Scholarly record

LAND-USE CHANGES OF THE SLOVAK CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OVER THE PAST 250 YEARS (ON EXAMPLE LANDSCAPE TYPES)

M. Boltiziar, B. Olah, I. Gallay

Abstract

Development of cultural landscape is a continuous long lasting process combining both natural conditions and human society activities. Whilst formation of natural environment was a result of processes in remote geological eras, stabilisation of cultural, social and production relationships that has shaped the face of cultural landscape happened in last few centuries. The paper is focused on a long-term development of the selected Slovak cultural landscape types (plains, basins, uplands, highlands, and mountains) in approximately 250 years. This period shaped the main land use features as well as on the recent transformation trends by using historical maps and aerial photographs. The land use development analysis showed that several distinct periods can be distinguished. Each of these periods was characteristic for certain types of land use changes depending both on the landscape character or the socioeconomic situation. Slovak cultural landscape changes underwent three stages of different social and economic development in its history. These were the transformation of a feudal society into a market society in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. After 1948, the capitalist system gave away to a central planning system that was replaced again by a market system after 1990. The recent trends as land use intensification (intense agriculture, sub-urbanisation, industrial construction) or extensification (agricultural land overgrowing) are considered to be common for the whole Slovak territory. Special transformation trends reflect more local conditions, human needs and preferences (construction of water reservoirs, wind calamities or tourism resorts) and though they are spatially isolated and small they influence the majority of Slovak inhabitants. A detailed analysis of several model areas of different locations and development of landscape is added to this general look at landscape changes in the whole Slovakia.

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