Prace Geograficzne są czasopismem naukowym wydawanym przez Instytut Geografii i Gospodarki Przestrzennej Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego. Prace Geograficzne należą, obok Czasopisma Geograficznego i Przeglądu Geograficznego, do grupy najstarszych polskich czasopism geograficznych. W Pracach Geograficznych publikowane są artykuły oraz recenzje obejmujące zagadnienia z zakresu geografii fizycznej i nauk pokrewnych, m.in.: geofizyki, geologii, środowiskowej, ochrony środowiska, ochrony przyrody, geoekologii, ekohydrologii oraz geografii społeczno-ekonomicznej i nauk pokrewnych, m.in.: rozwoju lokalnego i regionalnego, studiów regionalnych, studiów miejskich, gospodarki przestrzennej, planowania regionalnego. Strona WWW | ISSN 1644-3586 | e-ISSN 2083-3113 | Częstotliwość kwartalnik | Punkty MNiSW: 70
Czasopismo jest publikowane w otwartym dostępie, co oznacza, że wszystkie treści są dostępne bezpłatnie dla użytkowników i instytucji. Począwszy od Numeru 166 (2022) artykuły zamieszczone w czasopiśmie objęte są licencją Uznanie autorstwa 4.0 Międzynarodowe (CC BY 4.0). Więcej szczegółów o licencji CC BY 4.0: podsumowanie licencji, treść licencji. Artykuły zamieszczone w czasopiśmie w zeszytach 148 (2017) – 165 (2021) objęte są licencją Uznanie autorstwa - Użycie niekomercyjne - Bez utworów zależnych 4.0 Międzynarodowe (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Zmiany tej dokonano w 2019 roku. Z pozostałych zamieszczonych w niniejszym czasopiśmie utworów można korzystać w ramach dozwolonego użytku zgodnie z art. 23-35 Ustawy z dnia 4 lutego 1994 r. o prawie autorskim i prawach pokrewnych. Copyright Począwszy od roku 2022 umożliwia Autorom zachowanie praw autorskich do swoich prac bez ograniczeń. Autorzy udzielają Wydawcy niewyłącznej nieograniczonej licencji do korzystania z Utworu na wielokrotne wydanie i dystrybucję. Przed rokiem 2022 autorzy przekazywali prawa autorskie Wydawcy, a Wydawca udzielał Autorowi licencji niewyłącznej.
Delphi method in an estimation of tourist places
This paper repeats results of the research of Delphi method organized by Jonathan Tourtelot at the end of the year 2006. Delphi method is one of the best scientific method for measuring of unmeasurable phenomena. The topic of the research was estimation of general conditions for tourism every places of UNESCO World Heritage List. This evaluation required weighing such subtle issues as aesthetics and cultural integrity as well as balancing good points against bad ones
Prawa autorskie (c) 2016 Prace Geograficzne
Zrównoważona konsumpcja. Źródła koncepcji i jej zastosowanie
Sustainable consumption. Sources of concept and implementationc The aim of this article is to draw attention to the two approaches to the concept of sustainable consumption. This consumption, so popular among consumers, policy makers and entrepreneurs is meant to refer to the concept of sustainable development and to be an alternative to consumerism. The alternative, which in effect is to contribute to the reduction of environmentally and socially devastating effects of consumer culture. In the first part of this article I attempt to present philosophical , cultural and legislative basis for the concept of sustainable consumption. In the second part, I discuss the theoretical and practical problems of this kind of consumption. The problems are a result of dominative approach to sustainable consumption based on the idea of innovation and rationalization of production as a successful and sufficient way to approach sustainable consumption. In economic discourse such approach is called weak sustainable consumption as an opposite to strong sustainable consumption.
Sustainable consumption. Sources of concept and implementationc The aim of this article is to draw attention to the two approaches to the concept of sustainable consumption. This consumption
Rozwój turystyki narciarskiej w świetle idei zrównoważonego rozwoju – stan badań
The development of ski tourism in the light of idea of sustainable development – state of research The development and functioning of ski resorts brings many economic an social benefits for the mountain regions. However, this results in many cases, with the significant cost in environment. Reducing disadvantageous changes due to the development for the mass skiing movement in the late 80th and 90th twentieth century resulted in the need to revise the current model of ski tourism development. The aim of this study is to present – on the basis of the current state of research – contemporary problems of ski tourism development in the world in the context of achieving economic and social benefits, while preserving the value of natural environment of mountain areas, according to the principles of sustainable development. Despite of the negative environmental impacts, resulting from the development and functioning of ski resorts and unfavorable predictions of climate and demographic changes, ski tourism should continue to develop in the traditional ski regions. For many communities, this activity is the most important sector of the local economy, supporting other forms of development, as well as inhibit the phenomenon of emigration in search of work. Activities which seek to ” balance ” the development of ski tourism have environmental, economic and social dimensions. Environmental aspects relate to eliminate negative environmental impact of ski infrastructure and ski tourism movement includes: modernization of ski lifts, cableways and snowmaking system, appropriate waste management, improvement of air quality, continues monitoring of natural environment quality, the planned development of ski resorts, participation in voluntary environmental programs and initiatives aimed to raising the ecological awareness of employees, visitors and local communities. Economic aspects financial performance though the development of new tourism products. In order to achieve a competitive advantage, in many ski resorts are conducted market research and marketing actions in order to create a good image of the company, locality and region, and to search for niches of the market. However, very important issue is to implement social activities by the ski resorts consisting primarily on employing local communities, meeting the expectations of tourists referred to their satisfaction with the stay, educating tourists of the safety on ski slopes and adapting some of ski resorts to disabled ski tourists. The concept of sustainable development of ski resorts can be applied in the developed mountain tourist regions, where the economy is dominated by mass ski tourism or in areas, where this form of tourism is still developing. The preservation of development of specialized and addicted to this form of tourism regions requires to conduct active marketing actions, continues monitoring and preventive procedure in the event of a deterioration in economic conditions or reduction in the quality of tourist values. Sustainable tourism development assumes conscious adaptation and adjustment to its objectives both by tourists, leisure organizers, local authorities and representatives of host communities, but this goal in practice may be difficult to achieve.
