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Volume XII |

The old hotels of Transylvania: heritage tourist resources

Abstract: Traveling within the Transylvanian hotels history, we discover the persistence of certain stories that even today fascinate thousands of guests from all over the world. The hotel, as tourist establishment with its main function the accommodation, keeps in the urban area, mainly due to the commerce development. An argument is the fact that in Transylvania, the first hotels have started to function in the fair towns: Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca and Brasov, in the central area of the city, nearby the fair.  In time, the hotels’ functionality has reached another extent. Nowadays, this type of tourist establishment can become a tourist sights itself. The 21st Century tourist is looking for: values of the past, old histories and experiences that the newly and modernly built hotels cannot offer because they have not had centuries to knit their story. The old hotels of Transylvania can be considered resources of cultural tourism due to their architecture, their uniqueness and persistence in time of their own stories. The present study aims to identify the hotels from the 18th and 19th centuries from the main towns of Transylvania, tourist establishments which can represent important tourist resources for the cultural tourism of the studied region.

Volume XII |

Industrial tourism – trends and opportunities

Abstract: Over the last few decades, new types of destinations appeared in tourism because of the ever growing competition and economic restructuring of regions. In some cases such places became attractions which were considered ugly and unattractive earlier.As part of this process, industrial tourism was also strengthened. This means that former or still operating factories and other industrial facilities have become tourist destinations. This paper reviews the conceptual framework of industrial tourism and presents the main trends in it. We also analyse the possibilities for industrial tourism development in Hungary. The study is based on qualitative and quantitative content analysis of homepages. We investigated homepages of travel agencies, local and regional municipalities and companies to find out whether they see possibilities in industrial tourism or not. According to our results, Hungary despite the existence of rich industrial heritage and still operating factories, industrial tourism is underdeveloped in.

Volume XI |

The wind regime of Romania – Characteristics, trends and North Atlantic oscillation influences

Abstract: The present study attempts to develop a comprehensive perspective of the wind regime on the Romanian territory, focusing on the characteristics and tendencies encountered over the past 50 years, as well as on the NAO projection on it, using several data categories gathered from 167 meteorological stations. Based on the recorded multiannual averages and on the strong correlation (r = 0.87) established between altitude and wind speed in wind exposed areas, we created the map of mean (multi)annual wind speed. The highest aeolian potential corresponds to the Carpathians (7-10 m/s on the ridges and 3-7 m/s on the slopes and within valleys) and the Black Sea Shore (5-7 m/s); nevertheless, the two areas develop extreme values of the wind turbulence – maximum in the Carpathians and minimum in the coastal units. Tablelands in Moldova and Dobrogea, as well as the northern part of Bărăgan show ideal conditions for the development of aeolian parks (moderate and strong winds, low turbulences). On a country-size scale, the month with the highest mean wid speed is March, whereas August is the calmest one. For the first time, the map of resultant wind direction (DRV) was designed, expressing both the resultant wind orrientation and its intensity (high intensity = low directional variability). Concerning NAO, a negative correlation is observed between its indices and the wind speed (mean speed, frequency and intensity of the stromic events) at a multiannual and multidecadal scale. The correlation coefficients present high values in the extra-carpathian areas and small or moderate values in the intra-carpathian areas. The positive (negative) NAO associated with low (high) cyclogenesis over the Mediterranean area induce low (high) winds over the Romanian territory due to diminished (enhanced) frequency of cyclones reaching Romanian regions.

Volume XI |

Pollution of Soils by Heavy Metals from Irrigation near Mining Region of Georgia

Abstract: The main goal of our research was to study the composition, migration and accumulation of heavy metals in irrigated soils, plants and partially natural waters in Bolnisi district, Georgia (southwards of Tbilisi capital city), and to establish the possible sources of pollution and their impact on the environmental situation of the region. The contents of toxic elements in the irrigated soils adjacent to ore mining and processing enterprise were studied. All samples from soils and water were inspected with Perkin Elmer device with the use of atomic-adsorptive method.There were identified different concentrations of heavy metals. Our research has shown that more than half of the territory is seriously polluted by copper and zinc. Some part of the area can be considered catastrophically polluted. Due to the technological process and practices, irrigations play a major role in polluting the soil, since the area is irrigated using the water from rivers where wastewaters from the enterprise are discharged.Our study shows that pollutant heavy metals, first of all copper, zinc and manganese have active negative effect on the properties of soil, its composition and soil-forming processes. It is especially well represented in the deterioration of hydro-physical potential of the soil. Balanced correlation among solid, liquid and gas phases is disrupted. In the highly polluted soils, cementing processes take place and sharply increase bulk density of the soil. Thus, the porosity of the soil deteriorates and water permeability is critically low.

Volume XI |

Formal and legal aspects of the forest landscape design in Poland

Abstract: In the article possibilities of forest designing established on the basis of results of analyses of legal documents (acts and regulations) being in effect in Poland concerning spatial planning, nature conservation and forestry were presented. Achieved results allow to state, that issues concerning landscape approach are becoming more and more important in the realization of principles of the forest management led in Poland. In forests, amongst action associated with the necessity of the landscape protection, management and planning a need of reconstruction of tree stands, keeping all open areas in a natural or near-natural extent, limiting the area of total fellings, increasing the species diversity of ecotones are named. And so the possibilities of landscape design concern mainly culture and management aspects. Simultaneously a lack of many significant references to the scope of applied solutions in the area of forestry engineering was observed.