DEVELOPMENT ASPECTS OF MANORS AS A PART

Abstract

Both movable and immovable cultural monuments provide opportunities to meet interests of many stakeholders – their owners and managers, local community, researchers, tourists, businesses, mass media, heritage institutions, etc., as well as so- ciety as a whole. Along with aesthetic, symbolic, educational, research, etc., interests, no less important are the economic ones induced by these monuments’ development potential. It is nevertheless widely acknowledged that investment in cultural heritage sites (including conservation, restoration, maintenance, marketing, etc.) may outweigh their direct economic benefits due to inevitable payments and obligations. Thus, the question arises: what are those factors that restrict and those that facilitate socio-eco- nomic development of the immovable cultural monument? Immovable monuments are divided into several typological groups, and the most numerous in Latvia are architectural monuments. Assuming that the effective- ness of development may depend on the type of the monument within one group, this article focuses primarily on manors as relatively numerous architectural monu- ments characteristic for Latvian regions (parishes) and valuable cultural-historical objects, representing large tourism potential. The article, analyzing the situation in Latvia and making international compari- sons, uses integrated socio-economic and legal approach to the researched issue. It provides both theoretical and practical insight into the actualities of manors’ devel- opment potential and possible solutions thereto.