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The paper evaluates the first 15 editions of the European Countryside magazine in relation to the EURORURAL conferences and international projects of the Department of Applied and Landscape Ecology of the Mendel University in Brno. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the typology of countryside architectonical forms in the region of South-Moravia in southeastern Czechia and on the expression of village identity through architecture in case study villages. Original folk architecture has been altered by new types of constructions built in rural areas since the 1950s, followed by a more recent wave of new architectural forms that have developed since the 1990s. The number of architectural types in case study villages was predominantly calculated using the panoramic sceneries on mapy.cz. The coefficients of countryside identity were allocated to architectural types based on basic folk house features. The value of countryside identity is higher in smaller villages except for suburbanized settlements of the regional capital of Brno. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study evaluates the regional development potential of a specific rural micro-region with regard to its qualitative aspect. It aims to set a general strategy for further development. The method is a geographical analysis using the migration balance as an indicator of the region's attractiveness for housing. Main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were identified. Generally accessible statistical data was used. The proposed strategy is to support the development of the human capital. In addition to the generally valid recommendations for the development of rural areas, it is always necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the geographical location, path dependency, natural, economic and social potential, the state of the environment, cultural factors or other specifics. The regional and local decision-making levels play an important role in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the changes to the industrial structure of small Moravian towns as these towns are part of the settlement structure that connects urban and rural systems. Small towns (of up to 15,000 inhabitants) are the most industrialized part of the Czech settlement system. They were the subject of capitalist industrialization in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as well as socialist industrialization in the second half of the twentieth century. Therefore, the research question asks how the small-town sector coped with the transition to a post-productive society and how small towns were differentiated during this process. Population censuses were the main tool used to gather data for comparison. Today, small towns have preserved, in particular, less innovatively demanding industries, which have been pushed out of large and medium-sized cities. At the same time, they are undergoing a process of post-productive transformation which is associated with a massive transfer of job opportunities to services, but they can also become starting points for cultural tourism in rural areas. However, their future development will be very differentiated depending on their location concerning regional centres, on the quality of human and social capital and also on their historical pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the state of social farming in Czechia, which is obviously in its infancy. The main barriers to development are the character of Czech agriculture, which is radically based on large-scale production and deliveries to large customers, insufficient cooperation of individual ministries and too narrow conception of the problem as care farming. At the same time, we can expect increasing demand for this type of management in the future. Some ideas for improving the situation are presented, the most important of which is the recognition of social farming by the public administration and the creation of a legal framework for its development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses the possibilities of development of one of the most peripheral micro-regions of Moravia on the basis of the theory of sustainability. It notes its above-average focus on agriculture and tourism, which is linked to seasonality, lower education of the population, depopulation and higher unemployment. The settlement structure with predominantly very small villages conditions a worse infrastructure, which is partially balanced by a high-quality natural environment. Possible solutions are seen in the focus on qualitative development and support of social capital. The transition to post-productive development and counter-urbanization gives to regions of this type new opportunities associated with the development of housing and tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyses of the changes in the presence of persons in different central and residential parts of urban areas are subject to evaluation in this paper. Case studies of the cities of Brno, Ostrava and Zlín during the day and night are highlighted. Data from a provider of mobile phone services were used for the analyses. It appears that the data can be important for the comparison of different urban structures. The results demonstrate that the organisation of urban structure affects the number of visitors and thus the area attractiveness. It was confirmed that the number of mobile phone users in the city cores is higher than the number of permanent residents. The greatest differences between the day and night in the city cores were found in Brno, a concentric city with the most important central functions among the cities studied. Differences between the day and night in residential areas were not as large as expected. City neighbourhoods in Brno showed some specific rhythmicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper connects culture, tourism and rural development. It tries to make an overview of various forms of cultural tourism in Czechia. Attractions of cultural tourism are identified and ranked according to their cognitive function. Their list includes cultural heritage in spheres of archaeological sites, architecture, arts, folklore, pilgrimages, technical works, cultural events or protected landscape areas. The culture of wine in Southern Moravia has been chosen as an example. Its analysis was elaborated using the Importance/Performance Analysis. Czechia has great potential for the cultural tourism development in rural areas but it seems to demand a great deal of work when one needs to be constantly reconciling the changing interests of tourists with the potential of the regions. One of the important goals is to attract tourists into rural areas and thus limit their concentration in the most attractive places. Rural cultural tourism seems to be a significant aspect in this respect. The part of the study is the example of the adaptation of the current situation with COVID-19 to properly support the development and cultural potential of domestic tourism in South Moravian region in relation to the economic impacts on international tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of municipalities under 200 inhabitants is discussed. There are 1,500 such municipalities (24%) in the Czech Republic. Many of them came to existence after 