Description Methods of Kalotaszeg’s Landscape Character

The article introduces ethnographically relevant aspects of landscape character and historic land use patterns for a better understanding of vernacular descriptions of landscape characteristics through the case study of Kalotaszeg (Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania). Eight topics are discussed based on hand-drawn site analysis maps and historic records: geomorphology and landform types of the Kalotaszeg terrain; water tributary system with mills; a drawn aerial model of zones; description of forest types and borderlands; history, typology and aesthetic issues of the lynchet system; landscape patterns like wooded pastures, orchards and vineyards; the results of analytical land use statistics and retrogressive analyses of landscape historical events and relicts; and finally a summary of the uniformity and diversity of Kalotaszeg and its zones