The image of contemporary architecture of Wrocław depicted in recent tourist commercial and Internet media

The aim of the paper is to present the tourist and image potential of contemporary public architecture. Wrocław was chosen as the research subject, as it is a historical center with an extremely rich architectural heritage, which has enjoyed great interest among visitors for centuries. With the announcement of Wrocław as the European Capital of Culture 2016, and then the European Best Destination in 2018, its attractiveness increased significantly, which was reflected not only in the number of visitors, but also in the advertising materials themselves. Both before and after arrival, millions of tourists encounter a multitude of various advertising forms, both virtual and printed, which determine the direction of sightseeing and shape a specific image and perception of the city. In general opinion, Wrocław is considered a historic city, the most interesting places of which are concentrated around the Old Town and Ostrów Tumski. The Centennial Hall, built at the beginning of the 20th century, stands out from the „newer heritage”. The idea of the study, however, was to answer the question whether contemporary architecture is used in any way in the current tourist advertisement of the city. Another goal was to identify and list the most frequently appearing objects from the adopted group, and to analyze the manner of their presentation. Based on the collected materials, efforts were made to assess the role of the media in creating a tourist product in terms of promoting local architecture in recent years. At the same time, an attempt was made to evaluate the role of architecture in creating the city’s progressive brand. In the research, the author used the method of analyzing the existing statistical data, iconographic research and the method of analyzing the content of advertising materials, as well as scientific studies on cultural heritage and tourism in the city. The final part of the paper shows that modern architecture can be a significant element increasing the tourist attractiveness of the city.

La idea del estudio, sin embargo, era responder a la pregunta de si la arquitectura contemporánea se utiliza de alguna manera en la publicidad turística actual de la ciudad. Otro objetivo fue identificar y enumerar los objetos que aparecen con más frecuencia del grupo adoptado ISSN on-line: 1139-7365 DOI: 10.1344/waterfront2021.63.9.02 Natalia Bursiewicz: The image of contemporary architecture of Wrocław depicted in recent tourist commercial and Internet media y analizar la forma de su presentación. A partir de los materiales recopilados, se ha trabajado para evaluar el papel de los medios de comunicación en la creación de un producto turístico en términos de promoción de la arquitectura local en los últimos años.
Al mismo tiempo, se intentó evaluar el papel de la arquitectura en la creación de la marca progresista de la ciudad. En la investigación, el autor utilizó el método de análisis de los datos estadísticos existentes, la investigación iconográfica y el método de análisis del contenido de los materiales publicitarios, así como los estudios científicos sobre el patrimonio cultural y el turismo en la ciudad. La parte final del trabajo muestra que la arquitectura moderna puede ser un elemento significativo que incremente el atractivo turístico de la ciudad.
Paraules clau: Arquitectura contemporània; Wrocław; marca de ciutat; turisme arquitectònic Introduction Each city has some distinctive features that distinguish it from other cities (Adamus & Dzik 2019). These are, in terms of marketing, the resources influencing the attractiveness of the center. This is by no means a new concept. As the history of urban planning shows, the city has always been an undertaking aimed at bringing a specific result, benefit and profit. This was achieved in a variety of ways and on many levels.
Nevertheless, architecture played a special and very important role in this case. It testified to the city's power and the wealth of its founders and rulers. It was a symbol of technological progress, economic development and aesthetic awareness. From both an architectural and a branding perspective, buildings were understood and perceived as symbols of 'good taste', 'power' and 'status' (Berg & Kreiner, 1990).
