No abstract

Mining activity is usually associated with heavy industry, the degradation of space and areas with a clearly industrial character. In fact, mining can be associated with other functions, such as health resorts, recreation and leisure. In the case of spas specializing in balneotherapy, medicinal underground waters “mineral and thermal” are extracted from local deposits using mining methods, in borehole mines. Mining activity is not the main direction of development of these places, but it remains absolutely essential for maintaining the spa function and offering services in the field of recreation, rest and tourism. The article focuses on the relationship between mining activity and the basic function of spas, the spatial relations between urban development and the spa zone, the range of mineral and thermal water use (natural resources obtained from underground deposits using the borehole method), and above all-the manner of exposing mining facilities in spa space and explaining the importance of these elements. The basis for the discussion featured in the article is constituted the results of an original study carried out by the author, employing field research, in 2018 at the Institute of Cities and Regions Design, Faculty of Architecture of the Cracow University of Technology. Research work was performed in a dozen South-German statutory spas (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony). Four cities representing a much wider group of spa centres were selected for detailed analysis: Bad Buchau, Bad Saulgau, Bad Aibling and Bad Schandau. It was shown that the selected cities were directly related to the mining of groundwater, but at the same time differed significantly in terms of the studied features. The study's conclusions may be useful in programming the development of spa towns operating on the basis of underground medicinal waters, as well as in the creation of concepts and projects on the urban and regional scale. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2020-01-01-01 Full Text: PDF

No abstract

This paper presents the findings of a study on the impact of the transformation of a road transport corridor on the form of a functio-spatial structure, as determined by the placement of significant economic activity sites within this corridor. The investigation of relations and interdependencies in the development of the road transport system and development structure transformation processes allowed for the identification of tendencies in the shaping of space, as well as for building models that reflect the transformation of the road corridor under study. The study focused on a fragment of the road transport corridor between Kraków and Bochnia (called the “Kraków East–Bochnia” corridor), as a distinctive case of contemporary transformations of the functio-spatial structure that happen under the influence of the construction and opening of a section of highway A4. The study was based on original field work, a review of the literature and an analysis of applicable planning documents. GIS tools, cartographic resources and satellite images were also used. The transformation of the area under investigation and the increase in its accessibility due to the presence of the highway pointed to the area’s high attractiveness in terms of real estate development—especially at nodal sites along the linkages that connected the highway with other elements of the road corridor. The relationships between the completed highway section and the previous road layout are crucial to the emergence of economic activity sites and areas, and thus lead to a transformation of developed space following a new spatial model.

Salt mining is one of the oldest industrial areas of human activity. Composure and evolution of rock salt mining methods were in the past an important factor of the development and prosperity of many European salt cities, including Wieliczka and Bochnia. Studies of Polish and foreign salt cities showed that urban space and underground mine workings can interact to varying degrees, often creating interdependent systems, both in economic and visually-compositional terms. At the same time, in the face of a global collapse of the salt mining industry, you can see the process of liquidation of underground salt mine, also a number of historical sites. The specificity of the salt mine also tends to post-industrial use of these facilities for new features. In this matter, the dominant course of action is to build underground tourist routes and sanatoriums, create places of a religious cult, art, entertainment, sports, science and education and other forms of public services. At the same time, salt excavations are an attractive area for the location of less accessible facilities, such as laboratories, and most of all underground deposits. An analysis of different salt mining centres leads to the conclusion that all the mentioned forms of redevelopment can be cost-effective, however, to ensure the sustainable development of the salt mining centres it is important to: -fully preserve the existing values, represented by both the excavation underground spaces as well as different parts of the surface mining infrastructure, -expose and provide access to protected values for the broad group of users, -maintain the authentic character of mine (excavation and ground facilities) in its reconstruction and adaptation to modern needs. It seems that the inclusion of these conditions gives a real opportunity to preserve and even enhance the attractiveness of disused salt mines and use them in the current development of the salt cities. key words: unused salt mines, underground excavations, salt towns and regions, sustainable development, and cultural heritage