Landscape memory in abandoned areas—physical and ecological perspectives (Central European mountains case study)

Latocha, Agnieszka; Reczyńska, Kamila; Gradowski, Tomasz; Świerkosz, Krzysztof

doi:10.1080/01426397.2018.1493446

Cited by 25 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…This historical heritage can be preserved without having to preserve the physical structure of villages-especially in a situation where the historical heritage of the countryside disappears under the pressure of suburbanization, counter-urbanization, the introduction of non-original buildings and the urban way of life. The preservation of the genius loci, the landscape memory and the spiritual heritage does not necessarily have to be linked to the preservation of the physical structure of the village [44]. It can be associated with a certain place in a field-a chapel, a cross, the rest of the settlement, a monument-to which the spiritual heritage may be related.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depopulation and Extinction of Villages in Moravia and the Czech Part of Silesia since World War II

Vaishar

Vavrouchová

Lešková

et al. 2021

Land

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A thousand villages disappeared in Czechia during the course of historic development. There are two basic causes of the disappearance of villages: artificial human intervention (planned changes or hostile liquidation) and gradual depopulation due to remoteness and poor conditions for development, possibly in combination with natural disasters. The greatest number of extinct villages is related to the period after World War II, when many villages in the borderland, from which the German population was displaced, were demolished or abandoned. The aim of the article is to clarify the causes of the extinction of villages, its impact on the landscape and on the settlement system, as well as the possibilities of preserving the historical and cultural memory of extinct places. Finally, the danger of extinction of villages at the present time is discussed. This article points out that it is currently not necessary or effective to have the dense network of settlements that was present in the Middle Ages, when the population density was conditional to the limited technological potential of agriculture and transport. The main argument for preserving villages is their spiritual and cultural value, and their genius loci. However, this can be preserved without keeping the physical structure. At this time, the smallest settlements are changing from being permanently inhabited, to becoming second homes sites.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depopulation and Extinction of Villages in Moravia and the Czech Part of Silesia since World War II

Vaishar

Vavrouchová

Lešková

et al. 2021

Land

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“…Extensive land use (hay meadows, cattle grazing) re-introduced in many areas as part of the agri-environmental programs (since 2004), is conducive to maintaining not only ecological but also landscape diversity and openness. Nevertheless, the geo-botanical surveys proved that the abandoned settlements are able to maintain their biodiversity even long after the succession has taken over (Latocha et al 2019). However, this does not change the fact that for over a century of the ongoing depopulation trend, some other areas of former villages have now become forested and gradually lost their biodiversity, becoming a "new wilderness" (Bičik et al 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Source: polska-org.pl (historical photo) and A. Latocha (2019) ments there yet, however, the existing spatial development plan allows the construction of housing and infrastructure for permanent residence, recreation, sport and services. One can probably expect that the area of the deserted village will be turned into a tourist/sport/conference/spa complex, especially that it is located in the close vicinity of the Czarna Góra ski center.…”

Section: Villages For Sellmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modern transformation of deserted settlements in the Sudetes Mountains, SW Poland

Latocha

2020

GeoScape

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The aim of the study was to present and to classify current processes and phenomena which are observed within the depopulated villages in the Kłodzko region in SW Poland, to assess the present conditions, functions and meanings of deserted settlements, and to forecast their potential further transformations. The study was based on diverse cartographic sources, field investigations, inventories and interviews, historical documents and current spatial development plans. The current processes and phenomena occurring in the highly depopulated or deserted villages are spatially very diverse in terms of their types and dynamics. They include: afforestation (re-wilding), return to agricultural use (limitation of the secondary succession), new houses or the renovation of the old ones, partial restoration of the sacral landscape, large-scale tourist infrastructure and educational initiatives (educational trails, eco-museums, information boards). However, some areas remain forgotten and neglected. These processes often co-occur with each other and they may be diverse in different parts of the village. In the current transformations of the abandoned areas the main focus is on local economy or nature protection while the cultural landscape of the deserted villages is hardly appreciated as an important value itself. The potential future transformations of the depopulated areas will be multidirectional with the tendency to polarization. Some areas will be subject to an increased human pressure, especially due to the new developments in housing and large-scale tourist infrastructure, the other areas will remain out of the way allowing for using their potential as “archives” of traditional cultural landscapes.

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“…A key problem -of which all landscape archaeologists are acutely aware -is that it is impossible to go backwards, and if it were, to what period? Landscapes disrupted through urbanization, industry or mining cannot simply be returned to a former, pristine state; even fields abandoned for hundreds of years bear tell-tale signs of their old uses, both in their physical form and their ecology (Latocha 2015;Latocha et al 2019). Climate change would likely also hinder 'regression' of landscapes towards earlier states (Richmond et al 2010;Jarvie and Svenning 2018).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape archaeology, sustainability and the necessity of change

et al. 2020

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For future landscapes to be sustainable, significant changes in land-use and management practices will be needed. This article argues that landscape archaeology can make distinctive contributions to sustainability in two ways: firstly, by researching what were and were not sustainable ways of life in the past, and secondly by using this knowledge to explain how landscapes of the past differed to those in the present, and in doing so to disrupt the invented connections between past societies, tradition, heritage and conservation. The article draws on three case-studies in China, the Mediterranean and the UK to suggest that archaeological knowledge could be used to help stakeholders imagine future landscapes which are better and more sustainable than those of today. To succeed archaeologists will need to make deeper commitments to transdisciplinary work.

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Landscape memory in abandoned areas—physical and ecological perspectives (Central European mountains case study)

Cited by 25 publications

References 32 publications

Depopulation and Extinction of Villages in Moravia and the Czech Part of Silesia since World War II

Depopulation and Extinction of Villages in Moravia and the Czech Part of Silesia since World War II

Modern transformation of deserted settlements in the Sudetes Mountains, SW Poland

Landscape archaeology, sustainability and the necessity of change

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