Meanings and Uses of Material Cultural Heritage in the Town of Hvar

The article takes issue with the distinction between tangible and intangible heritage and the duality between the symbolic and instrumental (profit-generating) value of heritage. Based on ethnographic research in a tourist destination on the Croatian coast, the article interrogates what happens when built culture and urban public spaces are still part of living culture in a locality. It demonstrates dissonant meanings and uses of heritage that arise from the intangible and socially constructed nature of material heritage for local users. Beyond the symbolic and instrumental meanings and uses of heritage, its societal, experiential meaning is underlined as it is a part of living societal culture that is consumed on a daily basis. In the end, the article reflects on the limits of local community engagement in heritage processes.