Krajobraz jako narzędzie rozwoju. Gmina Hażlach.
Authors:   Wyższa Szkoła Techniczna w Katowicach, Buława Bartłomiej , Buława Piotr ,   Wyższa Szkoła Techniczna w Katowicach, Nagel Paulina 
Published: January 2022

The Hażlach Municipality is located in the Silesian Voivodeship surrounded by the mountain landscapes of the Silesian Beskids and outside the industrial and mining zones. It is a rural municipality and is characterized by „everyday landscape”. Such a landscape is for the Municipality one of its endogenous potentials, although it has not always been appreciated. Generally, it is neither spectacular nor degraded. However, the developed identity of the inhabitants of the villages within the Municipality and their social activity on behalf of shaping common areas confirms the significance of landscape for the residents. Thus, its understanding stretches beyond issues of scenery and terrain formations. That is why particular emphasis was put on the significance of landscape for the Hażlach Municipality as a strategic element of building its competitive advantage and forming the strategy of municipality development. The present monograph was developed based on field studies, consultative workshops, in-depth individual interviews, and the “research by design” method, as well as analysis of literature regarding the landscape of the Municipality itself. Two different approaches were presented: static and dynamic. The static approach presents selected elements and features of the landscape of the Hażlach Municipality in comparison with the European Landscape Convention, national legal regulations, and theoretical arrangements developed within the academic community. It was observed that despite natural and esthetic values there is an ongoing process of dispersion of buildings and degradation of the landscape. Furthermore, the post-COVID pressure to settle in the area is a critical threat to the landscape of a suburban municipality such as Hażlach. Preventive measures in many areas including landscape will halt the decrease in the quality of life of future generations of Municipality residents. However, this requires the awareness of the irreversibility of spatial and landscape changes as well as an effective spatial policy and operational activities as far as landscape. On the other hand, the dynamic approach presents a sequence of activities implemented in the Hażlach Municipality between the years 2020-2021. They included actions of the Municipality government, grassroots initiatives, and studies on landscape conducted by the University of Technology in Katowice. Their aim was to develop innovative solutions for landscape protection, management, and planning on the municipal level. One of the effects was the formulation of a concept of development of ethno-tourism in Cieszyn Silesia, which took its roots from the newly established vineyard near the palace in Kończyce Wielkie. In November of 2021, the association of winemakers “Cieszyn Wine Route” was established, which is also involved in the shaping of the landscape. From the perspective of the fourth decade of the XXI century, the activities regarding landscape undertaken presently by both the local authorities and communities are significant for the sustainable development of the municipality and raising the competitiveness of individual locations as places of residence. Keywords: Hażlach Municipality, Cieszyn Silesia, everyday landscape, landscape management, spatial planning, landscape planning, landscape design, ethno-tourism, research by design, social participation, grassroots initiatives.