Sustainable Archaeological Tourism—A Framework of an Assessment Method for Potential Tourism Use of Hillforts (Gords) in the Lower Silesia Region, Poland

Lower Silesia, one of Poland’s most popular regions among domestic and international tourists, is increasingly confronting overtourism at its primary attractions. This phe-nomenon poses significant threats to the region’s sustainable development, including disruptions in the functioning of local communities (e.g. by traffic jams), risks to tangi-ble heritage monuments, and potential visitor dissatisfaction. Concurrently, Lower Si-lesia possesses underutilized cultural assets, notably over 250 hillforts (Polish: grodziska) spanning various historical periods. This article aims to preliminarily assess the poten-tial of these hillforts for tourism development while proposing and testing a framework method for evaluating their potential for tourism use. The methodology combined desk research and field studies across all selected archaeological sites. Preliminary results from 25 surveyed hillforts suggest that most exhibit high potential for transformation into tourist attractions. The integration of hillforts into existing tourism infrastructure could significantly contribute to localized sustainable development across the region. By leveraging these heritage sites, communities get asset important in process of building common identity around cultural/historical place while safeguarding monuments. At regional scale the new attractions can help in mitigating overtourism pressures at overcrowded destinations. This approach aligns with strategies to disperse tourist flows through specialized archaeological tourism products, thereby balancing economic ben-efits with heritage preservation.