With time, architecture also began to function as a tourist attraction. Cities and governments, throughout history, used consciously architecture in their promotion (Kavaratzis & Ashworth, 2005;Anholt, 2010). With the popularization of the Grand Tour 1 , 1.-Editor's Note. The Grand Tour was popularized exclusively among the ruling classes. In this sense we cannot establish a continuity between the Grand Tour and the phenomenon of mass tourism that will be possible from the middle of the 19th century with the creation of rail networks, navigation powered by steam and the great appeal of the World Expos, especially since the last third of the 19th century. It is at this time that the need to 'attract foreigners' appears on the agenda of local and national policies, in a cultural context in the which 'heritage preservation' (Riegl 1903 knowledge of architecture and art became a sine que non element of every educational journey. Since then, consistently, despite the development of mass tourism, the cultural heritage has attracted masses of users, providing them with entertainment and unforgettable experiences. Thus, cultural tourism has become a priority image product of many European cities. It was no different in the case of Wrocław, although its popularity as a strictly tourist center began to grow only after the demolition of the city walls, and successively with the reconstruction and modernization of the city carried out in the 19th century. As a result, the extremely rich history and architectural heritage of this medieval city were exposed, restoring its monuments and at the same time introducing urban and architectural solutions matching the great European capitals of that time.
Wrocław, destroyed in 65 percent as a result of Second World War, has been rebuilding itself over the years, fighting for a higher and higher position both on the national and international market. With the announcement of Wrocław as the European Capital of Culture 2016, and then the European Best Destination in 2018, its attractiveness has increased significantly, which was reflected not only in the number of visitors, but also in the advertising materials themselves.
In common opinion, Wrocław is considered a historic city, the most interesting places of which are concentrated around the Old Town and Ostrów Tumski. The Centennial Hall, built at the beginning of the 20th century, is also highly admired. But what is the role of contemporary architecture? Is it used in any way in the current tourist advertisement of the city? Could it be a popular tourist attraction? The above-mentioned issues became the starting point for research on the image and tourism potential of the city's contemporary architecture. For this purpose, in the first stage, empirical research was carried out, consisting in searching, collecting and studying the literature on the subject, analyzing descriptive sources, and the content of advertising and statistical materials. Based on the collected material, an attempt was made to assess the role of the media in creating a tourist product in terms of promoting local architecture in recent years. The idea was also to evaluate the role of architecture in creating the city's progressive brand.
The article shows that modern architecture can be a significant element increasing the tourist attractiveness of the city. It can as well significantly influence the shaping of the image of Wrocław. The conducted research allowed to formulate some proposals for the future promotion of the city. Consequently, in addition to the theoretical and cognitive aspect that seeks to contribute to the academic discussion on city branding, this article may also have application significance, as it can be used in the preparation of different advertising forms -virtual and printed by the advertising agencies responsible for shaping a positive image of the city. its often controversial appearance and low quality, is the architecture of the 21st century. This is reflected in the mentioned Leipzig Charter, which clearly emphasizes the need to maintain a high standard of building culture.
The concern about the quality of architecture is related to the change in the approach to construction that has been progressing since the 20th century, when the aesthetic and functional idea began to be replaced by the glitter, size and scale of media influence. Architecture was then to be above all notable and noticeable, be seen and talked about (Ashworth 2009:14). This concept seems to be systematically deepening and gaining popularity. Especially that the rivalry between cities, intensified by e.g. globalization, is more and more fierce and demanding, which in turn forces the search for new solutions in many areas, including as part of investments and creative industry strategies. It is already proven, cities only achieve a competitive advantage when they have resources that are unique or difficult to imitate (Florek 2013, 45). These include, among others visual means of expression. Hence, architecture, fully consciously, was elevated to the rank of a means of enriching the tourist offer and the image of the city.
According to the research, in Poland, every third city builds its image using its cultural heritage (Glinska et al. 2009: 29). This is in line with S. Anholt's national brand hexagon model, according to which culture and heritage have a significant impact on improving the reputation of a given center (Anholt, 2007: 39-40).
