The Impact of Microtopography and Drainage on Land Use and Settlement Development in the Hungarian Drava Plain

Prirodni okoliš i društvo tijesno su povezani, a uloga prirodnih obilježja izravno se odražava na ekonomski razvoj i širenje naselja u mađarskom dijelu dravske ravnice. Topografska i hidrografska obilježja oduvijek utječu na način uporabe zemljišta istraživanog područja. Denivelacija od metra ili dva imala je odlučujuću ulogu u razgraničavanju površina pogodnih za ribarenje od onih pogodnijih za sakupljanje plodova, šumarstvo ili uzgoj usjeva. Iako se regulacijom toka rijeke Fekete-viz i drenažom močvarnog zemljišta krajem 19. stoljeća smanjila opasnost od poplava i dobilo novo obradivo zemljište, siromašnije stanovništvo nije moglo nastaviti tradicionalni način života, tj. sakupljanje plodova, ribarenje i lov. Naselja su se razvila na ocjeditim uzvišenjima, gdje nema opasnosti od poplava (ormány). U ovom se radu analizira prostorno širenje najvećeg naselja, grada Sellye, uz pomoć geografskoga informacijskog sustava (GIS). Zaključeno je da se površine ispod sto metara nadmorske visine mogu razvijati samo nakon što ih se drenira.The physical environment and society are closely interrelated and the role of physical conditions can be detected in the economic development and spreading of settlements in the Hungarian section of the Drava Plain. Throughout the history of the region, land use has always been fundamentally controlled by the topographic and hydrographic situation. Even relief of a metre or two has been decisive in delimiting areas suitable for fishing, gathering, forests or crop cultivation. Although the flow regulation of the Fekete-víz and the drainage of swamp-lands at the end of the 19th century reduced flood hazards and made new land available for cultivation, at the same time, they made the traditional life-style of gathering, fishing and hunting unfeasible for the poorer layers of society. Settlements formed on the higher-lying flood-free mounds ("ormány"-s). The paper employs GIS techniques in the study of spatial expansion of the largest of the settlements, the town of Sellye. It is concluded that the areas below 100 m elevation could only be developed following drainage measures