Hikes, Huts and Houses: A Study of Hiking Community’s and Derelict Building Owners’ Perceptions towards a Potential Establishment of Travelers’ Huts Network in Lithuania

Abstract: This paper presents a master’s thesis research project that aimed to explore the attitudes of members of Lithuanian hiking community and derelict building owners towards the possibility of adapting country’s abandoned rural buildings into a network of recreational ‘travelers’ huts’. Participants’ opinion on the need of such network as well as their management, location, building age, type, and other preferences were considered. During the two-phase mixed methods research project data was gathered through online questionnaire filled in by 624 members of Lithuanian hiking community and 10 in-depth interviews with derelict building owners, members of country’s hiking community and caretakers of two already operational travelers’ huts. The findings indicate that majority of research participants support the implementation of such project in Lithuania, preferring potential locations of huts in more remote and natural areas. Regarding type of buildings, it was given less significance than the location aspect, however a potential renovation of old wooden huts of traditional vernacular architecture was preferred slightly more than that of modern or Soviet-era buildings. Findings of the study also highlighted rather strong participants’ concerns regarding a diverse spectrum of issues: lack of history and ‘heritage’ of hiking and hutting in Lithuania, potential maintenance and management of the huts, safety, vandalism, privacy, and other. Qualitative data analysis provided evidence that many of those concern can be linked to low levels of social capital within Lithuanian society. Questions of huts’ management approaches, especially those of openness and accessibility of such buildings, showed rather unanimous opinions, suggesting a network of differently managed huts to cater divergent hikers’ needs might be a reasonable solution in Lithuania.