Viticulture in the Context of Historical Landscape Structure in the Small Carpathian Region – Model Area of Rača

Abstract The development of viticulture and wine producing has brought forward some unique elements of cultural land and introduced culture itself into the landscape. This culture has affected lives of many generations and determined the development of the society and the living environment. The form, the shape and the type of use of the respective elements of landscape structure has changed according to the change in technology, cultivation processes, orientation of production and the value system of the society. However, the recent viticultural rural land (together with residual areas of historical structure elements) in the vicinity of the capital city of Slovakia -- Bratislava has been under growing pressure caused by suburbanisation. This pressure directly threatens the existence of this kind of landscape and causes irreversible changes to landscape character. Landscape ecologists and architects have to face the issue of how to identify the valuable characteristics of the land and how to protects and keep them for the future generations. The main aim of this paper is to evaluate the role of viticulture in the formation, existence and change of the elements of historical structures of agricultural landscape (HSAL). In addition, this paper presents the layout of various types of these elements, the methodical approach to their mapping and their present status. The results show that out of 141 localities where the HSALs were present in 1951, they could have been located only in 25 localities in 2011. These localities are mainly situated in private properties. However, many of the mapped HSALs are no longer used and in the state of deterioration. The lack of their management gradually causes their demise.