Landscape (shape) evaluation
RNDr. Martin Culek, Ph.D.
Geographical Institute,
Fac. of Science, Masaryk University,
Brno
Why this course?
• 1. Limitations in „pure“ Science …
• 2. Sensitivity to the Nature and Landscape …
• 3. Values of Landscape for Man and
Nations Identity
• 4. Endagerement of Landscapes by Global
Changes (Climatical - Vegetational,
Production – Industry, Cities, Agriculture …)
What it is … Landscape?
• History in the Central Europe: Old German word
„Landschaft“ – area cultivated by one free small nobleman
• = space visible from one place
• Landscape is a Human phenomenon – your
understandable area, closer than „Other World“ – linked
with concept of „Homeland“.
• Landscape could be characterized from view of areas:
• Geography view - Hierarchy: Elementar Landscape unit
„top“ (ca 10 m² to 10 ha) – Landscape of the World
• Laic (lay) view: Km2 – 1000 km2 + must include the
horizont.
• Political definition of Landscape (European case Landscape
Convention, y. 2001): „A Landscape“ means
part of the territory percieved by the inhabitants, its
character is a result of influence of natural and/or human
activities, and its interconections.
Views on a Landscape
• Landscape could be characterized from views (views with
asterix * are important for Landscape shape evaluation and to Exam):
• Problem – task to be solved
• System = structure and its functioning
• Natural environment * - mountains, plains, valleys, rocks, vegetation, water
• Biotops, Habitats
• Ekosystems services
• Riches (wealth) – changes during centuries
• Artefact *- praehistoric remnants, in Europe medieval, renesance, barocco, 18. cent.
• Ideology * - paganian old trees on hills, Monument Valley, rocks, medieval churches
on hills or with high towers, cross (crucifix) in Landscape, communists cow
house, a high white hospital in Brno, memorials, ideological billboards.
• Power * - „on a Castle and under a Castle“, Lednice-Valtice Composed Landscape
on southern Moravia of former Liechtenstein manor (dominion)
• Esthetics * - out of geographical competence, but important, necessary to try
• Emotions * – incl. „impresive Lanscapes“ – positive or negative (by J. Lőw)
• Spirit of a locality * (genius loci) – not visible, connected with history, important
persons, extraordinary composition of that Landscape
Zuma Rock, 350 m high, Nigeria, close the capital Abuja, Seat of Godineses,
extreme high genius loci – rock itself + myths, legends, porta to the Capital City.
Not necessary to the exam
Structures of the Landscape
• Primal structure – natural (geological features,
geomorphological (rocks, mountains, valleys …)
• Secondary structure – Landuse (fields, forests, villages …)
• Tertiary structure – limits and intentions of Man, not
directly visible in a L. (Territorial planning, protected areas, ...)
• Quartery structure (?) – spirit of the place, famous
rocks, legends, network of cloisters, visibility of churches …)
• All the structures are to be used in so called Landscape
Plan – should organize the Landscape so it will preserve
its identity for people - homeland, help to develop values
and beauties.
• Landscape Plan should be part of complex Territorial
planning.
History of Interest
in the Landscape_1
• Prehistory (til. 5,000 BP) Landscape = part of Humam life,
accepted automatically, important Dangerous x created by
God
• Oldest Civilizations (after 5,000 years BP) - Egypt, India,
China, …, in Europe Antic civilization (after 2,000 y. BP) –
first devastations of Landscape, e.g. Cutting of forest =>
Water Erosion devastation =>
• => Poets: Missing nice deep forests, shade ...,
• Medieval era : Orient (China) - Painting in the Moutains –
evaluation of beauty
• in Europe: Nature = paganic, negative, danger of return to
pagany.
• Renaissance (16. Cent. and later): First great change:
Parks close to Castles = first use of Landscape as
something nice, first paintings of people in a Landscape
Renaissance, 16. Cent., Villa Lante, Central Italy
GoogleEarth
Not necessary to the exam
Renaissance, 16. Cent., Bučovice, 35 km east of Brno
Johanes Bartolemei, GoogleEarth
Not necessary to the exam
History of the interest
in the Landscape_1 detail Medieval.
• Early Medieval Age in C. E.: Paganic, holy groves,
figures of Goodness, sacral fires, sacrifice
• Czech Republic : first christian population
Great Moravia, ca 830 AD, but as late as 1092: change
to widespread christianity = building many churches on
formerly paganic places
• High medieval ages (13.-15. Cent.): Still fear of return
of paganity – no pictures of Nature, no trees in cities.
