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

Abstract

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 The study was based on diverse cartographic sources, field investigations, inventories and interviews, historical documents and current spatial development plans.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.

Historical Landscape Elements of Abandoned Foothill Villages—A Case Study of the Historical Territory of Moravia and Silesia

“…If the disappearance of a settlement is linked to violent events or disasters, it could also be dark tourism [65]. Latocha [66] suggested a possible return to agricultural use, the renovation of old houses, the partial restoration of the sacral landscape, and tourist infrastructure and educational initiatives (educational trails, eco-museums, information boards) for the Polish Kłodzko afforestation.…”

Preference and paradox: Local residents’ perspectives on the reuse of post‐agricultural brownfield sites

“…Land is a finite resource with many potential uses that may drive the desire to repurpose previously underutilised rural lands (Lambin & Meyfroidt, 2011) and abandoned sites that lost their function (Egidi et al., 2021; Latocha, 2020; Pukowiec‐Kurda & Vavrouchova, 2020). These derelict sites may be the result of social shifts in rural societies (Vaishar & Stastna, 2019), recent changes in rural economies (Jancak et al., 2019), de‐agrisation processes (Klusacek et al., 2021b), overuse and subsequent productivity losses (Podlasek et al., 2021), degradation of the environment (Czortek et al., 2020) or soil contamination (Bartkowski & Bartke, 2018).…”

Transformation of Mordovian Villages in Bashkiria: Geographical Analysis

“…За рубежом схожие процессы трансформации сельской местности изучаются, например, в странах Восточной и Западной Европы -прежде всего в Польше и Чехии, сельское расселение которых изменилось в XX в. вследствие многочисленных войн, изменения границ и т. д. [Kučerová, Kučera, 2012;Latocha, 2020;Antonãn et al, 2021]. Работы восточно-европейских ученых посвящены в том числе депопуляции сельской местности и изменению облика обыденного сельского ландшафта [Mitchell, 2013].…”