Ochrona krajobrazu przemysłowego jako element zrównoważonego rozwoju na przykładzie konurbacji górnośląskiej
Preservation of the industrial landscape as an element of sustainable development – the example of Upper Silesian urban area The first part of the paper presents the basic terminology associated with the industrial landscape, which is a specific type of the cultural landscape, and the concepts of landscape preservation and sustainable development. In the following part of the paper, basing on the example of the Upper Silesian urban area, the typical characteristics of the industrial landscape are specified. Its most important virtues, which are the reason why it should be protected in the context of sustainable development, are also presented. The author tried to identify the obstacles to preservation of the industrial landscape, including the problem of its negative perception. The paper also contains the analysis of presently applied legal forms of preservation of the industrial landscape basing on same examples form Upper Silesia. There is also an example from Ruhr Region presented in the purpose of comparison. The demanded actions, which should take place in the Upper Silesian urban area basing on the German experiences, are presented in the summary.
Wykorzystanie energii geotermalnej w Polsce
The use of geothermal energy in Poland Geothermal energy is one of the renewable sources of energy, which is extremely important from the point of view of the idea of sustainable development. In modern Poland, the use of geothermal energy is so far limited. There are several plants that use geothermal energy for heating purposes, but the cost-effectiveness of this type of investment is low. For several years, a rapid development of so-called thermal parks has been observed, which is related with a newfound fashionability of the healthy lifestyle. Particularly advantageous geological conditions in the region of Podhale, as well as the significant tourist popularity of this area in general all year round, make this type of investment substantially profitable. In other parts of the country, only a few relatively small thermal parks are operational and development is not easy because of the high start-up cost and difficulty of providing adequate financial resources
Miasto zielone – miasto zrównoważone. Sposoby kształtowania miejskich terenów zieleni w nawiązaniu do idei Green City
Green City – Sustainable City Bad urban policy leads to environmental degradation and a reduction in the quality of life in cities. Therefore, local government action ought to be guided by the principle of sustainable development. The application of the green city idea can have a positive effect on the natural environment and urban quality of life. The research methods presented in this paper concern the development of green cities, which are most vulnerable to the risk of what can be called excessive urbanization. The conversion of degraded or neglected cities into green urban centers may be the answer to environmental, social, and economic problems in such cities. Urban planners increasingly more often pay attention to the link, which exists between the idea of green cities and the urban concept of a garden city. However, this novel idea assumes not only the creation of green areas, but also a reduction in dust and gas emissions, likewise noise and waste, renewable energy, implementation of sustainable transportation, and promotion of organic food staples. Cities that properly apply these principles are called green cities or eco-cities. Many Scandinavian and North American countries base their policy on sustainable development. Local governments in Poland, as well as urban planners in Poland, must derive inspiration from the environmental approach employed in other countries. Greenery plays important roles in urban aesthetics; therefore, it is necessary to take it into consideration in land use planning, city development strategies, and local programs linked with urban revitalization. New housing projects should assume the existence of such spaces, which would interfere with the natural environment as little as possible. Developers should also be required to restore destroyed green areas. The revitalization of Polish housing units must be rethought in the spirit of the green city concept. Greenery should dominate in all housing complexes, which would refresh and enrich the landscape through so-called living walls. This would have a positive effect not only on the aesthetic appearance of buildings, but also it would help maintain a more comfortable temperature throughout housing estates in the winter and in the summer. So-called green roofs could be built on the flat roofs of all existing housing blocks. Geographers and landscape ecologists should be permitted to evaluate new construction projects. Community participation and environmental education both play a key role in pro-environmental policy. Moreover, city residents should have some influence on the appearance of their city.
Tereny zieleni publicznej w kontekście zrównoważonego rozwoju miasta
Public green open spaces according to city sustainable development This paper consists of quantitative analysis of different types of green open spaces in 26 towns and cities in Poland. It shows a few examples of good ideas of multifamily residential areas built in 50. and 60. of XX century in Lublin. Quality of green open spaces in Polish multifamily residential areas is considered by three examples – Żabiniec and Ruczaj in Cracow and LSM in Lublin. Polish spatial planning law system was analysed through local plans, especially Stare Podgórze-Krzemionki local spatial planning law. A part of this plan is focesed on green open space called Bednarski Park.
Turystyka i handel przygraniczny – przykład wschodniego pogranicza Polski
Tourism and trade in borderlands – an example of Polish eastern borderland The main objective of the paper is to present Polish eastern border problems in a particular geopolitical context including efforts such as shopping tourism, which helps overcome border problems and associated limitations. National borders serve as a factor of separation between different political and institutional systems, but on the other hand, borders can be a source of contact between different groups of people or different societies. It is important to understand the nature and various types and functions of borders and the related factors that make nearby regions special destinations for tourists. National borders may prove highly valuable to local autonomy as well as tourism planning and destination marketing organizations making border area economics less prone to recession. The paper describes the main motivations for borderland tourism – that is shopping – giving many different reasons to travel across national borders. Shopping tourism close to Poland’s eastern border is characterized via an analysis of commercial endeavors, the frequency of border crossings, as well as the structure and average costs. National border area tourism plays an important role in local economies, making them more prosperous and/or enlarging the black market zone. The European Union’s Schengen eastern border is a special example of the occurrence of these problems. This borderland faces serious economic and demographic problems due to the political function of the eastern border as a strong barrier to development. In this situation, it is important to examine relevant trends and observe if tourism is one of the ways for local area residents to deal with economic stagnation.
