Full version
Spatial interactions and regionalisation of the Vysočina Region using the gravity models
Stanislav Kraft, Jan Blažek
pp. 65–82
Abstract
The submitted study is primarily aimed at the application of the gravity models to the research of theoretical and real spatial interactions and the theoretical and real regionalisation of the Vysočina Region in the Czech Republic. The interactions among the regional centres and the centres and their hinterland are a key component of the geographical organization of an area. The Reilly’s law belongs to the basic gravitation models used in the geographical research, especially for studying the interaction patterns among the settlement elements. Despite the fact that the gravitation models were used in the human geography especially in the second half of the 20th century, they still form an important part of the geographical methodology originating from the social physics. The outcome of the study is comparison of the real and theoretical interactions in the Vysočina Region and the study of relevance of the Reilly’s model application under specific geographical conditions.
Key words
spatial interactions, gravity models, regionalisation, Reilly’s law, Vysočina region
Full text: 
PDF (3.7 MB)
State of urban-rural cleavage in electoral preferences caused by socio-political situation in functional urban regions of western Slovakia
Martin Plešivčák
pp. 83–99
Abstract
Electoral behaviour of citizens is subject to a wide range of social, economic, political, institutional, legislative and psychological factors that ultimately modify the electoral choice of individuals. The spatial pattern of dependence between voters’ electoral preferences and their socio-economic background creates a space for application of geographic research within outlined issues and therefore geography is able to comment on existing regional discrepancies with detailed explanation. Social cleavage based on different political preferences is manifested in several dimensions, which relevance is changing in time and spatial context as well. One of the classic social cleavages is framed by urban-rural confl ict line, whose character is to be evaluated in presented contribution using example of functional urban regions located in western part of Slovakia. The time period of upcoming analysis is 1998-2010, when the country held four elections to the National Council of the Slovak Republic.
Key words
conflict line, urban-rural context, electoral preferences, functional urban regions, regional disparities
Full text: PDF (1.1 MB)
Spatial differentiation of the interpretive nature trails in the large-area protected natural territories
Josef Navrátil, Kamil Pícha, Stanislav Martinát
pp. 101–115
Abstract
The large-area protected territories within tourist regions the South Bohemia and the Šumava Mountains were observed – the National Park Šumava and the Šumava Protected Landscape Area, the Třeboňsko Protected Landscape Area, the Blanský les Protected Landscape Area and the Natural Park Novohradské hory. Location of the routes of particular interpretive nature trails was observed in types of relief, land use and climate. Observed and expected lengths of interpretive nature trails were compared. General natural relations in the creating of interpretive natural trails were successfully proved primarily for the particular types of land use. The most interesting is the obvious interconnection between interpretive nature trails and urban structures, which means the point of the usual entrance in the interpretive nature trail, and this even if the core of most of interpretive nature trails lies out of these urban structures. On the contrary, the use of the territory for routing according to the types of relief and fi rst of all according to the type of climate refl ects the specifi cs of particular areas. Not only the impact of existence of a natural occurrence plays a role when creating the interpretive nature trails but the frequency of appearance of such event is also of importance.
Key words
tourism geography, ecotourism, South Bohemia
Full text: PDF (255 kB)
Identification and analysis of areas of historical ponds (Chrudimka River Basin)
Renata Pavelková Chmelová, Jindřich Frajer, Přemysl Pavka, Miriam Dzuráková, Pavel Adámek
pp. 117–132
Abstract
This study deals with the possibilities of creation of a map database of historical ponds and its usability in combination with other sources of spatial information, using an example of a compact territory: the Chrudimka River Basin (Eastern Bohemia). A number of available data sources were used for the creation of the database: the maps of the historical exploitation of the landscape (the Military Survey, the Stabile Cadastre), the digital database of water management data, the database of geographical data of the Czech Republic, etc. The methods of both automatic (in ArcGIS 9.3) and manual localisation of basins were tested for the territory in question. In addition, the paper describes in detail the method of creation of the digital layer in the GIS environment, pointing out the problems encountered in the creation of this layer of ponds from the Second Military Survey (historical ponds). The paper also includes analyses of the areas of ponds from the Second Military Survey (the altitude, the size) and analyses of the land use of the areas of these ponds in the Chrudimka River Basin.
Key words
historical ponds, land use, old maps, Chrudimka River
Full text: PDF (4.5 MB)
Research report
2nd Geographical Discussion Forum (Jan Daniel)
pp. 133–134
Full version: PDF (136 kB)