engleski

Hydrologic features in settlement and landscape development in Croatia

Many natural and human factors are influencing settlement development, settlement patterns and forms. In Croatia, in many cases hydrologic factor has been neglected in settlement development and environmental history altogether. The importance of water resources in this sense will be presented through several examples in different parts of Croatia. First example is the hilly Zagorje region in Panonian part of Croatia where, in spite of abundance of surface water, the water supply was problematic. Humid valleys, prone to flooding, were obstacles and Top hills more important until the railway age. The second example is the case of Zagreb, capital of Croatia, which originated on the foothills along the Sava river flood plain. Although today it spreads along both banks of Sava River even now it does not qualify as a city on the river bank. Then there are examples from the Adriatic-Dinaric part of Croatia, a typical deep karst area. In the Outer (mostly limestone) Dinarides the settling was from the very beginning tied to karst fields (polje). Due to the seasonal flooding of the fields settlements are tied to the rim, and only after the hydrotechnic regulations in 20th century the field bottom could be used for building as well as for permanent crops. The last example presented refers to the settlement development in Neretva River delta on the Adriatic coast, where traditional settlement is tied to higher limestone frame and a specific form of acquiring land was developed for this environment to be agriculturally used.

Croatia, water resources, settlement, landscape, environmental history, hydrogeography

nije evidentirano