Jan LACINA
Functional Diferentiation of Landscapes in the Area of Deep Coal Mining Downsizing in the Ostrava Region..
A framework suitable for the classification of anthropogenic changes in the landscape induced by deep mining and related activities is represented by contemporary landscape types (CLT). CLTs are specified to include areas with a certain mode and intensity of anthropogenic impact and its certain consequences in the natural conditions of the given landscape type. Main differentiation characteristics and phenomena include the relief with the bedrock and soils, water formations and particularly the actual vegetation cover. The CLTs defined in this way are frameworks of a certain quality of environment and nature, certain degree of ecological stability, landscape character and functional significance represented by functional type.

Antonín VAISHAR
Demographic Prognoses For Some Seats In The Ostrava Region.
The Ostrava region, situated in the territory of Moravia and Silesia, is an example of an industrial agglomeration based on bituminous coal mining and the development of heavy industries, which resulted in serious consequences for migration, the development of urbanization, the formation of transportation routes and the devastation of the environment. At the present time, this region is undergoing a transformation of its economic base, on the one hand, and also through a transformation from a centrally planned economy to a market economy, on the other hand. In this paper, the impacts of these transformation processes are discussed: for settlement in general in the region, for selected towns of different sizes and for some rural microregions. One can expect settlement diversification and the redistribution of inhabitants within the region to benefit some small towns and rural settlements. It can also be assumed housing will be separated from other functions within the framework of suburbanization processes. Some possible pitfalls of restructuring are also discussed: the construction of a sterile network of hypermarkets, commercial buildings, parking lots and residential quarters, all of which have no real links to concrete localities.

Eva KALLABOVÁ, Jaroslav BÍLEK
The Historical Background And Current Situation Of Mass (Industrial) Forms Of Housing In The Ostrava Region (Czech Republic).
Some crucial impulses in the development of building mass (industrial) forms of housing (within the boundaries of continental Europe) are recollected and summarized here, so that the merits of their construction, especially in industrial areas, can be substantiated and comprehended. Concrete examples in the Czech Republic occur in the area of the Ostrava region, namely in the town of Havířov. The regional settlement pattern in this area, even in the 21st century, continues to exhibit many industrial types of mass housing forms, originating from the period between the mid-19th century (miner’s colonies, settlements) and the 1990s (prefabricated housing areas).

Barbora KOLIBOVÁ, Oldřich MIKULÍK
Social Climate In The Ostrava Region.
A summary of findings from sociological surveys in the Ostrava region, carried out in the period 1999-2003, is presented here: results are based on sampled groups of employed and unemployed persons, together with a comparison of members of major representative professional groups – coal miners, metallurgists and chemists. The targetted research was elaborated with additional surveys from the coal mines of Paskov-Staříč, a.s. and ČSM, a.s., as well as from the model area of the Ostrava-Michálkovice town district. The present project provides a further refinement to knowledge in the area of the changed perceptions of life style by respondents themselves. It is also focused on the acquisition of data about the standard of living, perceptions of environmental quality, value orientations, etc. These projects are a part of long-term research focused on the assessment of regional environmental change in the Ostrava region.

Jana ZAPLETALOVÁ
Development Of Railway Traffic And The Network Of Sidings In The Ostrava Region.
A characteristic feature of the Ostrava region used to be a very dense network of local railways and siding tracks. Their construction and inactivation are very closely related to the development of coal mining and the linked operations of coking plants, iron mills and power plants. The first proposals for the construction of so-called “coal railroads“ appeared at the beginning of the 1850s. The railroads were built narrow-gauged or with a normal gauge (1435 mm); historically, they were of single-track type first, with some of them being later reconstructed to a double-track type. After some time they became single-track again and finally they were closed down.

Peter WIRTH, Gerd LINTZ
Rehabilitation And Development Of Mining Regions In Eastern Germany – Strategies And Outcomes.
Cities and regions suffering a decline in their mining industries face severe ecological and socio-economic problems. Since reunification, the situation of mining areas in eastern Germany has been characterised by two features: the speed and extremely short time-scale of decline and strong state support for rehabilitation and development. This article presents some theoretical considerations on this topic, as well as the geography of eastern German mining regions. An overview of the adopted strategies is given, together with a discussion of the various outcomes which have been achieved. Finally, an assessment is made with respect to the way eastern Germany has coped with its challenges.