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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.

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.

This paper addresses the question: why do two destinations with extremely valuable cultural heritage gain attractions have completely different tourism traffic results? The main aim of this paper was to find the various causes of this inequality. The comparative method was used and Lednice and Dolní Kounice in Southern Moravia were selected as case studies. Statistical data and strategic documents on regional and local levels were analysed. The study showed significant differences in the strategic conceptual plans. Dolní Kounice was a more popular destination for suburban tourism for the inhabitants of Brno, the historical heritage was only an added value. In the case of Lednice, the use of its heritage for tourism was one of the main development priorities. This paper further noted that cultural tourism is often seen as a sector of the economy rather than a part of the culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Regional Development Strategy of the Czech Republic 2021+ set aside economically and socially endangered rural regions. This paper aims to analyse the situation of these regions in the South Moravian Region in more detail to specify individual threats and possible approaches to rural development. In addition, the paper seeks to determine whether these regions are significantly differentiated internally, allowing the neediest areas to be focused on for growth. The research used geographical analysis and synthesis methods to identify the two most peripheral microregions as the most endangered. Their most significant strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were summarised, and possible strategies for further development were indicated. Although the conditions and development assumptions in the two microregions were different, the significance of tourism development was indicated as the most important direction in one case and as a second direction in the other. • The Czech Republic's Regional Development Strategy 2021+ outlined endangered areas. • The endangered rural areas in the South Moravian Region were analysed in detail. • Only the most peripheral parts of the designated regions are at risk. • Regardless of the general strategy, each of the micro-regions must be managed separately. • The development of cultural tourism is one of the promising possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the question of how the change of geopolitical position in the rural region of Eastern Moravia, which was shifted from the center of the state on its border, is reflected. The paper shows how the originally marginal region transformed from an area with shepherd agriculture to an industrial area with a skilled workforce during the existence of Czechoslovakia and questions how to cope with the consequences of the reverse change into a marginal geopolitical position on the eastern border of Czechia. The paper considers the balance of migration, supplemented by the construction of new dwellings, to be a relatively complex indicator. It states that the region of Eastern Moravia is problematic in terms of further development, except for the northern part, which is affected by the suburbanization of Ostrava. As a result, it proposes to supplement the current orientation toward the manufacturing industry by creating conditions for the development of cultural tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural tourism in Czechia. It points out that the catastrophic scenarios of the decline in tourism mainly concern urban destinations focused on foreign tourism. In contrast, rural destinations create an alternative. Some of them have even shown an increase in tourism in the 2020 summer season as compared to 2019. However, this new orientation requires investing in infrastructure, marketing and regional cooperation. Highlights Paper investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural tourism in Czechia. The decline in tourism mainly affected destinations focused on foreign tourists. Czech countryside gained domestic tourists due to natural, gastronomic and local attractions. The specificity of COVID 19 new outbreaks is its local or regional limitation. The COVID-19 epidemy has created an opportunity for the development of rural tourism. [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]

The paper investigates the recent population development of Moravian rural micro-regions. It divides all 72 micro-regions into four categories according to the relation of natural demographic balance and net migration in the period of 2012–2016. It showed that all size categories of the Moravian rural municipalities till 5000 inhabitants are gaining population by migration whereas small towns lose inhabitants. No relation between the demographic type of the countryside and unemployment was observed. It shows, that the Moravian rural areas are not depopulating in general, its demographic development does not depend on the unemployment. However, the Moravian countryside is differentiated. There are some extremely peripheral parts of Moravia often lacking any real urban centre, where the depopulation is the problem. Depopulating micro-regions can be found in the northern, south-western and eastern periphery of Moravia. Such territories should be solved individually according to the local conditions. • The paper investigates the recent population development of 72 rural micro-regions. • Only the most peripheral micro-regions without any town centre are threatened. • Rural unemployment is in no case higher than the indicator in the related town centre. • The Moravian countryside is not depopulating, neither ageing. [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 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]

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]

In a consequence of the economic transformation, transport companies compete for the most profitable lines of public transport whereas the wide countryside remains of a little interest. As a solution, integrated systems of public transport could play an important role in the development of rural areas, especially in post-communist countries. Such a system in the South Moravian Region connects 24 state, municipal and private transport companies in a unified mode. It includes unified tariff, operation management from one place, and creation of a skeleton of high capacity (train) lines with transfer traffic nodes, creation of nodes on the city fringe for the change from buses to electric vehicles and release of capabilities for tangential lines. The system competes mainly with the individual car transport by its increasing comfort and extension of services. The annual performances have increased from 118 to 829 million of passengers-kilometers in the regional transport and from 344 to 396 million passengers in the city during the period 2004–2015. The relation between accessibility and rural development, particularly depopulation trends, was investigated. It was found that the frequency of connections is sufficient throughout the territory, which is one of main reasons inhabitants should remain in the countryside. Moreover, this frequency contributes positively to rural tourism, prevents social exclusion and stimulates progressive rural development throughout the whole territory. [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]

The main aim of the study was to find out whether cultural tourism could be a driver of rural development in the selected area and in general. In case yes, to what extent and under what conditions. Three districts in the South-Moravian Region, Znojmo, Břeclav, and Hodonín, situated in the rural borderland with Austria and Slovakia represented the study area. Both geographical and sociological methods were used to gather evidence for cultural tourism in that study. Firstly, attractiveness analysis of the area defined for cultural tourism took place. Next, factors influencing the potential for cultural tourism affecting rural development in South Moravia were evaluated. Finally, synergistic relations were discussed. In the territory, many forms of tourism intersect. Based on the results, it can be stated that cultural tourism can hardly be the main driver of rural development after the decline of agriculture because the region's economy has branched out in several directions. However, it can be an important complementary activity that yields both economic and non-economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]