The Industrialization of South Moravia in the Low Dyje Land
Authors: Střída Miroslav 
Published: August 2023

The valleyes and grabens of rivers are centres of settlement and economy in Czech and Slovak landscape. The exception make deep valleyes of canyon type with lack of space and valleyes with larger inundated aereas. To the latter belongs the Low Dyje Land in the Southern Moravia. The climate here is favourable for agriculture. Dangereous are temporary dry seasons and analogical water regime along the rivers Dyje, Jihlava and Svratka, that meet in the Věstonice confluence. It happens here in the flat terrain that there are floods and even permanent wet land during the springtime and after heavy rains. The Geographical Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Science (CSAV) has been asked to consider these problems. The area is a typical south Moravian landscape with fields, meadows and humid woods in the lowlands with the relief of hills on the north and south of a big curve of Dyje. Its dominant are limestone cliffs of Pavlov hills. It is part of old settlement of south Moravia with permanent settlement since neolithic and numerous findings of palaeolithic cultures. From the point of view of economical geography the Low Dyje land is a periphery zone of economic regions of Hodonín, Znojmo and Brno. Regional analysis of industrial production, which is the ground for conception of industrialization of the aerea, is based on universal indexes: number of working people and gross turnover. To obtain these indications, although they are usually given by statistical service, it is necessary to proceed the method of terrain revision, approximation and generalization. In the decisive phase of industrial revolution, the industrialization had not much affected the aerea and great number of labour left for Vienna and Brno. The construction of transport connections of these centres predestinated the structure of later development of industry. Its axis became the railway line Vienna - Břeclav - Brno. In the agricultural country prevailed - in the primary structure of industry - the sugar works, canning factories, breweries, malt plants, wineries, meat working factories, fertilizer factory, smaller industry, exploiting the local sources of building and ceramic materials. Only during the past 25 years metal, rubber- and leather-works have been built up. They have given new nature to the industry. According to the new structure there is now 21,1 % of food-working industry, 18,4 % of metal industry, 16,8 % of chemical and rubber industry, and same percentage of leather and shoemaking industry. The total extent of industry in the year of 1960 may be compared only with the poorest districts of Czech lands. The intensity of industry (91,5) is far below the wholestate level (161). The density of industry (Hp) and specific density of industry (Hp-sp) is the lowest in the Republic. During the last decade the development of industrialization continues very fast. 1966: 133 %, 1970: 151 %. (CSSR 1966: 113 %, 1970: 117 %). With regard to unique landscape values and other conditions the industrial production of the region should gradually stabilize and develop in present centres and attained structures that correspond with the dispositions of the region. Food-working industry comes out from special agricultural production and favourable market possibilities. Shoe-, leather-, rubber and textile branches have relatively good perspectives and offer jobs for women in the area, which, in the Czech lands, has relatively most labour available. Developed metal-industry as a qualitative part of industrialization of each Czech region contributes also here to the completion of industrial structure. Further industrial branches make use of output from local sources or manufacture articles to be used in agriculture, building industries or for other local consumption. Favourable transport position in the centre of the state serves well to the export of many products. Regionally is the attained level of industrialization less advantageous. Industrial agglomeration of Břeclav seems to be slightly big, if we do not take into account its function as a centre of less developed region. Also the development of industrial centre of Hustolpeče is already quantitatively undesirable. On the other side, the development of Mikulov should not stop until it reaches the level of centre of industrial sub-region. The agglomeration of Židlochovice has already stopped in independent industrial development and becomes the hinterland of the town Brno. Relatively sharp increase continues in centres of small districts - Miroslav, Hrušovany and Klobouky. The analysis indicates the existence of territorially large industrial area of Břeclav, in which two sub-regions and several local industrial groups are being formed. If the contemplations of further industrialization of southern Moravia take into account the indicated conditions of industrial regionalization, there is a hope that relatively favourable landscape structure will be preserved.