Nowadays transformations of the Mazovia's rural landscape

Nowadays the traditional rural landscape of Mazovia created for many ages is changed as the effect of following social and economic transformation. We observe it's degradation in relation to many aspects. The negative changes included: destruction of spatial order connected with the free choice of architecture; the conveyance of urban arduous productive and service functions to villages connected with creation of new works and warehouses on fortuitous places; the disturbance of surroundings' perception caused by the chaos of ground technical arrangements and chaos of information made by ubiquitous aggressive elements of advertising located along the roads; the disturbance of surroundings and the nature manifested by "wild" dumping grounds of rugs; irreversible processes of destroying the sculpture of earth made by wasteful exploitation of scientific resources connected with forming of grovel-pits, sand-pits and excavations; reduction of agricultural landscape to poverty connected with the renunciation of agriculture and formation of waste lands; elimination of typical forms and structures of plants created by people - wayside and field afforestation, reduction of trees from farmyards and cemeteries, resignation of flower front-gardens, common replace native plants by foreign species; the commonness in using of mass-produced garden decorative elements and small architecture; insufficient protection of historical buildings, etc. All of that processes have destructive nature in meaning of superiority of spatial order's preservation and the respect of still existing scientific and cultural matter. If they stay imperceptibly and if we don't stop that occurrences they will threaten the irrevocable loss of lots of valuable and cultivated for many years typical elements of the Mazovia's landscape which decided about its cultural values (the urban structure of villages; historical forms of architecture - traditional rustic buildings with front-gardens, mansion-houses, palaces and churches; elements of agricultural culture - fields crossed by afforestation of pollard willows, old linden access roads, trees planted in relation with houses, churches and cemeteries, wayside crosses and wayside shrines). The rural Mazovia's landscape rich of historical elements and developed with the harmony of tradition is our cultural heritage. That's why the economic progress of that region should concern the process of sensible maintenance of beauty and harmonious landscape with the idea of equable development

Some aspects of the impact of technical work on the condition of trees in historical parks

Existing historical parks are often all that remains of important prestigious residences. Often converted as open public places, the old palace parks and estates have become a permanent feature in the landscape, being places of great cultural and natural value. One of the major components of such parks is the presence of old and in some cases ancient trees, especially valuable when it takes the character of a collection of plants with a high diversity of species and cultivars. Today, there is often a need for restoration work within these historical parks, often in modernising them or adapting them for new functions. Unfortunately, these actions are frequently undertaken incorrectly or irresponsibly, without taking into consideration the presence of valuable park trees. Changes in site conditions in the immediate vicinity of the trees may be the primary cause of deterioration in their health, manifested by a significant weakening and irreversible degradation. This applies especially to old specimens, whose adaptability to environmental changes is very limited. The aim of this study was to identify in selected examples, the relationship between the condition of park trees and improper execution of technical work in their vicinity related to the modernisation and maintenance of the park

Environmental and landscape study along with the concept of development of part of Żerań Canal’s western embankment

Zachodni brzeg Kanału Żerańskiego wyróżnia się potencjalnie wysokimi walorami przyrodniczymi i kulturowymi. Planowana na tym obszarze budowa gazociągu wysokiego ciśnienia zasilającego Elektrociepłownię Żerań stanowi strategiczne przedsięwzięcie dla pn.-wsch. Warszawy. Opracowanie wykonane w Katedrze Architektury Krajobrazu miało na celu określenie uwarunkowań przyrodniczo-krajobrazowych oraz kulturowych tego miejsca, które posłużyły do sformułowania wskazań funkcjonalno-przestrzennych, a następnie opracowania koncepcji zagospodarowania pasa terenu po zakończeniu budowy gazociągu.The western embankment of the Żerań Canal is an area of exceptional natural, cultural and recreational qualities. This site is also the location of the planned construction of a high pressure gas pipeline supplying Żerań Power Plant, which is a strategic undertaking for the north-eastern Warsaw. The study done at the Department of Landscape Architecture of the WULS-SGGW was aimed at determining values of natural and landscape resources and elaboration of the concept of site’s new development after construction of the gas pipeline