The hierarchy and relationships between towns in Lubuskie Province

In socio-economic geography any regional settlement system makes one of its majorfactors of development. It is towns that play a specific role in this system, the meaning of which canbe approached from different perspectives. This paper focuses on the hierarchies and relationshipsbetween towns in the Province of Lubuskie seen from the spatial point of view. The volume and sequence rule of Zipf ’s law as well as the gravitation model have been used as the statistical tools. Thedata valid as in 2015 were accounted for in the analysis. Results from the empirical studies show thatdespite a similar urban density in Lubuskie Province and generally across Poland, the town system in theregion is visibly specific. Apart from two largest cities playing a regional and cross-regional function,i.e. Zielona Góra and Gorzów Wlkp., the issue of how small and middle-sized towns function in theprovince comes to the fore.Ukształtowany na terytorium regionu system osadniczy stanowi w geografii społecznoekonomicznej jeden z głównych czynników rozwoju. Szczególną rolę w systemie tym odgrywają miasta,których znaczenie rozpatrywać można z różnych perspektyw. W artykule z perspektywy przestrzennejbadaniom poddano hierarchię i relacje miast w województwie lubuskim. Spośród narzędzi statystycznychwykorzystano regułę wielkości i kolejności Zipfa oraz model grawitacji. Analizę przeprowadzono na podstawie danych za rok 2015. Wyniki badań empirycznych wskazują, że pomimo podobnego zagęszczeniamiast w województwie lubuskim jak ogólnie w kraju system miast w regionie charakteryzuje wyraźnaspecyfika. Obok dwóch największych miast pełniących funkcje regionalne i ponadregionalne, którymi sąZielona Góra i Gorzów Wlkp., duże znaczenie ma problematyka funkcjonowania małych i średnich miastw województwie

Krytyczne wizje geografii i planowania – sposoby myślenia, praktyka badawcza, niezgoda i naukowy aktywizm

We present a short description of the reasons for the establishment of the Critical Geography Research Unit at the Faculty of Social and Economic Geography and Spatial Management of Adam Mickiewicz University, within the context of the Polish geography discipline. In addition, we present the research assumptions of our scientific activities, selected research questions guiding empirical inquiries and the intellectual foundations of the critical approach we are use in our research practice. We have included short descriptions of our projects, both current and recently completed, as well as an up-to-date offer of cooperation, addressed to everyone who wants to follow the paths of science in a similar way.W artykule prezentujemy, w skróconej formie, przyczyny powstania Pracowni Geografii Krytycznej na Wydziale Geografii Społeczno-Ekonomicznej i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UAM. Powody te odnosimy głównie do kontekstu polskiej geografii. Poza tym w dalszej części tekstu prezentujemy założenia badawcze naszych aktywności naukowych, wybrane pytania badawcze kierujące dociekaniami empirycznymi oraz intelektualne podstawy stosowanego podejścia krytycznego. W tekście zawarliśmy krótkie opisy projektów zarówno aktualnych, jak i niedawno zakończonych oraz cały czas aktualną ofertę współpracy, skierowaną do wszystkich chcących w podobny sposób podążać ścieżkami nauki

A Proposal for a Tourism Regionalization of Poland Based on the Highest Levels of Tourism in a Region

The paper presents a brief review of twenty proposals for tourism regionalization of either a part of or the whole of Poland (or attempts to delimit the most attractive areas in terms of leisure), formulated between 1938 and 2012. It also analyses selected definitions of tourism regions and discusses the indicators which are proposed for the delimitation of tourism regions. Moreover, the paper attempts to indicate areas with the highest levels of tourism, in part modelled on Maria Mileska (1908-1988). It includes academic (precise) criteria for the designation of tourism regions. Some researchers’ comment that Mileska’s work is (partially) outmoded not so much from the methods employed as in the number of tourism regions and the areas covered. This should be regarded as understandable given that this regionalization was formulated at the beginning of the 1960s. Another important issue raised is the most recent tourism regionalization of Poland as prepared by Durydiwka

Soil transformations in catchment of disappearing Sumówko Lake (Brodnickie Lake District, Poland)

Lake disappearing is a natural process which contemporarily escalates in consequence of human activity. It is estimated that within the area of Northern Poland from the last glaciation period (ca. 17 000 years ago) a half of lakes totally have disappeared. Areas exposed after water basins desiccation have become native rocks for new soils. Reduced water level results in changes of morphology and properties of the soils situated in direct vicinity of former water basins. The aim of this study was to estimate impact of the catchment groundwater level fall on morphology and properties of direct lake catchment soils, exemplified by the lake Sumowko (Northern Poland) as well as description of new soils formed of lake sediments. The analysis covered 11 soil profiles emerging within former lake basin (newly formed soils) and soils from direct vicinity of former lake (modified through ground water level fall). Obtained results prove that newly formed soils (Limnic Histosol Drainic and Haplic Gleysol) in majority are utilized as grasslands. Soils of the former lake surroundings prove relic features of gleying while they are also subject to mucking process because of dehydration

Recovered Cities.

