Historical and Cultural Heritage as a Factor in the Development of Tourism in Protected Areas of the Czech Republic

The relevance of the research topic is determined by the important role of historical and cultural heritage as a set of unique tangible and intangible assets inherited by humanity from previous generations in the development of tourism in nature conservation areas. These areas not only perform their basic functions of protecting biodiversity and the environment, but also create favourable conditions for the sustainable development of tourism, the satisfaction of recreational needs, and the rethinking and strengthening of the heritage as a component of branding to promote unique national characteristics and identity. Despite the growing general interest in the issue, further systematisation of approaches to it at the level of individual states and regions is necessary. The aim of this study is to analyse the Czech experience of organising tourism in nature conservation areas in the context of historical and cultural heritage, to determine the role of national parks in the development of the nature conservation system, and to promote cultural and natural monuments. Methods. The complexity and multifaceted nature of the research topic necessitated the use of a whole range of general scientific and special historical methods (historical-systemic, historical-genetic, historical-comparative, historical-typological, diachronic, retrospective). In addition, tools from other sciences (cultural studies, ecology, geography) were also used. Results. The article highlights the long journey of the Czech Republic from a country with serious environmental problems to a recognised European leader in nature conservation and tourism, and examines the unique paradigm of productively combining the reconstruction of natural ecosystems with economic development and heritage preservation. Significant attention is paid to the activities of Czech national parks (Krkonoše, Šumava, Podyjí, Czech Switzerland) as a special category of nature conservation areas, where the protection of unique natural and historical-cultural complexes is harmoniously combined with ecotourism and recreation. Conclusions. It has been proven that the competitive tourism market in the Czech Republic has been formed largely thanks to its powerful historical, cultural, natural and recreational potential, the rational use of which deserves special attention. Its experience in developing mechanisms for environmental protection and cultural heritage preservation, as well as effective tourism infrastructure, can be useful for many countries around the world.