Well-groomed, visually attractive architecture becomes a captivating scenery that encourages multi-sensory perception, watching and admiring. As Yi-Fu Tuan suggests, great architecture continues to offer the most direct route out of our mundane experience, and so it will continue to be a destination for 21 century pilgrims (Ockman et. al. 2005: 11). It is therefore not surprising that cities are seeking to raise funds for revitalization, but also to take risks and invest in flagship buildings. They are tempted by a vision of international recognition, originality and photographic nature. Through a complex positioning process, buildings begin to be identified with a given locality (Corbos & Popescu 2011: 305). However, in order to be called icons, they must meet vol 63, nr 9 Septembre the 10th 2021.
ISSN on-line: 1139-7365 DOI: 10.1344/waterfront2021.63.9.02 Natalia Bursiewicz: The image of contemporary architecture of Wrocław depicted in recent tourist commercial and Internet media certain criteria. These include, among others uniqueness, ease of adaptation to a graphic symbol (logo), authenticity, noticeability, identification (see Rouba 2012). Objects with such features, through their individuality, distinguish the city from the competition. They become part of a campaign promoting a given area, which can be extremely effective.
On the other hand, their spectacularity and uniqueness don't often correspond with quality or timeless value. Many expensive spectacular buildings are more 'white elephants' than 'flagships' -as noted by Gregory J. Ashworth. As a result, they become shells that can quickly lose their meaning and can be easily replaced with another, even more attractive form. No wonder that such investments raise doubts as behind a popularity and "fireworks" there is a small value. The quality of the architecture should therefore be of key importance. Only then can it become an effective tool for creating the city's image and a unique tourist product (Temelova, 2004). This was aptly put forward by Mitchell Schwarzer, according to whom buildings can be "the boldest The image of architecture of Wrocław in recent tourist commercial In the majority of the analyzed, printed materials about Wrocław there are mostly photographs and descriptions of historical architecture. The only exception is a small booklet: "Wrocław. The meeting place", where many modern buildings were mentioned (Klimek et. al. 2018). There is also a plan -city's brochure, prepared as part of the   (Haila, 1997). However, their promotion is also equally important. Meanwhile, as Siegfried Kracauer pointed out, tourists are prepared for foreign places through the perusal of illustrated magazines (Kracauer, 1995: 66). Therefore blogs, social media and advertising materials play such a crucial role. Failure to take this element of promotion into account may however be due to several factors, including: lack of awareness of the potential of contemporary architecture, ignorance, fear of misunderstanding and criticism. Usually, what previous generations wrote down and created evokes admiration, while what is currently created often gives rise to heated discussions and opposition (Jalowiecki, 2007: 151-152).
On the other hand, from the point of view of the history of architecture, almost every new object, which with time became an icon, acted on the basis of a surprise, breaking with canons or context, as well as destroying the adopted aesthetic order. Therefore, initially, it encountered social resistance. In the case of Poles, the matter is even more complex, because the last two generations were deprived of the possibility of everyday contact with works of contemporary architecture, and therefore do not know the aesthetic code that would allow them to evaluate its artistic expression.
Hence, as emphasized by prof. Jałowiecki, there is so much kitsch and mediocrity in the current landscape (Jalowiecki, 2007: 152). Contemporary architecture, however, begins to penetrate the landscape of Polish cities in small steps, allowing more and more people to deal with it. As a result, there is a growing awareness of its importance in creating a modern, progressive city, as well as in building a competitive advantage. Because not only historical, but also contemporary architecture can be an image of " cultural and commercial achievements of the city and the nation-state" (Julier, 2000: 120 -121). Therefore the role of architecture in branding a city seems truly substantial. Information focused on eyesight enhances the power of the message, that is why the more presentations of contemporary architecture appear in promotional materials, the more beneficial it may be for its image, especially since it is a promotion without words, i.e. the one with the greatest impact.
In the interpretation of the author, who is a Wrocław citizen, Wrocław is not only a meeting place in the social sense, but also spatially. It is because styles of different epochs, including recent ones, meet there. The architecture is complemented by the image of the city that has been shaped for over a dozen years, making it attractive. The analysis of the conducted survey research confirmed this thesis.