Wybrane instrumenty oddziaływania na gospodarkę a rozwarstwienie społeczne w Polsce – kontekst rozwoju zrównoważonego
Some instruments of impact on economy and social stratification in Poland – sustainable development contexts Sustainable development is characterized by the existence of two components: the natural and the socio-economic one. It seems that the key to real action to protect the environment is to use instruments of sustainable development for enhance social cohesion. In the context of social exclusion characteristics can be assumed that individualizing operations, using full potencial of educational system, creating better conditions for the development of enterprises, enabling easy access to specialist psychological support, including basic therapeutic support, are basic actions need to be done. Necessary is also a change of mind: the minimum wage, intervention buying-in, subsidies and cheap loans to farmers, benefits for the poor and unemployed, and ways to design competitions for EU funds, not only do not help, but sometimes are even harmful for sustainable development
Twitter jako źródło informacji geograficznej
The Twitter as a source of geographic information In recent years, social media has gained significant popularity. The popularization of portable devices has produced a significant number of posts on social media along with a geolocation. Twitter is especially interesting. Thanks to an open Application Programming Interface ( API ), it ensures free access to published content. Data obtained this way gives new possibilities for social and geographic research. The research literature emphasizes the usefulness of Twitter for the purpose of the monitoring of extreme phenomena. This paper presents the main trends in research on Twitter tweets and technical solutions enabling data downloading.
Climate change and its possible impacts on the urban areas in SW Slovakia
The paper is devoted to a brief analysis of possible climate change impacts on the sub-urban and urban areas of south-western Slovakia. Climate change due to the enhanced greenhouse effect can result in about 2.5°C increase in the mean global temperature until 2100. In Slovakia it is assumed to be a range of 2 to 4°C. On the other hand, additional warming of urban areas is caused mainly by a changed heat balance of the land surfaces in urbanized agglomerations (concrete, asphalt, buildings, cobblestones, etc.) and partly also by thermal pollution (release of energy from heating and other human activities). In smaller towns the urban effect causes warming by about 0.5°C, in the largest cities up to 2°C in the mean annual temperature on a long-term average. A review of research on urban climate in Slovakia to date is included. Future plans to study and improve urban climate are listed in the paper.
Prawa autorskie (c) 2015 Prace Geograficzne
Variation of spring phenological phases and airborne pollen grains of the european hazel (corylus avellana l.) in the Zvolen Basin (Slovakia) as influenced by meteorological factors
The impact of air temperature on the formation of generative organs of the European hazel (Corylus avellana L.) and the onsets of related phenophases during the years 1987-2009 in Central Slovakia (the Zvolen basin) are analyzed in this paper. The analyses are based on the records of 10% and full onset of catkins lenghtening, inflorescence emergence and flowering. Catkins lengthening was observed on February 7th and lasted 10 days on average, inflorescence emergence on February 20th and 8 days and flowering on March 2nd and 6 days. The earliest dates of phenophases onsets were observed in 2007, while the latest in 1987 and 2005. A large variability of daily mean air temperatures in different years resulted also in a high variability of phenophases onsets (sx% 27.3-35.3). The onsets of spring phenophases earlier by 2.5-5.5 days were recorded at the end of the evaluated period of years as compared with the beginning. The concentration of pollen grains captured with a Burkard volumetric rotate pollen trap culminated approximately 10 days after flowering. The peak pollen grain concentration varied in a range of 50-500 pollen grains per m3. The peaks of pollen grains concentrations in the Zvolen Basin were influenced, apart from the flowering of the European hazel also by the transport of pollen grains from higher mountainous habitats especially in the late pollen season.
High suspended dust concentrations in Brno, Sosnowiec and Krakow (the year 2009 as an example)
The paper presents a description of synoptical and meteorological conditions on days with the highest suspended dust concentrations in three Central European cities (Brno, Sosnowiec and Krakow). The study was based on daily PM10 dust concentration records, selected weather data and calendars of types of synoptic situation (by T. Niedźwiedź and by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute) for the year 2009. The highest PM10 concentrations were found to coincide with similar synoptic situations and weather conditions in all three cities. The fact that pollution norms were exceeded most frequently in Krakow, followed by Sosnowiec and Brno, suggests a local impact.
Influence of circulation types on the SO2 concentration in the Silesian Upland
It is well known that the area of investigation is the most densely populated region in Poland, and air is one of the most important environmental elements determining the quality of human life. In spite of the improvement in the aero-sanitary conditions in recent years, the situation in this region is still unfavorable. Although less frequent, there are cases of exceeded air pollution norms, daily norms in particular, which is especially visible in the winter season. The detailed evaluation of the influence of circulation types on the appearance of particular concentrations of pollutants carried out in this work confirmed the predominant influence of individual circulation types - synthetic measures of atmospheric circulation - on the development of air pollution levels in the Silesian Upland. Daily immission data and three calendars of circulation types allowed the authors to present mutual relations between the considered variables in detail.
Influence of air temperature inversions on the air pollution dispersion conditions in Krakow
Krakow is one of the most polluted cities in Poland. Its natural ventilation is limited due to the location of the city in a river valley. Air temperature inversions are an important element of the local climate in Krakow and a factor strongly influencing air pollution dispersion conditions. Traditional, multi-annual (1972-1996) measurements of air temperature, from three rural stations, and 1-year (03.2009-02.2010) intensive automatic measurements from two rural stations, one urban station and from a mast top 115 m above the ground were used. In the night time, inversions are less frequent in the urban than in the rural area, but still the frequency is over 30% from spring till autumn. In the studied 100-meter air stratum, no crossover effect was found. The relatively high frequency of air temperature inversions in the urban area of Krakow is a significant mesoclimatic difference in comparison with cities located in flat areas. It is also a factor seriously decreasing the natural ventilation and air pollution dispersion conditions.
Deficit of solar radiation and its impact on the lives of urban dwellers (case study: the city of Krakow)
Solar radiation is necessary for the proper development, maturing and functioning of the human body. A period of time when there was a deficit of solar radiation in the city of Krakow was identified and characterized. The period was selected based on diurnal values of cloudiness and sunshine duration from the years 1884-2009. An analysis of the impact of the deficit of solar radiation on the health and well-being of city dwellers was performed. Proposals were put forth on how to prevent the consequences of the lack of sunshine.
