Hungarian Geographical Bulletin

Shahids and martyrs: Conflicting national narratives and places of memory in Kosovo

Péter Reményi — 2024-10-01

Kosovo Field (Kosovo Polje), the core region of the newly independent Kosovo, experienced several key historical events, each of which left important memories in the space. As political control over territory changed, different memories connected to the area became stronger, while others were pushed into the background. The first battle of Kosovo (1389) and the death of their ruler Lazar, is a key event in Serbian history, identified through spectacular landmarks in the region. Connected to this event, Turkish monuments also exist, commemorating the death of the martyr Sultan Murad I. Following independence, memorials of Albanian fighters started mushrooming as a core element of Kosovar identity building, with the martyrdom of the “legendary commander” Adem Jashari being central to this emblematic memory project. All three nations have an “official” martyr connected to the space, around which different nation-building narratives have been constructed. As the struggle over the control and influence of the region continues, so does the competition of different memories and memorials. Territorialisation and de-territorialisation of memories are ongoing projects in the country by the three nations, linked to competing nation-buildings and political power struggles.

Materialization of spatial identity in Slavonia and Baranja’s linguistic landscape changes

Mihela Melem Hajdarović — 2024-10-01

The linguistic landscape is an essential aspect of determining how language materializes in our surroundings. It is especially important in multilingual communities, as it reflects their identity. The linguistic landscape changes over time due to various factors, such as changes in politics, economics, and the national minority population. Study aims to explore how language manifested in the cultural landscape of Slavonia and Baranja, how it changed over time. Linguistic signs can also reflect the spatial identity of the population in the investigated periods (and its changes). Research compares the linguistic landscape of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries with the contemporary period. We used old postcards as sources for the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and conducted fieldwork for the modern period. The research involved analysing a vast corpus of linguistic signs in the cultural landscape. Research showed that the linguistic landscape, both in the past and present, is visible through various inscriptions on shops, craft stores, state institutions, and street names. Official inscriptions on public institutions in Croatia are written in the Croatian language, and in ethnically diverse areas, these inscriptions are bilingual, but not to the extent allowed by the Croatian Constitution. Homogeneity or heterogeneity of the linguistic landscape users determines its appearance. Croatian is the primary language in most of inscriptions. However, the status and dominance of other languages have changed, depending on the complex political and linguistic past of the region. The study has confirmed that the linguistic landscape reflects both the spatial identity as well as the heterogeneity and multilingualism of the linguistic landscape in urban and rural areas.

The influence of urban green and recreational areas on the price of housing in Zagreb

Mirela Turk Cerovečki — 2024-10-01

Urban green and recreational spaces are important for residents and one of the foundations for the functioning
of cities. They offer numerous benefits, including the influence on the price of real estate as an economic benefit.
In this paper, the influence of green and recreational areas in Zagreb on the price of apartments in residential buildings is analysed using the hedonic pricing model. The data for the study was processed and analysed using a geographic information system. A local hedonic price model was developed. The results show that some of the observed green and recreational areas increase the price of housing due to their proximity, while others decrease it. Some areas have no influence on the price of housing. The influence of the observed areas on housing prices was heterogeneous. Spatial differences were also found in the influence of the observed areas on housing prices. The most attractive factors when choosing a place to live are Jarun and the parks in the city centre. The price of apartments that near the Jarun increases by 41 EUR/m2 if the apartment is 100 m closer to the Jarun. The price of the apartment increases by 91 EUR/m2 the closer the apartment is to the parks in the city centre (per 100 m). Apartments near Jarun and the parks in the city centre are not available for residents with lower socio-economic status. The forest areas, Maksimir Park and the banks of the Sava river are not favoured when choosing a place to live. Neighbourhoods near these areas are available to the lower socioeconomic status population. Bundek raises the price of one part of the apartments and lowers the price of the other. The results of this study can contribute to the study of green gentrification in Zagreb, but further research is needed on socio-economic indicators and other changes in the region.

Assessing heatwave resilience in municipalities around Lake Balaton: A comparative analysis

Tamás Sági — 2024-10-01

Changing climate patterns represent a major challenge for Hungarian municipalities, particularly with regard to the increasing severity and frequency of heatwaves. As a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns, thousands of people moved to communities around Lake Balaton; therefore, cities and villages should place more emphasis on their long-term sustainability and climate resilience. This article addresses the literature gap in assessing the heatwave resilience of Hungarian settlements, focusing on the municipalities of the Lake Balaton Resort Area. Our main objective was to uncover spatial and temporal patterns in the 180 settlements involved in the analysis by using an indicator-based comparative method. The set of indicators included nine sensitivity and six adaptive capacity measures referring to the base years 2015 and 2022. Our results show heterogeneous spatial patterns across the analysed categories; however, several regional clusters can be identified: 1) in general, settlements from the northern part of the study area had above-average adaptive capacity, while the southern and south-western municipalities had significantly lower values, 2) only one micro-regional cluster can be defined in terms of sensitivity values in the northern part of the study area; 3) below average resilience values were found in the south-western and southern areas; 4) finally, neither sensitivity nor adaptive capacity nor overall resilience scores had changed significantly over time at the regional level. The applied methodology can easily be adopted in other Hungarian or even Central and Eastern European cities; consequently, new results can contribute to a better understanding of inter- and intra-regional patterns of heatwave resilience at the local level.

Post-pandemic pursuits: Activity preferences of rural tourists in Western Transdanubia

Ferenc Darabos — 2024-10-01

This study examines the changing preferences of rural tourists in Western Transdanubia, Hungary, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to uncover how rural tourism has changed and identify the new winners of the shifting demand. In 2021, we conducted a comprehensive survey with 925 participants and introduced a novel activity-based segmentation of rural tourists, revealing a strong preference for complex service packages. Practically, our findings highlight that village caterers who have strategically segmented the market have emerged as winners, successfully attracting different age groups and genders with customized packages. Cluster analysis revealed a segment of rural tourists who, without exception, were enthusiastic about diverse activities. In particular, our cross-cluster analysis points to a significant amount of potential demand among middle-aged tourists. These findings help practitioners develop a targeted product mix and marketing strategy to meet the changing demands of rural tourism.

A systematic literature review of slow tourism

Eylül Balaban — 2024-10-01

This systematic literature review focuses on slow tourism, which grew in popularity during COVID-19. It highlights the gaps in the literature for future researchers by compiling the papers published on slow tourism between 2010 and 2021. In addition, the managerial suggestions we make serve as lessons for practitioners. Developed as a systematic literature review, we used different selection criteria including papers published in English in Q1 or Q2 journals between 2010 and 2021 in the sample. This study identified the following parameters: the number of publications, the most preferred research methodology and data collection methods, and the geographical coverage of slow tourism papers. The relationship between slow tourism and sustainability is strengthened by our analysis. We identified qualitative studies, particularly in-depth interviews, as the most popular data collection method for slow tourism studies. Australia, the United Kingdom, and Poland were the most popular destinations in terms of the geographical context of these studies, followed by Italy. As the literature is missing a unified definition of slow tourism, we propose one based on the four-pillar model.

Dotti, N.F., Musiałkowska, I., De Gregorio Hurtado, S. and Walczyk, J. (eds.): EU Cohesion Policy: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Andrzej Jakubowski — 2024-10-01

Mihaylov, V. and Ilchenko, M. (eds.): Post-Utopian Spaces: Transforming and Re-Evaluating Urban Icons of Socialist Modernism

Dániel Zách — 2024-10-01