1989 when the independence of communes was considered part of the democratisation process regardless of the population number. This paper aims at a statistical evaluation of municipalities with fewer than 200 inhabitants and presents their geographical distribution, demographic development and analysis of their aging. In general, 70% of these very small municipalities have been growing since 2001. The smallest of them have the highest percentage of the population decline and are the most endangered by aging. Very small municipalities with the highest population growth are situated mainly in the vicinity of larger towns, the ones with the highest population decline are located mainly in peripheral areas at the border of regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is aimed at an attempt to define a smart village in the Czech conditions. It argues that the principles of smart villages are very similar to the concept of sustainability. The analysis deals with preventing rural exclusion, promoting digital technologies for the management of the rural infrastructure, teleworking in rural areas and using ICT for participation and governance. This approach is documented in the case of the South-Moravian Region. It was concluded that it was not so much coverage or accessibility of digital technology that was the main barrier of more intensive use of the smart village concept but rather the lower qualification level and conservatism of rural population is. It is suggested that more attention should be paid to increasing the digital literacy of rural people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the development of Mendel University in Brno and its Faculty of AgriSciences during last 100 years. It shows the present state of the University and Faculty, including facilities used for educational, scientific and other activities. The journal European Countryside owned by the University has been established 10 years ago. It is a highly cited per review periodical in the field of rural development. This special number gave the opportunity to the members of the Advisory Board to co-celebrate the anniversary by means of their own topic related scientific article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the concept of the quality of life and its measuring. It tries to explain its peculiarities in the rural space considering different levels of education, professional activities, mobility, ways of dwelling, access to the social and technical infrastructure. The subjective perception of both urban and rural people to the rural quality of life can be manifested in moving in and moving out. The main shortages of the rural quality of life can be seen (by rural people) in a poor access to the prestigious and well-paid jobs and to a richer social life. The main advantages of the rural way of life are generally evaluated (by urban people) by better access to the nature. A promotion of the local identity is considered as an important tool for improving the rural quality of life (besides of a solution of infrastructural problems), considering the enormous difference among European rural areas of a big differentiation of the European countryside. The last part of the paper summarizes the contributions of the special number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing pollution and preventing heavy traffic in cities together with recent transport policies are encouraging people to use more sustainable modes of transport, such as walking, cycling or public transport, in preference to private cars. The study was aimed at analysing general conditions for bicycle utilization, and their application to the outskirts of the largest Moravian town, Brno, and discussing the possible future of bicycling in this region, including its relation to health. What motivating factors could influence people’s decision to use bicycles as a means of transport? A survey was conducted at the third-largest university in Brno, where the respondents were approached. According to the obtained results, more than half of the respondents used bicycles mostly for leisure purposes. Nevertheless, almost one-third mentioned bicycling for transport purposes. Thus, there is a potential for cycling to become a significant part of transport and thus contribute to human health and a healthy city environment; however, the region should considerably adjust its infrastructure to encourage cyclists to visit Brno and its surroundings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors argue that differentiation of various types of countryside is more important than to look for the definition of the rural against the urban. The paper is aimed at a typology of the Moravian countryside. Based on multifunctional (both hard and soft) data, Moravian micro-regions were divided into four categories - progressive, deficit and suburban countryside and predominantly urban micro-regions. Each of the categories has its own characteristics, threats, and needs. The authors stress that the approach of regional politics and both European and national subsidies have to take into account different categories of rural micro-regions. However, particular decisions have to be made in the intersection of the lowest regional level and the bottom-up approach expressed by community lead local development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes push and pull factors of eventual secondary school student's outmigration from the micro-region of Bystřice nad Pernštejnem in the Czech inner periphery in the light of presupposed depopulation trends and manifestations of peripherality and marginality. The outmigration affects primarily the micro-region's centre while small rural settlements as a whole exhibit a population growth. The lack of prestigious and well-paid jobs and limited cultural activities, entertainment, and sports appear to be the main push migration factors. Possible solutions to this situation are limited and should include efforts to strengthen the relationship of the local population to the territory, to maintain the good quality of the environment, and to enhance the feeling of personal safety. It is argued that similar motivations can be expected in the majority of Czech peripheral micro-regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Czechia lost more than 3,000,000 inhabitants as a result of the WW II. Germans displaced from the borderland formed the largest part. The newcomers after 1945 were of a different character - without any relation to their new settlements. This population formed a special social milieu familiar with the socialist way of thinking and that of a suppressed middle class. The consequences of it are seen in demographic, economic, environmental and social areas. After 1989, the factories in the borderland were mostly closed down, armies left the territory, people were not prepared to start their own businesses. Large-scale landscape protection formed a new barrier. Tourism is not able to substitute for the decrease in employment. The hope in cross-border collaboration has been overestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the position of small towns in the Czech settlement system. It deals with the definition of small towns, their geographical positions, demographic characteristics and functions in the national settlement system. A typology of small towns aimed at individual pillars of their sustainability is one of the results of the paper. The article discusses the position of small towns as part of the urban world and their position as a part of the countryside. It concludes that small towns are functionally important as rural centres. However, differences between urban and rural seem to be less important than differences among individual types of the Czech countryside (suburban, intermediate, inner periphery, borderland). