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two World Wars territories still reduced- as wine producers were hit by the economic crisis
and by breaking up of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Also in the early 1960’s organization
of collective farms developed large-scale vine-growing, so it extension of vineyards moved
bit down to the direction of foothills due to high rate of mechanisation.
On the basis of data gained from the written records we made an attempt to connect the
described land-use changes with the available cartographic material. For this purpose we have
been using military maps as sources: lst-2nd-3rd military surveys of the Hapsburg Empire from
1764-1785, 1819-1866, 1869-1880 respectively (scales 1:28800 and for the last one 1:25
000); the 1:25 000 scale military maps from the 1950’s and the last and freshest updated from
the 1990’s made by the Honvéd (Hungarian soldier) Mapping Institute. For the identification
of land-use changes since the 1990’s we were using the CORINE Land Cover database from
the 1998-99 survey of scale 1:50 000.
To our surprise the cartographic data for the chosen sights did not reflect the dramatic
damage caused by the vine-pest. There are two possibilities why we did not find it on the
maps: firstly, the chosen areas are the most valuable ones, this is why an enormous effort
were taken to protect them from the pest and also to renew it among the first ones. Secondly,
the interval of mapping was too big to record the changes and also, since these are military
maps-it was out of interest to map the vineyards as for example old/ dead or new plantations.
There is an interesting correlation in between the woodland and viticultural areas: with the
relative expansion of vineyards during the early 19* century there is a visible decrease in
woodland territories in the upper part of the vine-hill, and in fact in our field surveys,
especially in Badacsony,-in the profiles of present-day forest we have found traces of human
activity (pottery dating back to the 15th century). From the written records we also know that
cultivation of those slopes became steady with establishing of vine-hills (Promontorium) with
special taxation privileges in the 14* century (Lichtneckert, 1990, Fehér, 1999). The golden-age
of the vine-hills can be dated back to 17*-19* century and this is clearly visible from the lst
and 2nd military surveys, when we get the highest percentages of vineyards.
The picture on the maps stays almost similar until the 1960s, when there is a tendency of
woodland expansion, which is related with the afforestation program on steep slopes. This is
causing a relative decrease in vineyards on steep-slopes (special case in
Kopaszhegy).Sometimes instead of forest fruit tree- plantations are established on the former
vine-growing areas (Andomaktálya, Erdöbénye).
On the foothill areas, there is a striking correlation between the meadow/pasture-lands and
plough-lands. In the Pannonian-basin, especially in the Tapolca basin as often mentioned in
the documents of the 18* century marshy areas were drained and used as meadows. Later in
the middle of the end of the 19* century in close relationship with the emancipation of serfs
there is a visible increase of plough-lands on the territories of former meadows.
The approach to follow changes in wine-production allows present-day land-use to be
identified as a result of long-term development- as the process of adoption to soil features
(determined by the volcanic parent material and unique microclimate of studied territories)
and an extended understanding of present landscape as a result of adoption and work of past
societies.
References
Encyclopaedia, P. 1999. The land that is Hungary. CD-ROM: ARCANUM Adatbázis Ltd.
András, L. 1990. The history of Balatonfured-Csopak wine-region. (in Hungarian) Veszprém
Fehér, O., G. Fiileky. 1999. Landscape of the Balaton Lake in the 19* century. In: Branis, M.
eds.: Acta Universitas Carolinae Environmentalica Vol.13 .Nos 1-2 pp. 51-57.
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