From Soviet military legacy to heritage: Stakeholder perspectives on socio-economic values of sites in Latvia. (VA#MILIT)

In Latvia, the Soviet occupation after the Second World War and the period of the Cold War (1947-1991) have left a large number and spectrum of military heritage sites, from the bunkers of the national partisans (forest brothers) resisting the USSR regime, associated with the nation's darkest heritage, to the former army bases. Some sites have become popular tourist attractions, but some are left to deteriorate. There are many unanswered questions related to military heritage sites. What happens to those places that the local community is not proud of? How is 'remembering' or 'forgetting' affected by the fact that these sites are a part of the legacy of another power or another nation's collective memory? What happens to sites that "take up space" and, to some extent, prevent landowners from realizing their development plans? What are the ethical aspects of using military heritage in tourism? Understanding whether the difficult heritage, often linked to tragic historical events, is worth maintaining and should be preserved is limited. At the same time, the debate on these issues is frequently polarised, with significant differences of opinion among diverse groups in society.

The aim of the study is to investigate the social and economic value of military heritage sites in the context of different stakeholder attitudes, interests, and participation, as well as to develop a model to improve management.

The main objectives are: 1) to adapt theoretical and practical approaches and methods of socioeconomic heritage value to military heritage, using the example of the USSR heritage in Latvia;

2) to develop a multidimensional typology describing the socioeconomic value of MH based on the survey of Latvian residents and the study of MHS stakeholders;

3) to develop the MHS management model and guidelines to improve decision-making for