City = Holy Place, Place of Human and its God
Not to the exam
Paintigs in
Mts. –
epigonic
Lana Brest
China - like
History of Interest
in the Landscape_2
• Baroque (17-18. Cent.): Parks, widespread painting of
Landscapes, try to create Divine Landscape on the Earth.
• End of 18. Cent. (the Enlightenment): beginnig
of the industrial period - Time of second radical change
of the „taste“ dealing with natural scenery:
• 19. Century: Pragmatism + Industrialization x Romanticism
– favour of Wild Nature, beginning of tourism, climbing
Mountains. First National Parks (1878 Yellowstone, USA).
• dirty industrial towns → Organizations for making beauty
towns and the Landscape – planting parks and trees, alley
• 2nd half of 20. Cent. – Landscape protection by law,
Landscape Plans, but still great damages, people escape
from Countryside to Cities – in EU, N. America, Japan –
abandoned Landscapes.
• 21. Cent. – international cooperation, Conventions
Landscape shape is changing mostly quickly.
Also in protected areas. Here some examples
from Giant Mts. National park, Northern Czechia
1920 – tops of Giant Mts., northern Bohemia. Still with meadows,
pastures, few bushes, no trees. Foto: Wenzel Pfohl
These pictures not necessary to the exam
2006 - agricultural use ended 60 years ago. Spread of spruce trees, bushes
of mountain pine. Here in nature reserve, so ± OK
1937 - Western Giant Mts., after building of mountain road.
Parking in the nature. No everything was better.
Foto: Rudolf Slavík
2006 – private cars prohibited, only buses for tourists, or
cable car. Being better. Notice spread of woods.
1905 - Almost natural mountain creek, only narrow dirty road.
Foto: Wenzel Lahmer
2006 – Though in National Park, the creek and road was
industrially changed. Mountain channel, almoust no nature. Bad.
1929 Former pasture part of village. Notice an absence of trees in open area.
Notice the agricultural architecture. Foto Hans Bőnsch
2006 - Almoust only recreational use. Trees spreading and covering
everywhere. Only part of area is visible. Change of architecture – types from
other mountains in Europe. Bad.
1935 - Main village Špindlerův Mlýn. Beginning of recreational houses
buildings, but open space dominates. Foto Wenzel Pfohl
2006 Recreational busines, mass winter ski recreation, blocks of
flats. And overgrowing, Landscape not good visible. Mostly bad.
1934 - Former German inhabitation. Žacléř – Rýchory.
Foto SOkA Trutnov
2006 – after WW II. German population was forced to move to Germany.
Is it nicely?
Evaluation of
Pálava
Landscape
protected area
Important
dominants and
views
Only for seminar work
Zones of
specific
Landscape
protection –
regulations
of
development
– the goal of
this
evaluation
Text necessary to
the exam
Landscape
shape
protection
areas
close to
capital
Prague
Not necessary to
the exam
Old Urban
plan of city
Brno –
„Green
horizonts“ –
not to be
built up.
Only for seminar
work
Mass tourism: Visual pollution.
Prevent this. Local people makes protests.
Venetia, Italy.
Seminar work Evaluating
of the Landscape shape
(features)_1
• 1. step: Choosing of your part of Landscape ca 2 – 4 km²
• 2. Accepting your territory by me, setting up the borders
• 3. Distinguishing of Ladscape dominants – positive
(hilltops, high rocks, church towers, castles, cloisters,
great single tree) and negative (factory chimneys, high
agricultural storehouses …)
• 4. evidence of interesting and important localites –
natural (more or less positive) and artificial (negative or
positive). Negative – rubbish dump, destroyed buildings,
terrible localities.
Seminar work_2
• 5. distiguihing of important horizonts = borders of
view (mountain crests, border of a forest,
windbreaks, border of compact build town …) –
important
• 6. Distinguishing of Landscape unites
• 7. Characterization of the unites – text, ca 12 rowes
each, especially evaluation of values. Give points 1-
5 for nature values and uniqueness, points for
cultural–historical values, points for aesthetic values.
And make a sum of the points.
• 8. Write your points to each Landscape unite in your
final map and give it a specific weak colour.
1. Inventory: Distinguishing
Landscape dominants, landscape axis,
horizonts and important localities
2. Delimitation of elementary
Landscape unites (localities)
Example of
the map
Thank you for your
attention!
• Black and white photo of Krkonoše
(Giant) Mts. taken of book:
PAVEL KLIMEŠ (2007): Krajina
Krkonoš v proměně století. Veselý
výlet, KRNAP.
Author of photographs from 21. Cent. is Ctibor
Košťál.