The developmental potential of heritage stems from its historical, scientific, artistic, aesthetic, social, and economic values. Cultural heritage is considered one of the key factors in the attractiveness of European countries (especially in the context of tourism development), tending to be tangibly expressed in the commodification of heritage resources through creating tourist products, which, paradoxically, can be both a stimulant and an impediment to culturally sensitive local development. This chapter focuses on the tension between tourism development based on the commercialization of cultural heritage and that based on community well-being, cohesion, and cultural identity, which is an ongoing topic of debate in many regions. The dynamics of changes and their effects have been observed over the last dozen years, mainly from the residents’ perspective or in regards to local development policy. This situation inspired the research presented here. The case chosen for this chapter, Podlasie, is a largely rural and agricultural region of Poland. For decades, this region remained on the periphery not only geographically but also in terms of the politics of national development, all the while preserving vast resources of cultural and natural heritage that had been conserved in the borderland for centuries. The local community’s high level of self-awareness, which we can observe in recent years, led to the implementation of countless grassroots initiatives for the development of slow tourism, forcing regional authorities to accommodate their needs and desires. The very rapid changes in this region, structured within this tension between top-down development policy and bottom-up initiatives, have brought both positive and negative consequences.