A vidék nosztalgiája
The nostalgia of the countryside

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Summary/Abstract: During the past decades, the Hungarian countryside has gone through many changes. Ruralities like closeness of nature, quietness, local specialities, traditions make the rural a desirable object of consumption, in addition, the role of rurality has become more significant in the constitution of national identities. Parallel with this process, nostalgia is growing in Hungary. Hungarians demand to get in touch with their history and past origin. As a response to this demand, more and more rural places promote themselves as a nostalgia destination providing traditional rural culture and local heritage. Based on qualitative sociological methods, the paper discusses the role of nostalgia as a motivating factor for community and tourism activities to three micro-regions in the Eastern part of Hungary. The research explores the ways in which the rural place appeals to the nostalgia-motivated consumers. The case study research collects and analyses local traditions, products, customs, practice, and built heritage having new function as nostalgia based goods and services for consumers. Research objects are local cultural events like festivals or village days, local gastronomy and crafts, and the built heritage. A key finding of the study shows that nostalgia motivated rural tourism is not only a new and significant way of business and development for rural societies, but also offers inspiring possibilities for revitalising local identity and community building. Nostalgia and related cultural heritage became a consumer demand in rural society, and could become the key element of local identity and cultural heritage based community development in rural Hungary.

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