Sustainable Archaeological Tourism—A Framework of an Assessment Method for Potential Tourism Use of Hillforts (Gords) in the Lower Silesia Region, Poland

This study seeks to develop and evaluate a methodological framework for assessing the tourism potential of hillforts, by using a selected sample of 25 of these heritage resources located in the Lower Silesia Voivodeship. This region, as one of Poland’s most popular among domestic and international tourists, is increasingly confronting overtourism at its primary attractions. Concurrently, it possesses underutilised cultural assets, notably 250 remnants of gords/hillforts ( grodziska in Polish) spanning various historical periods and dispersed across the whole area. Thus, to ensure the universality of the method, samples of hillforts from three main topographic zones of Lower Silesia were selected. In addition to the aim of testing the method, a secondary objective of the research involved conducting a preliminary assessment of selected hillforts’ tourism potential in different parts of the voivodeship. The methodology combined desk research and field studies across all selected archaeological sites. Concerning the primary objective, the developed assessment tool effectively replicated the multidimensional analytical framework characteristic of established methodologies, yielding reliable outcomes for evaluating gords’ tourism potential. However, modifications to the scoring system are recommended to enhance methodological precision. Regarding analysis of the 25 surveyed hillforts, the results indicate that objects from all zones mainly demonstrate high tourism potential, suggesting an opportunity for transformation into tourist attractions. The integration of hillforts into existing tourism infrastructure could significantly contribute to localised sustainable development across the region. The primary significance of these heritage resources lies in their capacity to facilitate the diversification of tourism offerings across distinct areas of the voivodeship. This development holds particular strategic value for northern poviats currently peripherally engaged in tourism economy. Moreover, by leveraging hillforts, communities obtain assets important in the process of building a common identity around cultural/historical place while safeguarding monuments. Concurrently, the most attractive southern poviats will benefit from the new attractions as they can help in mitigating overtourism pressures at overcrowded places, being an interesting alternative to the top attractions. This approach aligns with strategies to disperse tourist flows through specialised archaeological tourism products, thereby balancing economic benefits and local communities’ well-being with heritage preservation.