Transformed landscapes in Czechia – opportunities for their "new" recreational use

Abstract

The paper is based on the ongoing project of the Ministry of Culture NAKI II: Heritage of Extinct Landscapes: Identification, Reconstruction, Accessibility, which is worked on by experts from the entire geographical section of the Faculty of Science, Charles University. As part of the project, we have already analyzed a total of 40 territories of variously transformed landscapes throughout Czechia. Many of them are currently at least partially intensively used by human society, especially for recreational purposes - the Giant Mountains, Central Povltaví, Novomlýnské reservoirs or Most. We will pay more attention to the last-mentioned territory in this article. Most area in the last 200 years has undergone fundamental changes in terms of the micro and macrostructure of the landscape. From agricultural land in the 19th century, through lands affected by intensive brown coal mining and industry in the 20th century, to the currently partially reclaimed land, which is gradually "returned" to nature and the general public, precisely through the conversion of former mining areas into areas suitable for tourism. Over the last 200 years, the landscape of Most area has undergone not only a physical change in structure, but also a change in use and function.