Temperature conditions of Brno City on the level of mesoclimate and microclimate
The urban climate causes intensive physical stress with negative impacts on health. Stations with automatic measurement regime lying in potentially comparable climatic conditions but significantly different environmental conditions were selected in order to analyze the heat waves incidence. The urban climate was represented by the Brno-Zabovresky and Mendel Square stations and the suburban climate by the Brno-Turany and Jundrov stations. The number of tropical days in individual years, the number of days in heat waves, the sum of effective temperatures in heat waves above 30°C, the number of heat waves and the maximum and averages duration of heat waves were analyzed. The influence of albedo, emissivity and temperature (ir)regulation of different surfaces were also evaluated. The detailed study of climatic conditions at the stations placed in the city centre, outside the city centre and in the periphery proved that the mean annual temperature varies from 10.4 to 11.1°C. The maximum annual temperature varies from 36.1 to 37.9°C. The number of summer days varies from 178 to 260. The number of tropical days varies from 42 to 103.
Rozwój i oferta usług turystyki uzdrowiskowej po polskiej i czeskiej stronie Sudetów
This article deals with the character and role of spa tourism in the Sudetes region, both in Poland and the Czech Republic. The present state and changes of the spa offer on both sides of the border are described here as well. The differences in the development of the Czech and Silesian part of the Sudetes arose in the middle ages already. The Silesian mineral springs used for curative purposes have been used from the 13th century. The oldest spas (Lądek Zdrój and Cieplice) were built next to them. Then, some other spas appeared and in the 18th century there were also Świeradów, Stary Zdrój, Jedlina Zdrój, Kudowa-Zdrój and Duszniki Zdrój. The Czech spas began to develop later. The oldest one is Janské Lázně which came into existence in the 17th century, next to a spring popular already in the middle ages; the spring in Velké Losiny was used for curative purposes in the 16th century. In the 18th century, Lázně Libverda Spa was created and at the turn of 17th and 18th centuries, Kuks spa existed for some short time. The other spas came into being in the 19th century already with the famous Lázně Jeseník created by the pioneer of hydrotherapy Vincez Priessnitz. The spas on the Polish side are now usually bigger and with richer accommodation. The majority of them are of urban structure. The Czech spas are smaller with the prevailing tourism function. Despite this, the offer of spa treatments there is much richer but their cost is at least twice the price of those treatments in Poland. The accommodation price is as a rule more expensive too. The price differences reflect also the spas standard and accessibility
Agriculture used to be the most vital branch of economy in the Carpathian Mountains. It is particularly significant in the Carpathian Foothills. The importance of the agricultural function decreases towards the south in favour of forestry and tourism (Groch, Kurek 1995). The tourism function is particularly important for the Polish Carpathians, as they have the largest share of areas of the highest value for tourism. Environmental features allow many forms of tourism to develop during the relatively long tourist season (Warszyńska 1985). However, both infrastructure and tourist traffic in the discussed area are very diverse as a result of uneven distribution of tourist values and various tourist traditions (Groch, Kurek 1995). Data from the Main Statistical Office allow estimating that in 2006 there were over 2 thousand agritourism facilities able to accommodate over 22 thousand people in the Polish Carpathians. Yet the data may be considerably underestimated. The most numerous agritourism accommodation facilities are found in the Podhale (particularly in Spisko-Gubałowski Foothills) and in the Beskids and Pieniny Mountains, far fewer in the Carpathian Foothills. Over 50% of accommodation places in agritourism farms are found in the tatrzański (16.5%), nowotarski (15.6%), żywiecki (12.2%) and leski (9.5%) poviats. In the gmina of Bukowina Tatrzańska there are the most - as much as 1869 (8.4%) - accommodation places in agritourism farms (fig. 1). In the Polish Carpathians, agritourism accommodation facilities make just above 40% of rural tourism accommodation, but in the particular regions these values differ greatly from the average (fig. 1, tab. 1). The research shows that the development of the tourism function in rural areas brings many benefits. Tourism is an important source of income for the inhabitants of the country, and thus reduces emigration to urban areas (particularly in the case of young people and women). It is also an important factor in improving the living standards of the rural population (Kurek 1990). Agritourism - a specific case of rural tourism - combines the agricultural and tourism functions of the Polish Carpathians. It offers an opportunity to rest in attractive rural areas and is an important source of financial support for many families. This form of tourism usually develops in an environmentally friendly manner, thus it is also an element of sustainable tourism development in this region.
Wybrane warunki rozwoju funkcji turystycznej miast Karpat Polskich
Contemporary determinants of urban socio-economic development are often attributed to several factors, which include: urban policy as specified by local governments, local entrepreneurship and legal regulations. These factors may have different effects upon urban development. This development hinges on the various resources available in a region: its environmental, cultural, economic and social elements. The Carpathians are one of the most important tourist regions in Poland, so broadly defined tourism plays a crucial role in the socio-economic development of many mountainous towns. The major aim of this research is to identify the links between towns' spatial structure (topographic elements) and potential tourist development. Also, the author attempts to determine the role of tourism in the Carpathian towns through the lenses of local government policies. This attempt, although based on tourist functions, does not include all the factors local development depends on, nor all t he indicators necessary to fully understand this issue. Only a few selected characteristics of the town development are taken into consideration. Accordingly, this research is also a new approach to the considered topic as viewed from the methodological perspective; many factors derived from settlement analyses were classified and then put together as a whole. In accordance with such an approach it was determined that: 1) towns located in the Polish Carpathians have good prospects to increase their tourist potential; 2) unlike for other towns, the land relief is not a barrier of tourist development here, but rather an asset; 3) local governments are generally aware of the role played by tourist potential in the socio-economic development of their area. Additionally, a very important issue is to plan and implement such actions, which are in line with sustainable development. A need to preserve both natural and cultural resources in the Polish Carpathians is inevitable, if these resources are still to be the main advantage accelerating socio-economic development.
