Geotourism in the museum? Art as an ambassador of geoheritage and a support for geoeducation

Geotourism is one of the most flexible forms of tourism. It can be practiced virtually anywhere, both in natural and anthropogenic environments, and in connection with a wide range of contexts – not only those related to geoeducation, but also to historical, social, and cultural dimensions. Although museums, particularly those dedicated to geoheritage, are among the most frequently visited geoattractions, art museums are not typically perceived in this way. Drawing on the example of Caspar David Friedrich – a Romantic landscape painter – and on his legacy presented in art museums, as well as through an analysis of the relationships between this heritage and geotouristically attractive spaces, I demonstrate how such museums can become promoters of geoheritage, geoeducation, and geotourism. The study employed a mixed-method interpretative approach, combining literature-based exploration and informal observation conducted in museums with an art-based geotourism examination of selected regions and field research carried out in their geotouristic spaces. The research material included selected geoeducationally relevant works by Caspar David Friedrich and knowledge of the geotouristic infrastructure of the regions in which they were created. As a result, practical guidelines were formulated for cooperation between museums and artistically grounded tourist regions in the context of interpreting and promoting geoheritage.