knowledge about him is still not impressive. Recognized and identified by the scientists relatively late he proved to be a particular monarch – after a period of tyranny and ruthlessness, cruelty inflicted by him
and use of violence on a grand scale he has undergone a moral metamorphosis and attempted to expand, using authoritarian ways, pacifism to make humanity happy. To the religion of India he was like Constantine to Christianity. He promoted peace, tolerance and pacifism in the whole known world. The gate and bridge for Ashoka in the transmission of his ideas and mission towards west frontier were the areas influenced by Greeks: Gedrosia, Drangiana, Arachosia, Gandhara (largely part of contemporary Afghanistan). Strong cultural bastion of Bactria expanding to the south displaced Greek Alexandrian-Seleucid elements, what guaranteed Ashoka a success in the Hellenistic world. He based his projection on the Greek culture and Aramaic language, therefore not on Indian, but on the West Asian ideas. The meaning of Ashoka’s inscriptions found in Kandahar is a guideline for travelers and for those looking for the way to happiness.