Editing Tourism (section)

===Grand Tour===
{{See also|Grand Tour}}
[[File:Willem van Haecht Władysław Vasa.JPG|thumb|Prince Ladislaus Sigismund of Poland visiting Gallery of [[Cornelis van der Geest]] in [[Brussels]] in 1624]]

Modern tourism can be traced to what was known as the [[Grand Tour]], which was a traditional trip around [[Europe]] (especially [[Germany]] and [[Italy]]), undertaken by mainly [[Upper class|upper-class]] European young men of means, mainly from Western and Northern European countries. In 1624, the young Prince of [[Poland]], [[Władysław IV Vasa|Ladislaus Sigismund Vasa]], the eldest son of [[Sigismund III Vasa|Sigismund III]], embarked on a journey across Europe, as was in [[Norm (sociology)|custom]] among Polish nobility.<ref name="wladcy12b">[[Tomasz Bohun]], ''Podróże po Europie'', ''Władysław IV Wasa'', Władcy Polski, p. 12</ref> He travelled through territories of today's Germany, [[Belgium]], the [[Netherlands]], where he admired the [[Siege of Breda (1624)|siege of Breda]] by [[Spain|Spanish]] forces, [[France]], [[Switzerland]] to Italy, [[Austria]], and the [[Czech Republic]].<ref name="wladcy12b" /> It was an educational journey<ref>{{cite web |author=Adam Kucharski |title=Dyplomacja i turystyka&nbsp;– królewicz Władysław Waza w posiadłościach hiszpańskich (1624–1625) |url=http://www.wilanow-palac.art.pl/dyplomacja_i_turystyka_krolewicz_wladyslaw_waza_w_posiadlosciach_hiszpanskich_1624_1625.html |work=Silva Rerum |access-date=7 June 2017 |archive-date=14 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814040300/http://www.wilanow-palac.art.pl/dyplomacja_i_turystyka_krolewicz_wladyslaw_waza_w_posiadlosciach_hiszpanskich_1624_1625.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and one of the outcomes was introduction of [[Polish opera|Italian opera]] in the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]].<ref>''The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera'', ed. [[Roger Parker]] (1994): a chapter on Central and Eastern European opera by John Warrack, p. 240; ''The Viking Opera Guide'', ed. Amanda Holden (1993): articles on Polish composers, p. 174</ref>

The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale [[rail transport|rail]] transit in the 1840s and generally followed a standard [[Travel itinerary|itinerary]]. It was an educational opportunity and [[rite of passage]]. Though primarily associated with the [[British nobility]] and wealthy [[landed gentry]], similar trips were made by wealthy young men of [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[Northern Europe]]an nations on the [[Continental Europe|Continent]], and from the second half of the 18th century some South American, US, and other overseas youth joined in. The tradition was extended to include more of the [[middle class]] after rail and steamship travel made the journey easier, and [[Thomas Cook & Son|Thomas Cook]] made the "Cook's Tour" a byword.

The Grand Tour became a status symbol for upper-class students in the 18th and 19th centuries. In this period, [[Johann Joachim Winckelmann]]'s theories about the supremacy of classic culture became very popular and appreciated in the European academic world. Artists, writers, and travellers (such as [[Goethe]]) affirmed the supremacy of classic art of which Italy, France, and [[Greece]] provide excellent examples. For these reasons, the Grand Tour's main destinations were to those centers, where upper-class students could find rare examples of classic art and history.

''[[The New York Times]]'' recently described the Grand Tour in this way:

{{Blockquote|text=Three hundred years ago, wealthy young Englishmen began taking a post-[[Oxbridge]] trek through France and Italy in search of art, culture and the roots of [[Western culture|Western civilization]]. With nearly unlimited funds, aristocratic connections and months (or years) to roam, they [[Commission (art)|commissioned paintings]], perfected their language skills and mingled with the upper crust of the Continent.|sign=Gross, Matt.|source=[http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/lesons-from-the-frugal-grand-tour/index.html Lessons From the Frugal Grand Tour]." ''New York Times'' 5 September 2008.}}

The primary value of the Grand Tour, it was believed, laid in the exposure both to the cultural legacy of [[classical antiquity]] and the [[Renaissance]], and to the aristocratic and fashionably polite society of the European continent.