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MAGDALENA GÓRCZYŃSKA

the economic (increase of profits, new workplaces, attraction of investors) as in the social sphere (stronger feeling of the individuality among the inhabitants).

The city of Cork in the Republic of Ireland is a perfect example of the centre which managed to avert the difficnlt social and economic situation of the tum of the 19™ and the 20^ century and of the major part of the 20**¹ century by introducing consecutive urban renewal schemes in the falling areas sińce 1979. They covered three most endangered by marginalisation regions: the Blackpool district (together with Shandon) in the north, the historie core of the city, and the docks area in the eastem part of the city. It should be underlined that the above-mentioned programmes included the development of the touristic function. The exception was the port area (the docks in the eastem part of the city) where the main objectives were: the modemisation of the transportation infrastmeture; the transformation of the image from the monofunctional (strictly industrial) to the multifunctional; and the renovation of the housing.

It is worth noticing that on the one hand the touristic function of Cork was not a priority in nonę of the revitalisation programmes but on the other hand it was mentioned in each of them. It should be underlined that the development of tourism is based above all on the rich history of the city and on the related architectural monuments as well as on the cultural events. The efforts to create the new image of the city as being “not only for the inhabitants but also for the tourist” were confirmed by the election of the city of Cork for the European Capital of Culture in 2005.

Key words: urban renewal, the urban tourism, the cultural values, Ireland, Cork