Comprehension of rapidly transforming landscapes of Central and Eastern Europe in the 20th century

Abstract

The article presents landscapes as natural, historical, cultural, social and political phenomena, and above all as a meaningful part of the environment. We will argue - by giving a contextual framework of landscape changes followed by four case studies from Central and Eastern Europe - that comprehension of landscapes has declined in the 20th century. Along with urbanization, globalization and other societal processes rapidly varying socio-economic formations have caused alienation: changes in power result in changes in a society's values and thus some landscape elements are disintegrating, fading or disappearing and, as a result, these landscapes are taking on new, altered or modified appearances, functions and meanings. Every change in landscape needs some time to become accepted but if this re-coding of what is regarded as valuable is constantly changing, people become confused, with resultant physical consequences: land abandonment; illegal dumping; ill fitting infrastructures; inappropriate housing developments; etc. The main question is whether modern development, e. g. tourism, enhances the relationship between people and the landscape.