Assessing Local Cultural Heritage through a Walking Trail: The Case Study of the Theodoros Papagiannis’ Museum of Contemporary Art

Abstract

The paper focuses on the cultural components of a walking trail axed upon the ‘Theodoros Papagiannis’ collection of sculpture. The latter is hosted in the Museum of Contemporary Art of Helliniko, a village tucked within the Municipality of Northern Tzoumerka, Epirus, Greece. While the artist’s sculptures are also found in the Museum’s courtyard are they also admired along a walking trail that begins at the village’s entry point and ends at the Post-Byzantine Monastery of Tsouka. The research is carried out from the perspective of a walking trail’s cultural value. Our trail of interest joins two locations, the one being secular and the other sacred, thus defining an itinerary which unfolds along these two different attraction sites. As a result, the walker/traveler moves from one established location to the other, all the while objectifying the two and defining space under his/her own terms. He/She makes connections between both sites in order to restore the unity of space and thus becomes a travelling witness to the creation of a single narrative. He/She enjoys the privilege of the travelled route, as well as all that exists along this route.