Changing Patterns of Allotment Gardening in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
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Abstract
Allotment gardens have played a significant role in Czech and Slovak society for decades, building upon a rich history of gardening. This article elaborates on Czech and Slovak allotments in the European context and identifies their core functions, services, and benefits. We provide a thorough historical review of allotments in this region, reaching back to the eighteenth century to trace significant periods and historic events that shaped society in general and urban gardening in particular. We analyze the development of allotments until and after 1989 and illustrate key aspects of their present situation using case studies and examples. The article provides a complex historical narrative as a good basis for discussions on contemporary trends, challenges, and visions for the future of urban allotment gardening in both countries.
Contributor Notes
Dr. Attila Tóth is a freelance landscape architect, currently working as assistant professor at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, where he completed his PhD in 2015. His main scientific interests are green infrastructure, rural cultural landscapes, and urban agriculture. He has conducted scientific missions on urban agriculture in Spain and New Zealand and authored over 100 scientific and professional publications. His main achievements include two ECLAS Outstanding Student Awards; the Ernst Mach Scholarship; the Green Talents Award for outstanding achievements in sustainability research; and the BMW Award for Sustainability and Innovations. E-mail: attila.toth@uniag.sk
Dr. Barbora Duží is a researcher at The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geonics (Department of Environmental Geography). She focuses on environmental and social aspects of food production, adaptation of the society to climate change, environmental migration, and environmental education. She represented the Czech Republic in the COST Action Urban Agriculture Europe. E-mail: arobrab@centrum.cz
Dr. Jan Vávra works as an assistant professor at the Department of Regional Development, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. His research focuses on the human-environment relationship from the viewpoint of social sciences, especially environmental sociology. His research interests include social perception of climate change impact and mitigation, social and environmental context of food self-provisioning, and wider philosophical, economic, social, and environmental aspects of sustainable development. E-mail: jan.vavra@prirodou.cz
Prof. Dr. Ján Supuka works as a full professor of landscape architecture at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra. He studied landscaping at the Technical University in Zvolen and worked as researcher into dendrology and park and landscape design at the Slovak Academy of Sciences for more than two decades. His main research interests include cultural landscapes and their vegetation structures, ecological aspects of woody plants in urban environments and agricultural landscapes, and theory and design of recreational spaces. He has authored 26 monographs, 85 scientific papers, and 137 other reviewed publications, which have been cited more than 900 times (115 in WoS/Scopus). E-mail: jan.supuka@uniag.sk
Dr. Mária Bihuňová works as an assistant professor and vice dean for international relations at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, where she studied landscape architecture at the master and doctoral level. Her main research interests include design of recreational spaces, green infrastructure in urban and suburban landscapes, urban agriculture, and historical development and current use of allotment gardens in Slovakia. She is a member of the Steering Committee of the Association for Garden Design and Landscaping of the Slovak Republic. E-mail: maria.bihunova@uniag.sk
Dr. Denisa Halajová studied garden and landscape architecture at the Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic. She received her PhD at the Slovak University of Agriculture, where she works as an assistant professor and Head of the Department of Garden and Landscape Architecture. She teaches studio design, historical development of garden and park design, and restoration of historical green spaces. Her main research interests include reverential spaces, sacral structures in cultural landscapes, and inclusive design. E-mail: denisa.halajova@uniag.sk
Dr. Stanislav Martinát has been working as a researcher (human geographer) at the Institute of Geonics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (Department of Environmental Geography) since 2001 and as a research fellow at the School of Geography and Planning of Cardiff University since 2018. His educational background is in geography and cartography (MSc, Masaryk University, Czech Republic) and in human geography (PhD, Comenius University, Slovakia). The focal point of his research is agricultural and rural geography with an emphasis on new phenomena affecting contemporary rural spaces (brownfields and renewable energies). E-mail: martinats@cardiff.ac.uk
Mgr. Eva Nováková studied geography and applied geoinformatics in physical geography at the Palacky University in Olomouc, Czech Republic, where she is currently doing her PhD studies at the Department of Development Studies. Since 2006, she has been working at the Institute of Geonics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Her main research interests include renewable energy sources, landscape and land use impact assessment, and geography of energies. She works on qualitative data collection, processing, and cartographical representation. E-mail: novakova@geonika.cz