Abstract: Cultural heritage is a special phenomenon of human culture. There are definitions of heritage as a substratum of identity, evidence of the development of civilization, an artifact connecting the present and the past, etc. The actualization of cultural heritage, its return to spiritual and economic circulation can serve ideological tasks. Heritage can act as a symbol of the ideological foundations of society, demonstrate strategic priorities that are of particular importance for modernity.
Cultural heritage, being a product of creative activity of generations, is formed by a unique combination of circumstances, and, as a result, is unique and non-renewable. All these factors demonstrate the special potential of the heritage, which should be recognized as practically inexhaustible.
For this set of reasons, there is a difficulty in interpreting the concept of an object of cultural heritage. This field of scientific search remains an exclusively debatable space with many options for interpreting the key concept. The purpose of the study is to consider the interpretations of the concept of cultural heritage and to determine the specifics of its nature. Simultaneous reference to related concepts allows us to expand the idea of cultural heritage as a collective historical memory expressed in tangible and intangible artifacts.
The interdisciplinary methodology based on the comparative method is designed to determine the most concise and capacious definition of heritage, which will reveal the features of its potential actualization in the interests of the state and society.

Abstract: The concept of identity in the the era of fundamental rearrangement of the cultural and national map of Europe in the XIX – XX centuries. The threat of losing the identity of entire states, separate regions, and local communities, actualizes the value of cultural specificity and view of identity as a special concept. Regional identity associated with the cultural and natural heritage of a particular region remains most common. Identity alongside cultural heritage overall, is singled out as a special category only in case of its loss. The formation of the concept was related to the process of fundamental rearrangement of the cultural and national map of Europe in during the large-scale socioeconomic processes of the XIX – XX centuries. A sense of losing cultural bonds of the people, region, or local community aroused scientific realization of the value of identity. Determination and translation of regional identity is one of the pivotal stages in socioeconomic development of the regions and formation of attractive image of the territory. Moreover, the professional, age, gender and other types of identity can be distinguished in accordance with unifying characteristics. In light of the aforementioned facts, the author proposes to view the principle of identity as a peculiarity of interpretation of the cultural heritage.

Abstract: The problem of methodology of interpretation of cultural heritage assumes special importance. Throughout several centuries, the leading method in interpretation of semiotic system has been and remains to be the hermeneutic method, which initially emerged as a pattern for interpretation of sacred texts. The interpretation of cultural values and material cultural heritage is one of the most widespread types of their development and creative comprehension. From the perspective of perception and interpretation of language, which is general sense represents any system of symbols, the key scientific vector of which is the philosophical hermeneutics. The very concept of hermeneutics is usually interpreted as the art and theory of textual interpretation. Thus in the wide sense, it emerged along with speech and writing system. Hermeneutics contributed to creation of methodology of interpretation; therefore, many of its provisions, principles, and forms of interpretation take into account the specificity of interpretation of cultural values. The historical experience demonstrates multiple examples of application of hermeneutic techniques for reaching understanding of different masses or unanimous understanding for groups of dissimilar people. Utilization of hermeneutic approaches can be observe when there comes a moment of potential disintegration of countries, territories or regions, the unification of which is advantageous. The author reviews the historical transformation of hermeneutic approach in studying cultural phenomena.