Learning the Nuclear: Educational Tourism in (Post)Industrial Sites

Abstract

The main topic of the chapter is related to the changes that took place during the historical stage of the industrial period. The changes are analysed through the preservation and revitalisation of objects, the perspective of landscape reconstruction, and the renewal of the urban city. The main keywords in the chapter are related to the preservation of industrial heritage, the meaning of historical events, the determination of the value of remembrance based on the theory of the scar, the importance of identity, and the principles of educational tourism. In this work, the case study method is applied. The underlying principles of this method allow to devise certain characteristic strategies in constructing the new face of an industrial heritage object, post-industrial landscape, or urban city. The case study discusses the example of the Ruhr area in Germany through which certain trends on how problematic and specific objects are transformed into part of the cultural heritage and places of interest are shown. The obtained results are presented in connection with the challenges posed by the closure of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) and the search for the new identity in the city of Visaginas. The study report also presents elements of a sustainable and long-term industrial heritage analysis scheme including the uniqueness of the site, its significance to society, value potential, approaches to demonstrating objects based on constructivist philosophy, educational tourism, and new learning experiences.