The development of tourist trails network along the Polish-Czech state border in the Sudetes in the years 1945 – 2013

The paper presents the development of hiking tourist trails network in the vicinity of the Polish-Czechoslovakia border (from the beginning of 1993 the Polish-Czech border) in the Sudetes in the period from 1945 till 2013. A comparison of Polish and Czechoslovak (Czech) trails offer was presented, as well as the route of some trails was criticised. In order to attain this a comparative analysis of historical and present-day tourist maps was conducted, however also hitherto existing literature concerning the history of tourism in the Sudetes was used. The analysis of recent changes in the network was possible thanks to field studies. The development of tourist trails networks on both sides of the state border in the Sudetes was highly dependent on the political situation and restrictions concerning people’s stay within the border zone. Therefore three main periods of the development of trails networks can be distinguished: (a) period before 1989, when the restrictions were most rigorous (especially from the end of 1946 till 1956), (b) period after 1989, when the rules were significantly softened, however free wandering in the border zone and crossing the border was still impossible, and finally (c) the present period after the end of 2007, when Poland and the Czech Republic became a part of the Schengen area and all formal barriers were abolished. The present legal conditions enable a reorganisation and integration of tourist trails networks, up till now developing separately in both countries. Because of that the present-day lay-out of tourist trails along the Polish-Czech border cannot be considered as final.

Zarys treści: W artykule przedstawiono rozwój sieci pieszych szlaków turystycznych w sąsiedztwie granicy polsko-czechosłowackiej (a od początku 1993 r. polsko-czeskiej) w Sudetach w okresie od 1945 r. do 2013 r. Porównano ofertę szlaków po obu stronach granicy, jak również poddano krytyce przebieg niektórych znakowanych tras. W tym celu dokonano analizy porównawczej archiwalnych i współczesnych map turystycznych, wspomagając się też dotychczasową literaturą z zakresu historii turystyki w Sudetach, analiza zmian zachodzących w ostatnich latach była możliwa natomiast dzięki badaniom terenowym. Proces kształtowania sieci szlaków turystycznych wzdłuż granicy państwowej w Sudetach był silnie uzależniony od zmieniającej się sytuacji politycznej i ograniczeń w poruszaniu się w strefie przygranicznej. W związku z tym można wyróżnić trzy okresy rozwoju sieci szlaków na tym terenie : (a) okres do 1989 r., kiedy restrykcje były bardzo rygorystyczne ( w szczególności od końca 1946 r. do 1956 r.), (b) okres od 1989 r., kiedy przepisy znacznie złagodzono, ale nadal swobodne wędrowanie po strefie przygranicznej i przekraczanie granicy nie było możliwe, oraz (c) okres po wejściu pod koniec 2007 r. Polski i Republiki Czeskiej do strefy Schengen, kiedy wszystkie bariery formalne zostały zniesione. O becna sytuacja prawna pozwala na reorganizację i integrację rozwijających się dotychczas oddzielnie systemów szlaków obu krajów, w związku z czym obecny układ znakowanych tras wzdłuż granicy polsko-czeskiej nie może zostać uznany za ostateczny.

The development of tourist trails network along the Polish-Czech state border in the Sudetes in the years 1945 – 2013

The paper presents the development of hiking tourist trails network in the vicinity of the Polish-Czechoslovakia border (from the beginning of 1993 the Polish-Czech border) in the Sudetes in the period from 1945 till 2013. A comparison of Polish and Czechoslovak (Czech) trails offer was presented, as well as the route of some trails was criticised. In order to attain this a comparative analysis of historical and present-day tourist maps was conducted, however also hitherto existing literature concerning the history of tourism in the Sudetes was used. The analysis of recent changes in the network was possible thanks to field studies. The development of tourist trails networks on both sides of the state border in the Sudetes was highly dependent on the political situation and restrictions concerning people’s stay within the border zone. Therefore three main periods of the development of trails networks can be distinguished: (a) period before 1989, when the restrictions were most rigorous (especially from the end of 1946 till 1956), (b) period after 1989, when the rules were significantly softened, however free wandering in the border zone and crossing the border was still impossible, and finally (c) the present period after the end of 2007, when Poland and the Czech Republic became a part of the Schengen area and all formal barriers were abolished. The present legal conditions enable a reorganisation and integration of tourist trails networks, up till now developing separately in both countries. Because of that the present-day lay-out of tourist trails along the Polish-Czech border cannot be considered as final.