Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Historical Data Processing, Modelling,
Reconstruction, Analysis and Visualization
of Historical Landscape in the Region
of North-West Bohemia
Jan Pacina and Jiˇ´ Cajthaml
Introduction
The region of North-West Bohemia (the Czech Republic) has been a victim of very
intensive human activity for many decades. Since the beginning of the twentieth
century, the landscape has changed from an agriculture region to a heavy industri-
alized part of the country. The Most brown coal basin contains a huge amount of
brown coal located not very deep under the Earth
s surface. From the 1930s, the
brown coal in this region has been mined using open-pit technology and currently
the open-pit mines cover a total area of 3,800 ha. Open-pit mining is a relatively
cheap method of coal mining, but has a destructive effect on the surrounding
environment. The landscape structure has completely changed—including land-
use, hydrological network displacement and settlement extinction. Many towns and
villages have disappeared during the last 60 years of brown coal mining. Other
types of heavy industries (chemical, power) are closely connected to the mining
industry having other impacts on society and the surrounding environment. The
other major human activity which influences the landscape in this region are the
huge water dams constructed in the Most basin or in the neighboring Ore Moun-
tains. Water dams have caused settlement and landscape change in their surround-
ings as drinking water dams require specific regulations and treatment. The Ore
Mountains were densely inhabited in the past but with respect to the political
situations after the Second World War, German inhabitants moved to Germany
which resulted in settlement extinction as well.
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