ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE OF CHERKASY AS A RESOURCE OF URBAN TOURISM

The purpose of the article is to justify the uniqueness, tourist attractiveness, and advantages of using the historical planning of Cherkasy and its architectural monuments (dated to the late 19th – early 20th century) in urban tourism. In this context, the current state of preservation and integrity of the city's historical architecture is analyzed, along with the challenges and prospects of its using as a tourist resource. Methods of the research includes a review and analysis of literary and archival sources; the historical method is used to study the genesis and development of the city's architectural and urban heritage; the field research helps gather information about the current state of preservation of architectural monuments and their adaptation for excursion activities; the cartographic method is applied as a visual tool to analyze the degree of integrity of the city's historical center. Results. It has been found that the relatively high potential of utilizing Cherkasy's architectural heritage as a resource of urban tourism is determined by the uniqueness and tourist attractiveness of the historical city plan, designed by architect William Heste, and the preserved architectural monuments (dated to the late 19th – early 20th century), particularly those attributed to architect Wladyslaw Horodecki. It has been determined that the main challenges of using this architectural heritage in urban tourism include the high degree of its fragmentation (as demonstrated by the created map of the city's architectural heritage area), the lack of proper heritage protection efforts leading to the destruction of historical buildings or to the loss of their authentic appearance, and the uncontrolled construction of modern architecture in the city's historic center. It has been substantiated that effective tools for enhancing the tourist appeal of the city's architectural monuments include creating an information space to integrate them into excursion activities, as well as the rational use of architectural lighting design and street art. It is emphasized that solving the identified issues of protection and preservation, along with additional measures to adapt the city's architectural monuments to modern tourist needs, will contribute to transform Cherkasy into a center of urban tourism and an alternative destination, which will help to alleviate the burden on ukrainian over-touristed cities. The scientific novelty lies in the comprehensive study of Cherkasy's architectural and urban heritage as a latent resource of urban tourism. A detailed map of the city's architectural landmarks has been developed, which is illustrating the specifics of their spatial dispersion and serving as a useful tool for organizing excursion routes. Practical significance. The research results expand knowledge about using of the city's historical buildings in tourism and allow for a reconsideration of their role in contemporary socio-cultural processes. They can be used in the educational process as well as in the creating of programs for tourism development in the Cherkasy region.