Today I wanted to visit something outside the city of Groningen. So I travelled to a place close to the German border called Bourtange. It is an old, star-shaped fortress. When you are there, you can visit some museums in the village. One was a replica of a 17th century house. There was also a small synagoge.
Bourtange is an example of cultural heritage, it has a long history from the 16th century till now. A lot of people visit this fortress. Why do people value cultural heritage? I have a theory about that. When visiting heritages, people experience that are affective and individual. Everyone experiences something else. So every visitor has different individual psychological benefits. My theory says that a cultural heritage site is only a setting to have these benefits for the individuals (McIntosh, 1999). So people go to Bourtange because they want to develop in a psychological way. After the visit, they know more about their own values, what they think is important in life.Then about the accessibility in Bourtange. A shuttle bus was driving around Bourtange. So if you cannot walk extended periods, or when you are in a wheelchair, it was a possibility to go with the shuttle bus. In this way you can enjoy Bourtange. This is a good example of inclusion of people with a disability. In a world were more and more people are getting older, it is important to find solutions to make it possible to visit tourism places. (Buhalis & Darcy, 2011)
To give an impression of how Bourtange looks from the sky, a short movie was made, which you can view on the website of Bourtange and on youtube.It was interesting to learn more about the history of the Netherlands. My holiday almost comes to an end. I will write about my last activity soon.
McIntosh,
A.J. (1999). Into the tourists’ mind: Understanding the Value of the Heritage
Experience. Journal of Travel &
Tourism Marketing, 8, 41-64.
Buhalis, D., Darcy, S. (2012) Accessible tourism: concepts and issues. Bristol, UK: Channel View Publications.
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