The aim of this article is to address how the European Landscape Convention (ELC) defines the cultural landscape, and what tools the former provides for the latter’s protection. It is also crucial to determine, from the viewpoint of the Polish legal order, how the legislator implements the protection of the cultural landscape into national law. The general thesis of the article is that the ELC creates an integrated model of landscape protection in which the cultural landscape is considered an intrinsic component. The general thesis is accompanied by a detailed thesis that the ELC does not independently create an optimal level of protection for the cultural landscape, but rather shapes the direction that this protection will take. The ELC also defines the cultural landscape, including the mutual relations between natural and cultural values, as well as the perception of the landscape by people. The basic link for the protection of the cultural landscape in Poland is the municipality, which – with the help of planning and spatial development instruments – can directly affect the quality of the landscape. Legal tools for the protection of the cultural landscape should also be pursued in the matter of monument protection.

Keywords: The European Landscape Convention, cultural landscape, spatial planning

Streszczenie: Celem niniejszego artykułu jest odniesienie się do tego, w jaki sposób Europejska Konwencja Krajobrazowa (ELC) definiuje krajobraz kulturowy oraz jakie tworzy narzędzia jego ochrony. Kluczowe jest również ustalenie, z punktu widzenia polskiego porządku prawnego, jak ustawodawca implementuje ochronę krajobrazu kulturowego do prawa krajowego. Ogólna teza artykułu brzmi: ELC tworzy zintegrowany model ochrony krajobrazu, w którym krajobraz kulturowy jest traktowany jako jego nieodłączny element. Tezie ogólnej towarzyszy teza szczegółowa, że ELC nie tworzy samodzielnie optymalnego poziomu ochrony krajobrazu kulturowego, ale raczej kształtuje kierunek, w jakim ta ochrona będzie zmierzać. ELC definiuje również krajobraz kulturowy, w tym wzajemne relacje między wartościami przyrodniczymi i kulturowymi, a także postrzeganie krajobrazu przez ludzi. Podstawowym ogniwem ochrony krajobrazu kulturowego w Polsce jest gmina, która – za pomocą instrumentów planowania i zagospodarowania przestrzennego – może bezpośrednio wpływać na jakość krajobrazu. Prawne instrumenty ochrony krajobrazu kulturowego powinny być również poszukiwane w obszarze ochrony zabytków.

The aim of this article is to address how the European Landscape Convention (ELC) defines the cultural landscape, and what tools the former provides for the latter’s protection. It is also crucial to determine, from the viewpoint of the Polish legal order, how the legislator implements the protection of the cultural landscape into national law. The general thesis of the article is that the ELC creates an integrated model of landscape protection in which the cultural landscape is considered an intrinsic component. The general thesis is accompanied by a detailed thesis that the ELC does not independently create an optimal level of protection for the cultural landscape, but rather shapes the direction that this protection will take. The ELC also defines the cultural landscape, including the mutual relations between natural and cultural values, as well as the perception of the landscape by people. The basic link for the protection of the cultural landscape in Poland is the municipality, which – with the help of planning and spatial development instruments – can directly affect the quality of the landscape. Legal tools for the protection of the cultural landscape should also be pursued in the matter of monument protection.