Znaczenie estetyki krajobrazu w określaniu walorów turystycznych

Abstract

In disciplines dealing with landscape researchers increasingly tend to consider landscape as a geographico-psychological reality. The flow of information coming out from the landscape to the observer generates sensations that determine the observer’s reactions. The reception of information depends on personal characteristics: sex, age, sensitivity, psychological conditions, and frame of mind. Of great importance here are person’s education, knowledge, experiences, and culture. Researches on perception of the geographical environment laid the basis for the perceptual geography and demonstrated the importance of landscape physiognomy as an asset for tourism and recreation. Visual quality of landscape is assessed from the point of view of esthetic emotions felt by tourists and recreationists. The beauty of landscape is taken into consideration as a factor in valorizing the natural environment for purposes of tourism and recreation and in arranging recreational areas. Sight is the main sense responsible for landscape perception. Therefore to examine visual attractiveness of landscapes and landscape preferences researchers often use pictures as a basis of questionnaire surveys. This paper is based on surveys conducted among 117 geography of tourism graduates. The respondents have been shown pictures representing 14 different types of visual landscapes found in central Poland. The landscape types varied as to the number of picture planes, degree of anthropization, arrangement of elements, intensity of light. The respondents were asked about their personal feelings, reactions toward particular pictures and preferred recreation environment. When asked to classify landscapes into the category ‘nice’ the respondents most often indicated open or semi-open landscape with colourful foreground (24.3%) or natural bright landscape with water (20.8%). Devastated landscapes, grey or with built-up horizon were most often classified as ‘ugly’. These types of landscapes, according to the respondents, evoke negative feelings such as sadness and depression. Natural landscapes with abundant and colourful vegetation and bodies of water were indicated as preferred type of recreation environment. On the other hand, open void landscapes as well as closed forest landscapes, particularly with dark coniferous forests, were considered unsuitable for recreation and tourist activities. The same refers to disordered landscapes with visible anthropogenic destruction.