Tourism and authenticity in the Czech villages of the Romanian Banat

In the 1820s, several thousand Czechs moved to the Carpathian Mountains region near the Danube river. They founded six villages. Strict ethnic endogamy helped preserve their cultural distinction. Nowadays these villages are visited by tourists from the Czech Republic. Visits are motivated by the search for both “traditional” rural landscape and lifestyle. The paper analyses the ways of how tourists perceive the rural landscape and lifestyle, how their perceptions vary and how they influence their behaviour. It is assumed that there is a sentiment for traditional, pre-modern world. This sentiment is used for tourism promotion there. Therefore the “harmonic cultural landscape” does not only have ecological and cultural value, but its image becomes a commodity in the tourism industry

Tourism and authenticity in the Czech villages of the Romanian Banat

In the 1820s, several thousand Czechs moved to the Carpathian Mountains region near the Danube river. They founded six villages. Strict ethnic endogamy helped preserve their cultural distinction. Nowadays these villages are visited by tourists from the Czech Republic. Visits are motivated by the search for both “traditional” rural landscape and lifestyle. The paper analyses the ways of how tourists perceive the rural landscape and lifestyle, how their perceptions vary and how they influence their behaviour. It is assumed that there is a sentiment for traditional, pre-modern world. This sentiment is used for tourism promotion there. Therefore the “harmonic cultural landscape” does not only have ecological and cultural value, but its image becomes a commodity in the tourism industry

Metodika hodnocení zahrádkářských lokalit (MEZA)

Zahrádkářské lokality jsou velmi heterogenní území, která představují pro města řadu přínosů, ale i problémů. Jejich hodnocení bývá v praxi často založeno na subjektivních či selektivních kritériích. Představená Metodika hodnocení zahrádkářských lokalit (MEZA) je jedním z možných pohledů na funkci a význam těchto území. Je dobrovolným nástrojem, který na jednu stranu standardizuje hodnocení zahrádkářských lokalit, na druhou stranu představuje maximálně uživatelsky přátelský postup, kterým lze snadno vyhodnotit široké spektrum těchto specifických území. MEZA vychází z multidisciplinárního přístupu a vyhodnocuje území ve třech perspektivách. První z nich sleduje městské zahradničení v rámci urbanismu a městského plánování. Druhá perspektiva analyzuje sociální benefity existence zahrádkářské komunity a ekonomické aspekty městského zahradničení (zahrady jako heterodoxní ekonomické prostory) včetně jejich příspěvku k potravinové bezpečnosti. Třetí hledisko zkoumá environmentální aspekty zahrádkářských lokalit včetně jejich předpokladů pro podporu biodiverzity.Urban allotment gardens are highly heterogeneous territories which deliver both benefits and problems for towns and cities. Their practical assessment is usually based on subjective and selective criteria. The methodology of assessment of urban allotment gardens (MEZA) is one of a number of possible attitudes to the function and importance of these territories. It is a voluntary tool which standardises assessment and presents a very user friendly procedure for evaluation of a wide range of these territories. Based on multi-disciplinary approach, it evaluates territories from three perspectives. First, it observes urban gardening in the framework of urban and town and country planning. Second, social benefits of gardening communities and economic aspects of urban gardening (gardens as heterodox economic space), including contribution to foodstuffs security, are analysed. The third viewpoint studies environmental aspects of allotment gardens and preconditions for the support of biodiversity

Analysis of Rural Social Aspects in the Context of Land Consolidations and Land Use Planning, the Case Study, Czech Republic

Our project was focused on the investigation of attitudes and preferences of the rural population concerning landscape protection and use in the context of land use planning documentations – Land Consolidations (LC) and Land Use Planning (LUP). The survey was organized in the form of questionnaires distributed in four model localities. In total, we obtained 196 responses (almost 32%) out of 617 questionnaires distributed via elementary schools. The respondents are more familiar with the notion of land use planning (80% know the term of land plan) than land consolidations (known by 50% respondents only). The local population are not confident about the land-managing subjects (60% respondents do not believe that the subjects managing agricultural land e.g. protect arable land against erosion). Seventy % of respondents agree with restoration of balks, with reducing the acreages of agriculturally managed land tracts. More than 90% respondents perceive the landscape as a space for recreation, sports, and rest. Only 20% of inhabitants are employed in agriculture (over 60% respondents work in services or other specializations). The respondents prefer natural environment over the economic aspects of the rural areas