Walory przyrodnicze i kulturowe jako podstawa atrakcyjności turystycznej Beskidów Wschodnich na obszarze obwodów lwowskiego i iwanofrankowskiego (Ukraina)
The aim of this article is to identify tourist values of the Eastern Beskids in Ukraine (within the borders of Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts). According to field research, natural values are most important for tourism and they are the basis of several forms of tourism. It should be stressed that winter sports developed especially in the last few years. On the other hand, rich and unique ethnography forms a major factor of anthropogenic values, which distinguishes the Eastern Beskids Mts. from the other parts of the Carpathian Mts. Tourism, especially cultural one, develops thanks to the anthropogenic values, mainly in the Pokutia-Bukovina Beskidy Mts. and Sanok-Turka Mts. The development of tourism encounters some serious obstacles, e.g. infrastructural shortages and an increasing number of environmental conflicts. On the other hand, a low level of development is highly valued by foreign tourists, because many mountain regions, e.g. in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia are heavily invested.
Główne kierunki i problemy rozwoju turystyki narciarskiej w Republice Słowackiej
Ski tourism is one of the most prospective kinds of tourism in Slovakia. Favourable physical and geographical conditions of the country have stimulated development of skiing and the creation of ski centres that have become the centres of winter tourism. Because of mass character of skiing, the construction of ski lifts and means of transport, their technical and technological modernizations, as well as the development of services have become important pre-conditions for the development of ski tourism. Ski localities and centres are situated almost all over the territory of Slovakia, but their largest concentration is in northern Slovakia. They are concentrated in nine regions of tourism where also the most important international tourist centres are situated. Not only old ski and tourism centres have been developing, but also new ski centres, the so-called "greenfields" have been created, such as, for example, Valčianska Valley in the Malá Fatra Mountains near Martin. The development of ski tourism causes, undoubtedly, various problems and negative impacts on various spheres: 1. Some ski centres are situated in the protected areas of the Natura 2000 network. The ongoing considerable construction and its extension usually do not comply with regional ecological regulations. Moreover, the construction causes undesirable changes in the physiognomy of the area and leads to the loss of its authenticity (for example, the construction and architectural chaos in the Donovaly centre). 2. Big investment projects in the centres situated in the protected areas are in contradiction with the constraints of nature conservation. That is why the investors try to change the zoning system in these regions. As a response to this, environmentalists, ecologists and foresters show negative attitudes and opinions regarding the investor's intentions and plans. 3. Just like in the Polish ski centres (Mika 2009), there are legal issues concerning the relations between the plot owners and ski-lift service providers in Slovakia. 4. Especially smaller areas (closely connected with mountain hotels) that do not have snow cannons are dependent on snow and weather, which means that during dry winters they cannot operate. 5. Ski centres which obtain considerable grants from the European Union are rather bigger than small. Smaller ski centres therefore suffer from lack of money necessary to maintain their operation. 6. Not only ski tourism but tourism in general and its development are negatively influenced by the world economic crisis. In regard to the modernization of ski infrastructure, large Slovak ski centres are comparable to Alpine centres. The management of these centres endeavours to extend the stay of the tourists in these centres from one-day to longer stays, especially by offering the tourists advantageous tourist packages including ski passes. What is important here, it is the willingness of service providers to cooperate. Tourists' most favourite activities are the visits to thermal out-door and in-door pools situated close to the ski centres, the co-operation with the spa centres, and wellness activities. Additional services are also provided. To attract visitors, the centres of the international importance organize regular events such as sled dog race in the Donovaly Mountains. The main strategy of these centres is to change their character from seasonal to year-round centres like the resorts of Vysoké Tatry-Starý Smokovec, Vysoké Tatry-Tatranská Lomnica or trbské Pleso. From the regional point of view, it is important to maintain and support smaller ski centres as the complementary areas to big ski centres. Smaller centres provide especially urban population with peaceful rest and an escape from the civilization stress. The smaller centres have better predisposition for the development of ecotourism which would not be in contradiction with the environmental protection of the country. They can also potentially offer job opportunities for the local inhabitants whose employment in mountain villages is problematic.
Ocena atrakcyjności turystycznej stacji narciarskich w świetle zagadnienia ich konkurencyjności - studium porównawcze Szczyrku i Białki Tatrzańskiej
The dynamic development of ski infrastructure in the Polish Carpathians is changing the existing structure of relationships among ski stations and their hierarchy in the system of tourist reception. Currently, one of the indicators of the stations' functioning is free market competitiveness and competition in the field of incoming tourism. One of the elements fundamental to the formation of competitiveness of tourist localities is their tourist attractiveness. The aim of this study is to present the evaluation of the attractiveness of Szczyrk and Białka Tatrzańska as ski stations in the light of opinions expressed by users of ski areas. The chosen ski stations represent two generations of Polish winter tourism centres in the Carpathians. Both localities also represent different models of functioning of ski tourism sector. Szczyrk is one of the best developed ski stations in Poland. The system of ski lifts and skiing routes within its area was formed in 1970s. In the 2009/2010 season, downhill skiing infrastructure in Szczyrk consisted of 34 ski lifts of total length of 24.1 kilometres and the capacity of 18.4 thousand persons per hour, as well as 31 skiing routes of total length of 41.3 kilometres. The largest ski resort in Szczyrk is Czyrna-Solisko with its 13 ski lifts and nearly 22 kilometres of ski routes, which can be accessed with one ski pass. From the technical point of view, the majority of ski lifts in Szczyrk are low quality T-bar lifts and platter lifts (94.1%). Skiing routes vary regarding levels of difficulty. Merely 10 routes can be accessed by skiers after nightfall, and only approximately 30% of the