Convergence of cultural landscape in the Czech-Bavarian border in Šumava Mts

Abstract

Two model municipality areas on the Czech-Bavarian (German) border were examined. The objective of research was to determine the changes which land use in different types of the natural environment on both sides of the border has undergone over the last 200 years with respect to the social driving forces. The task was based on historical studies of archived materials statistical a cartographic materials, recent fieldworks and finally carried out in the GIS environment, which encompassed maps of natural landscape units of both areas and land use maps of 1829–1840, 1935–1938 and in 2002–2007. Results show a high degree of similarity in the dominance of the main forms now as output of previous development: in forests, meadows and arable land, as well as in corresponding types of units on both sides of the border. Through clustering, the development trends of all the units have been detected. These trends tend to lead toward a similar form of present land use.