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bohemia and Moravia are historical lands, which constitute Czechia (together with a small part of Silesia) since the 10th century. Two entirely different settlement systems can be identified in Czechia: the centralistic Bohemian sett lement system surrounded by a ring of mountains, and the transitional and polycentric Moravian settlement system. The two lands were physically divided by a border forest. Although they have belonged always to the same state, their autonomy was relatively high until the formation of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918. In 1948, a new administrative division was introduced, which did not respect the border between the two lands. Bohemia and Moravia kept their importance as different cultural units only. The main research question addressed in this paper is how the Bohemian and Moravian identities are perceived by the people today and whether it makes any sense to consider the historical lands seriously when rethinking the idea of the Europe of regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is focused on the current status of land consolidation in Czechia. The survey is based on a questionnaire distributed electronically to municipalities and related subjects (agricultural organizations, farmers) in areas where the land consolidation has been completed, is in progress, or is under preparation. Small farmers and municipality representatives perceive the land consolidation as a measure facilitating permeability of the landscape and protection from erosion and/or from flooding. Land consolidation is important for companies in clarification of the land ownerships and as a remedy for the landscape needs. About half of the respondents believe that the measures have rather brought benefits, whereas 41% of respondents mainly highlight problems. The negative side of the land consolidation is mostly seen in the time delays and demanding administration; agribusinesses also point out complications with land management. Nevertheless, 75% of small farmers and municipalities and 62% of agribusinesses are interested in land consolidation. The main differences between small farmers and large companies consist in their attitude to reduction of the acreage of large plots and their division by common facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the macrostructural and microstructural landscape changes in six selected microregions in Moravia and eastern Bohemia. Changes of the landscape macrostructure were evaluated based on the statistical data from 1845, 1948, 1990 and 2013. Changes of the landscape microstructure were compared on the base of old maps, aerial images and field experiences. According to the available data the area of an arable land was the largest in 1845. Since then it has been decreasing - more in mountain areas, less in lowland ones where it was replaced by forests, grasslands and urban areas, depending on the vegetation period, physical character and vicinity of urban centres. Results show that the microstructure recorded great changes during the communist period: large expanses of fields, irrigation and drainage measures, windbreaks, non-rural buildings in the countryside. Contemporary changes are connected mostly with urbanisation of the landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is generally presupposed that the infrastructure and availability of services of general interest (like schools, medical care, social services and also public transport) impact on present demographic development in rural areas, namely depopulation and aging. Such services affect the quality of life of local people and sometimes they perform a vital necessity. It is possible to say that the absence of the mentioned services should be compensated by an effective system of public transport. In other case, especially those people who are not able to use individual cars due to the age, health, legal conditions or financial situation are bequeathed on an assistance of the family or neighbors or they stay cut off and excluded. This paper is aimed at the verification of the presupposition in the case of the South-Moravian Region – NUTS 3 region occupying the south-eastern part of the Czech Republic, bordering with Austria and Slovakia. The research method lies in analysis of the frequency, travel time and fare of public transport system and its comparison with demographic development in rural areas, especially in the peripheral ones. The results are discussed in view of the system of central places in the region and present urbanization processes like suburbanization, counterurbanization and reurbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural regions are perceived mostly on a local, regional or national scale, but globalization impacts also on the countryside. Both production and consumption in rural regions are similar throughout Europe, being directed from the very limited number of global centers. Local authorities do not always react appropriately. Present trends in rural businesses, migration of rural population, sustainable rural development and capacity-building are investigated in 10 European case study regions within the DERREG project of 7th EU framework program. Preliminary findings for the South Moravia case study are presented in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural landscape went through many changes during the last seventy years. It is possible to measure this change by many ways, including comparative methods. However, is it really the right activity? While there are number of references and land-use maps, old residents are dying. In that sense there is a last chance to record an origin mental image of the landscape. The Project Landscape Memory as a Rural Heritage -- The Changes of Czech Cultural Landscape in The Mental Reflection of its Inhabitants aims to identify a unique local identity and create a theoretical base applicable in territorial planning. The methodology consists of following steps: to elaborate typology of contemporary landscape, to define landscape values for the next investigation, to select case study areas. Subsequently the field research will be realized, aimed at own evaluation of the landscape values, perception of the cultural landscape and its changes by seniors (65+) and young people. A synthesis will be based on the comparison of "objective" landscape development using statistical data and aerial photographs and "mental" landscape development hidden in the perception of the people. The two-year project started in January 2014. The aim of this paper is to present a research, which has been carried out till these days. The identified landscape values varied in each of investigated landscape types. Up to now these results confirm how much an individual and a holistic approach is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]