total length of the routes is equipped with snow cannons. Białka Tatrzańska has had a long tradition of development as a summer-resort village of the Podhale. High dynamics in the development of ski infrastructure in Białka Tatrzańska has been observed in the last decade, when as many as 10 modern ski lifts have been installed, half of which are high quality chair lifts. In the 2009/2010 season, the ski infrastructure was represented by 18 ski lifts with the capacity of 19.6 thousand persons per hour and 17 skiing routes of total length of 10.1 kilometres. Further development of skiing infrastructure in this locality is planned for the coming seasons. The major ski centres in Białka are Kotelnica Białczańska, Bania and Kaniówka. They were opened at the initiative of village residents. The routes offered by these centres are mainly easy and very easy ones and all of them can be accesses with one ski pass. All ski lifts and skiing routes in these centres are electrically lit, and approximately 75% of the total length of the routes is equipped with snow cannons. The specificity of tourist attractiveness of the evaluated ski stations is represented by our respondents' reasons (table 2) for choosing a place to practice skiing or snowboarding. The factors contributing to the choice of Szczyrk are the following: favourable location in relation to the source areas of (ski) tourist flow as well as the well-developed system of routes and ski lifts. In case of Białka Tatrzańska the factors that attract tourists are the following: modern, well-organized system of routes and ski lifts as well as conditions favourable for less experienced skiers, which is an especially important factor from the perspective of family tourism and organization of recreation for children and youth. In case of both stations, there is a diversity regarding skiing abilities of the interviewed subjects. In case of Szczyrk, there are average and experienced skiers, whereas in Białka the subjects are characterized by low and average skiing abilities. Tourists' stays in Szczyrk are mostly short-term and characterized by higher return frequency, as opposed to Białka, which is mostly visited once a year for a few days' stay. The study has confirmed that, irrespective of the objectively existing conditions and their subjective evaluation, an important factor contributing to the choice of place to go skiing is the recommendation of third parties. The presented sets of advantages of the evaluated stations and skiing areas constitute factors shaping their competitiveness; along with their unique characteristics, such as e.g. scenic assets of skiing routes, they form a set of comparative (competitive) advantages in competition and attraction of tourists. On the other hand, all disadvantages and shortcomings worsening the quality of recreation lower the stations' competitiveness.
Kierunki i bariery modernizacji ośrodków sportów zimowych w czeskim regionie turystycznym "Beskidy"
The article presents contemporary problems of the development of winter tourism and modernization of ski resorts in the Czech Beskids. Based on survey findings, tourists' opinions are presented regarding the condition of ski infrastructure, the services offered and actions necessary to be taken in order to improve the quality of recreation. Certain conflict situations have also been presented, which are encountered at the stage of planning and undertaking specific actions aiming at development in the sector of ski tourism. The region of the Czech Beskids is functionally tightly connected with the agglomeration of Ostrava, as it constitutes traditional recreational infrastructure for its inhabitants. There are 45 ski resorts located in this region. The highest-ranking resorts, which are of national significance, are the following: Bila, Kohútka and Pustevny. For a number of years, a dynamic development of regional resorts, Velké Karlovice-Soláň and Mosty u Jablunkova, has also been observed. The Bila and Pustevny resorts are located in the central area of the Moravian-Silesian Beskids; Kohútka and Velké Karlovice-Soláň are located in the Javorníky; and Mosty u Jablunkova - in the Silesian Beskids. The resort offering the best skiing infrastructure is the Ski Areál Bila resort. It comprises two ski areas, Bila and Mezivodí, which offer 9 ski lifts, whose total carrying capacity amounts to approximately 6750 persons per hour, and 8 downhill skiing routes, whose total length amounts to 6.2 kilometres. Moreover, there are nearly 60 kilometres of cross-country skiing routes in the area of Bila. Another ski resort found to offer good ski infrastructure is the Ski Areál Kohútka, thoroughly modernized in the 2009/2010 season. This resort is equipped with 6 ski lifts, whose total capacity is 5150 persons per hour, and 9 skiing routes whose total length is 6.6 kilometres. The Pustevny resort offers 9 ski lifts of total capacity of 5100 persons per hour, 3.6 kilometres of downhill skiing routes as well as 46 kilometres of well-maintained cross-country skiing routes. Tourists find the ski resorts in the Czech Beskids attractive and stress their potential to develop under the condition that these resorts are better-equipped with infrastructural facilities. Contemporary tourists seldom express only one reason, such as skiing, for their stay; instead, they expect a wider complementary offer, including relaxation, spa treatments, entertainment, etc. More attention ought to be paid not only to modernization of the basic skiing infrastructure and maintenance of skiing routes, but also to the extension of tourist infrastructure. The most serious social conflicts regarding the development of skiing in the Czech Beskids emerge from the creation of the natural conservation area - the CHKO Beskidy in a part of the region. There are also certain problems related to the ownership status of the land and the safety of utilization of the skiing areas. The Beskids are likely to become a region of international significance. Currently, the rate of foreign tourists coming for long-term recreational stays is relatively low; in the last decade foreign tourists have accounted for as little as a one fifth of hotel guests. Nevertheless, due to the improvement of the quality of skiing infrastructure and the undertaken marketing activities, the Beskid region may gain a more prominent position in the field of international tourism. The key tasks for the Czech Beskids are to revive relations with Poland and Slovakia regarding the modernization and coordination of tourist infrastructure and to cooperate more closely in the development of transborder information system. A condition necessary for proper development is the improvement of the quality of transport infrastructure and accessibility of Beskid recreation resorts. Undoubtedly, the area would benefit from the development of international "borderless" tourist ski resorts which would be located in the Czech-Slovak-Polish border mountain range and connect the resorts in neighbouring countries by ski lifts, e.g. Ustroń (Czantoria), Nydek, Wisła (Soszów, Stożek) and Jablunkov.