There is a large group of cities in Poland, which lost and re-gained their urban status. Many of those cities lost their urban status as the result of administrative reforms introduced by partitioning states in the 19th century, and after WWII. Restoration of their urban status took place after WWI and/or WWII. In the majority of the cities, the population did not exceed 10,000 inhabitants. Their contribution to overall urbanization of the country was rather limited

Historia startów klubów bydgoskich w I lidze szachowej w latach 1949-2012

The task of the Polish Team chess championship (first chess league) was to select the strongest club in Poland. The first club games took place in the year 1949. In the years 1949-2012, the first league included 5 Bydgoszcz teams: Spójnia Bydgoszcz, Budowlani Bydgoszcz, Caissa Bydgoszcz, Łączność Bydgoszcz, and Chemik Bydgoszcz. The record holder in the number of starts in the above-named period was the club Chemik Bydgoszcz, which was in the group of the best teams in Poland continuously for 10 years. Bydgoszcz teams won in total 6 medals, including 1 gold medal (Łączność Bydgoszcz, 1978), 1 silver (Chemik Bydgoszcz, 1984) and 4 bronze medals (Spójnia Bydgoszcz, 1952, Łączność Bydgoszcz, 1974 and Chemik Bydgoszcz, 1982 and 1983). In the years 1949-2012, Bydgoszcz clubs occupied all places on the podium. Łączność Bydgoszcz in the years 1972-1982, Chemik Bydgoszcz in the years 1982-1996, and Budowlani Bydgoszcz in the years 1957-1959 occupied the top position in the national chess arena. Starting from 1996, no Bydgoszcz club participated in team games for the Polish championship. They have been experiencing a period of stagnation to this day

Przemiany środowiskowe związane z antropopresją w ujściowym odcinku Warty

This article is an attempt at presenting environmental changes within the Warta valley during the last 250 years on the basis of existing archives, i.e. historical sources and old hydrographic hand-drawn maps, compiled in 1773 and 1786. Correlation with a modern map illustrates how much the hydrographic network and water conditions has changed in this area. The area under discussion by the author covers the valley of the lower Warta river from the mouth of Noteć river to the mouth of the Warta into the Odra river. First of all, an attempt was mode to reconstruct the initial environmental conditions. The greatest changes were connected with river regulation work in the Warta valley, including irrigation channels and discharge ditches draining the water from swampy valleys parts. These field works were for the most part of valley carried out towards the end of the 18-th century and the early part of the 19-th century. In this period the changes of hydrographic conditions were greatest. The present hydrographic pattern in the Warta Valley is artificial regulated with strengthened nearly straight line banks. This works provided for its stability, whereas in its other segments of Warta river often changed its course creating new meanders or arms. The dominance of drainage works in this area, liquidation of wet areas and river patterns made this terrain periodically dry, completely different than in the middle Ages. The Warta also lost its significance as a water route, and its water are polluted. In the Warta valley also the transformation of relief is caused by the development of transport routes, building the flood dam and another type of anthropogenic forms. In area under consideration as a result of human activity, practically all physiographic elements were changed – waters, swamps, relief, soils and topoclimate

Sztuka udanej miłości

The article is dedicated to a specific phenomenon – the book “The Art of Loving”, which broke all the records of popularity on the Polish reading market and whose publication was recognized as an important impetus for beginning changes in sexual customs of Poles, especially of Polish women. It is also dedicated to its author Michalina Wisłocka who was acclaimed a symbol of these moral changes. The author of the article adduces selected results of research portraying the scale of changes in attitudes towards sexual morality of Poles and describes the actions undertaken in recent years which resulted in greater recognition of both Wisłocka and her famous book.Opracowanie poświęcone jest swoistemu fenomenowi - książce „Sztuka kochania”, która pobiła wszelkie rekordy popularności na polskim rynku czytelniczym i której opublikowanie zostało uznane za ważny impuls do rozpoczęcia zmian w obyczajowości seksualnej Polaków, a zwłaszcza Polek oraz jej autorce, Michalinie Wisłockiej, która została okrzyknięta symbolem tych zmian obyczajowych. Autor przytacza także wybrane wyniki badań obrazujących skalę zmian w obyczajowości seksualnej Polaków oraz opisuje działania podejmowane w ostatnich latach, które zaowocowały większą rozpoznawalnością zarówno samej Wisłockiej, jak i jej słynnej książki