Zabawy, gry i sporty tradycyjne. Potencjał i możliwości ich wykorzystania w działalności muzealnej

This paper deals with the subject of traditional sports and games (in international literature also called TSG) and the possibility of using them in the contemporary museums’ activities. The author starts with a short description of the significance of sports, games and plays in the history of mankind and the difference between ritual plays and spontaneous games of the past and the contemporary, professional sport — typical for modern times and associated with globalization. Then attention is paid to the particular form of sport — traditional sports and games (TSG) — and their meaning as a cultural reaction to the global threats of homogenization, also visible in modern sport. He also explains why we should protect and promote these sports and games. In the main part of this paper the author aims at indicating the potential and the examples of practical use of TSG in the museum context — as an important part of the intangible cultural heritage, museum education and museum cultural tourism. Then, he describes the selected examples of museums and other institutions in which TSG are used in the described contexts. Finally he focuses on the particular institution — the Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica in Poland, describing the selected examples of putting traditional sports and games in practice there and treating them as an important part of this Museum’s offer.