Karpaty Ukraińskie jako region turystyczny - uwarunkowania i możliwości rozwoju
Tourist attractiveness of the Ukrainian Carpathians follows their position at the crossroads of central Europe's trade routes, abundance of environmental and cultural assets, as well as the constantly growing rate of investments in the tourist sector. The uniqueness of the region's tourist assets, which underlie the development of the region's holiday and health-resort functions, is the effect of varied natural environment and rich historical and cultural heritage. Statistic data show that the number of tourists visiting the Ukrainian Carpathians in the period from 2005 to 2009 amounted to approximately 1.7 million per year, including 150,000 foreign visitors. The development of tourism is currently considered to be one of the major factors contributing to the socio-economic growth of the entire region. This has been reflected, among others, in the formulation of the strategic objective for the development of the Ukrainian Carpathians, which is understood as actions that aim at achieving financial prosperity of the inhabitants of the region and the preservation of its environmental assets; the objective is to be accomplished through the formulation of efficient territorial tourist system based on the optimal exploitation of the existing tourist assets, material and technical resources of the region, its economic resources and human potential. Tourist assets of the Ukrainian Carpathians make various forms of tourism possible to practice. The forms of tourism that are most prominent in the tourism structure are hiking and trekking, ski tourism, water tourism, cave tourism and rural tourism. Main tourist mountain trails of the Ukrainian part of the Carpathians lead through the highest areas of the mountains, within the massifs of Chornohora, Svydovets and Gorgany. These trails offer such tourist attractions as alpine lakes, original Hutsul culture, unique flora and fauna as well as numerous festivals whose organization is supported by local communities, regional institutions and international foundations. There are a number of ski resorts in the Ukrainian Carpathians, the highest-ranking of which are: Bukovel, Slavske, Dragobrat, Pylypec-Podobovec and Izky, the most prominent is Bukovel. The development of this ski resort was initiated in 2001. Due to large-scale investments made in the following 9 years, it has become one of the most modern resorts of this type in Eastern Europe. Currently, there are 16 ski lifts operating in Bukovel, as well as over 60 kilometres of skiing routes supported by complex tourist infrastructure. Another activity that enjoys popularity in the Carpathian Region is river rafting, organized along the Prut, Dniester, Cheremosh and Black Cisa rivers. Cave tourism is widespread in the mountainous part of the Zakarpattia Oblast, where over 50 caves are explored. The largest and longest Carpathian cave is the Friendship Cave in Romania, whose passages are nearly 1 kilometre long in total. The Ukrainian Carpathians also offer favourable conditions for the development of rural tourism. According to optimistic prognoses, agricultural tourism in the Carpathian Region is likely to become a major services market concentrating approximately 35-45% of total tourist flow in the region. Still, rural population needs considerable support from the state, local authorities and other institutions regarding fund raising, employment support programs, counselling, organization of services or distribution of information and marketing. The development of tourism in the Carpathian Region is a priority. For the Ukrainian Carpathians to be transformed into efficiently organized tourist region, the following actions should be undertaken: numerous investment activities in the tourist sector in its broad understanding; the settlement of legal and ownership issues regarding the provision of tourist services; the routing and rendering accessible of successive mountain hiking trails; and the implementation of projects aiming at renovation and maintenance of many objects of historic value.
Dziedzictwo kulturowe jako czynnik rozwoju funkcji turystycznej - na przykładzie gmin bieszczadzkich
The Bieszczady Mountains are one of the most beautiful regions in Poland. Usually it's their natural values that are emphasized, since the Bieszczady are regarded as the European oasis of feral nature. However, one should keep in mind that, for several centuries, people from various ethnic groups and confessions lived and worked in the region. This multiculturalism left traces in the architecture and art of the region, which undoubtedly makes the Bieszczady region culturally attractive. The author has assessed the cultural attractiveness of gminas (communes) in the Bieszczady. The assessment was based on selected elements of the material cultural heritage, using the method of point grading. The inventory included: monuments of sacral architecture (wooden and brick); places with documented former existence of sacral architecture monuments; monuments of secular architecture; ruins of manors, palaces, and castles; monuments of folk architecture; historic monuments related to industry and technology achievements, as well as places with remains of such objects; historic cemeteries; museums and monuments. The inventory was based on guidebooks (Kłos 2005, Luboński 2006, Orłowski, Taranowski 2008) and web sites (see the list of web sites). Four levels of cultural heritage attractiveness in the gminas in the Bieszczady Mts. have been determined (fig. 2). In terms of the number, differentiation, and attractiveness of cultural heritage monuments, the richest area is the rural area of the gmina of Ustrzyki Dolne (93 points). The next group of gminas with high cultural attractiveness consists of four spatial units: Solina, Baligród, Czarna and Lutowiska. They are characterised by a very similar level of cultural attractiveness, since - according to the criteria used - it is between 52 points in Solina to 57 points in Lutowiska. The least attractive, in terms of cultural heritage, are: the gmina of Cisna (18 points), the towns of Lesko (15 points) and Ustrzyki Dolne (16 points) and the rural areas of the Lesko gmina (22 points). In the case of the gminas in the Bieszczady, the correlation between the cultural heritage attractiveness and the level of the development of tourism function - which is understood as the existence of tourist traffic and tourist-oriented services, and determined by the synthetic measure method with the formula by Z. Zioło (1973) - is unfortunately small. This is particularly visible when the rank method is introduced (table 3), in particular on the example of the gminas with the best and moderately developed tourism function. The types of relationships between the development level of tourism function and the attractiveness of the cultural heritage in the Bieszczady gminas have been defined with use of the distribution of the values of these characteristics. This way, four relationship types have been obtained (table 4); the two most frequent relationship types are defined as type A and type B. Therefore, in the case of the Bieszczady gminas, cultural heritage elements are not an essential factor in the development of their tourism function. The most important factors creating the tourism function in the region are undoubtedly its recreational and winter tourism values. Additionally, the tourism function is enhanced by the existence of spa towns (Polańczyk in the Solina gmina). One should, however, mention that during recreational visits, tourists engage in various activities, also in activities with educational values. The richness and variability of the cultural heritage of the Bieszczady Mountains region may therefore become (perhaps it already is) an important factor helping to develop tourism function in some gminas (e.g., Czarna, Olszanica, and most importantly the rural areas of the gmina of Ustrzyki Dolne).
