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The aim of this paper is to introduce basic developmental consequences, changes, trends and the current situation in amenities through retail and commercial services in the rural areas of the Czech Republic. The example illustrated herein is the South Moravian Region. Methodically, the text is built on previous survey (2002), and on our own survey conducted in municipalities up to 3,000 inhabitants of the South Moravian Region in 2018 (n = 355). There are semi-structured interviews (n = 18) that link back to these surveys. The data obtained was processed by the methods of statistical and graphical analysis, comparison, interpretation and synthesis. The paper concludes that since 2002, commercial amenities have experienced remarkably negative development. The smaller municipalities in the periphery have encountered the greatest decline, but stagnation is also seen in the suburban areas of Brno. From among types of commercial amenities, the ones most weakened were specialized shops, which could no longer compete with large retail chains. Almost a fourth of municipalities support commercial trade and services, mainly through subsidies or lowered rent. The regions also provide subsidies. Even simplifying red tape or providing tax relief on the part of the public sector would support civic amenities. Another key may be retaining young and educated people in municipalities where they will live and work. Contributing to this could be not only developing infrastructure in municipalities, but also for example the next wave of digitalization and introduction of stable, high-speed Internet service in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

History is a construct based on the reselection, reconstruction and reinterpretation of past events in order to validate former, present, as well as future actions of actors. Therefore, there is no single history but rather many histories based on different ways of reinterpretation. The reinterpretation of history plays an important role in the process of regional identity formation. In this paper we aim to examine how and to what extent the relatively new ad hoc regions - Local Action Groups (LAGs) - in Czechia use history and historical and historicizing elements to present the region's image, and how LAGs reinterpret history in order to foster a sense of territorial togetherness among inhabitants. The research had two phases. In the first phase, we evaluated the primary presentation of all 180 LAGs. While in the second one, more detailed analysis was performed on the strategies of selected LAGs towards the reinterpretation of history. In general, we can conclude that LAGs work with history and historical themes only to a limited extent. However, some LAGs use actively history. The paper identifies three ways of reinterpretation of history engaged in the process of regional identity formation: regional patriotic, critical and conciliatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining heritage refers to a complex of both tangible and intangible features and values whose formation was associated with the development of mining activities in the given region. After mining activities are completed, original industrial and related subsidiary structures either fall into dereliction or are subject to conversion. One of frequent modes of transformation of objects is their presentation as heritage and utilization for the needs of tourism. The way of its interpretation and presentation to the public plays a very important role in mining heritage preservation, since it may be attributed not only historical and architectural values, but may also reflect political or ideological background of the period in which it was formed. The paper discusses the definition of mining heritage and the questions concerning its origin, recognition, protection, management and interpretation in the case of the Jáchymovsko area, part of the cross-border mountainous region in Czech-German borderland which is being proposed to be included into the UNESCO heritage list. The Jáchymovsko area is distinguished by the fact that it combines a 500-year-old history of mineral extraction and therefore local mining heritage is very diverse. Thus, different types of local mining heritage and its conversion for other purposes (e.g., tourism) are analysed, ways of local mining heritage identification, management and interpretation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of the paper are twofold. The first aim is a methodological one, the article presents the possibilities of using narrative interviews in research on post-war socio-historical development. The second aim is to evaluate the experiences of eyewitnesses who experienced the expulsion of the German-speaking population and the process of resett lement in the distinctive region of Svitavy. Being the largest migratory population movement in the 20th century in the Czech lands, the displacement of the Germans and the subsequent process of resettlement brought significant social, cultural, and economic consequences. Their influence on the inhabitants of the affected regions and regional identities of these inhabitants is evident even now. The method of narrative interviews contributes to unveiling the importance of these processes in witnesses' minds. The successful fulfilment of both objectives allows evaluation of the appropriateness of the methods applied in research on regional identities of the population, as well as a better understanding of the importance of post-war events for the eyewitnesses to them. As these events occurred in a specific region (Svitavy), it is possible to identify important factors that contributed to the formation of regional identities of these witnesses. The article is a contribution to the existing knowledge about the phenomenon of regional identity of populations, which is understood as a process. In addition, it also contributes to a deeper knowledge of the role of the (dis)continuity of settlement in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual paper discusses key instruments for territorial cohesion in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) from a comparative historical analytical perspective amidst the neoliberalisation of EU Regional Policy, which has implications for the production and reinforcement of spatial inequalities in regional development. The neoliberalisation processes unfolding in the diff erent political-institutional contexts of CEE have implications for the movement, transformation and eff ectiveness of policies such as Regional Policy, complicating the holistic understanding of policy eff ects. Increasingly neoliberal regional policies across Europe, and in the diff erent path dependent political-institutional contexts of CEE in particular, raise questions about the eff ectiveness of Regional Policy to achieve territorial cohesion. Comparative historical analysis provides a method of inquiry into path dependent processes shaping institutions and aff ecting policy outcomes, and is therefore a useful approach for conceptualising regional political-institutional contexts and their implications for Regional Policy. Operational Programmes encompassed in national strategic documents from the Czech Republic, Estonia and Hungary over three programming periods are examined as the key instruments for the implementation of Regional Policy, the comparison of which reveals a diff erence in perspectives towards the common EU goals of competitiveness and growth as a means of achieving territorial cohesion. The research thus points to the need for deeper comparative understanding of the political-institutional contexts in the three countries in order to identify factors of eff ective policies and to tailor eff ective policy solutions to specific regional contexts, a task to be advanced in future studies of Regional Policy and political-institutional contexts of CEE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]