Uwarunkowania wykorzystania dóbr kultury przez turystykę po roku 1989 na obszarach górskich - przykład Kotlin Jeleniogórskiej i Kłodzkiej
The aim of the article was to define and evaluate the importance of different conditions influencing the use of cultural monuments by tourism. The case regarded was the example of residential complexes in such specific areas like intramontane basins. Residential complexes were meant as complexes including both palace and park and also buildings with rural economy functions. This sort of rural complexes seems to have the highest potential for tourism functions, because they comprise not only the monumental character and beauty of the palace itself, but also the surrounding landscape, which can be used for recreation and rest, as well as of the additional buildings, which can also be turned into some new tourism functions (i.e. horse-riding, restaurant, local craft centres). The chosen basins - Jeleniogórska and Kłodzka, located in the Polish part of the Sudetes Mts constitute interesting study areas because they used to be transit regions for merchants and started to serve as places for settlement already long time ago. However, it was the Kłodzka Basin which offered better amenities. This is also the area where older palaces survived (tab. 1, 2). It was only in the 19th century that the Jeleniogórska Basin caught the attention of Prussian aristocracy, being the area located at the foot of the highest mountains in the country. This was why they built their residences in this area, which together with large parks form complexes of unique beauty in Europe. The results of the study indicate that the most important factor influencing tourist use of those complexes seems to be the change of the political and socio-economic system in Poland after 1989, which enabled private owners to buy architectural monuments and, on the other hand, created the demand for luxury hotels located in such buildings. Another important factor was the potential of the monuments themselves, their number and artistic values. And the last factor seems to be the existence of tourist regions, which means that there is already existing steady inflow of tourists who can be attracted by new products within the region. The factors that were defined as less important in the specific case of Lower Silesia were the following: the state of preservation of monuments (because most of them were in same disastrous conditions), landscape values and accessibility of complexes.
Cechy i kierunki urbanizacji turystycznej na Słowacji - przykład stacji narciarskiej Donovaly
The article describes processes of recreational urbanization on the example of the important recreational centre Donovaly in Slovakia. The aim of the article is to review these processes by verification of historical and geographical analyses and by field research. The article also accentuates some qualitative characteristics. In the last two decades, the following four fundamental factors contributed to the formation of the phenomenon, which can be specified as the recreational urbanization in Slovakia: 1) Great ambitions to attract foreign tourists to the most attractive recreation centres - especially to spa centres, to the Vysoké Tatry mountains and also to the recreation centre Donovaly. These ambitions effectuated, besides management activities, an especially intense development of infrastructure and superstructure of tourism. 2) Some recreation centres aimed not only at an increase of number of tourists, but also an increase of number of residents. This aim was to be performed by support of residence, by building apartment houses that were supposed to be something between a flat and a residence and which could be suitable for recreational rental. 3) In 2009 (before the financial crisis), there was another factor of recreational urbanization: investments in tourism projects by big investment corporations. Corporations like J&T and Penta changed their investments areas from financing industry projects (in the 1990's) to tourism projects, like financing business centres in metropolitan areas, spa projects etc. (e.g. reconstruction of spa Brusno, Tatry mountain resorts s.r.o.). 4) The last, but not irrelevant factor of recreational urbanization is the establishment of city status for the recreational centre Vysoké Tatry. The city status from 1990 was enhanced by a status of spa. The town Vysoké Tatry became formally a city and completed the process of "formal recreational urbanization" in Slovakia.
Assessment of exposure to air pollution from road traffic: use of air dispersion model CALINE4 at a fine scale in Cracow
This article deals with the road traffic air pollution modeling which is also part of a main multidisciplinary study of health risk characterization untitled: "Air pollution generated by road traffic and childhood asthma in Cracow". Cracow, a city declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, constitutes a relevant urban area to study insofar road traffic as a strong anthropogenic source of air pollution. The final aim of the health study is to establish in Cracow the relationship between air quality and the development of asthma among children. We have chosen the air dispersion model CALINE4 and its software interface, CALROADS VIEW, to estimate the PM10 and NO2 concentrations generated by road traffic at 43 key intersections in Cracow during the period 2001-2005. This model is recognized as an international reference in road traffic air pollution modeling. The concentration of traffic and trips in the historical downtown area and the importance of exchanges between the two downtowns of Cracow (historical downtown and Nowa Huta) are the main causes of high air pollution levels from road traffic. Depending on the pollutant considered (PM10, NO2) as well as the density of traffic and the meteorological situations, areas of exposure to air pollution and their potential health effects to the exposed population are quite different in time and in space. The main results show that: 1) Only the NO2 exposure areas reach the residential areas because the PM10 areas of exposure (Avg: 66.8 m SD: ą 48.5, max: 284 m) are quite less extensive than those of NO2 (Avg: 125.4 SD: ą 64.4, max: 381 m); 2) Extension of these two pollutant areas is proportionally related to the density of traffic and is extended in an unsymmetrical way around roads depending on meteorological cases determined by both the Pasquill-Gifford classification and the wind directions. According to our methodology, the validation of estimated PM10 and NO2 concentrations shows that they have been overwhelmingly validated.
Cracow barometric series as a basis for long-term air pressure research
Monthly and annual series of air pressure in Cracow were produced on the basis of barometric measurements from 1792 to 2005. The site of measurements is reliably homogeneous. Each measurement by the mercury barometer was reduced to air temperature of oC, but a reduction to sea level was not applied, moreover each reading of the mercury position in the barometer was adjusted by a set of constant corrections: the instrumental one and adjustments for latitude and Earth's radius. The historical meteorological station of the Jagiellonian University is located at 220 meters a.s.l. A set of 13 Figures illustrates the time variability and fluctuations of the atmospheric pressure. The range of variability of the mean values can be very large, exceeding 25 hPa in winter months. Additionally, cases of particular changes within 3 and 24 hours have been presented according to data from 1951-2000. Rough criteria for distinguishing such changes allow to find out the most of extreme abrupt pressure drops and rises in wintertime.