<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The article addresses the question of the emergence of urban centres with a gateway function in the area of contemporary Poland. The work concentrates on three urban centres – Mysłowice, Szczakowa and Granica (Maczki) – which gateway function was conditioned by the existence of railway border crossings in the past that provided services for international transport. The interpretation of settlements and their transformations followed the town plan analysis includes method of Conzen. The article indicates spatial consequences of this kind of function which influenced a significant part of the urban area in the indicated towns. The study highlights the dynamics of spatial changes contemporarily conditioned by the loss of the former gateway function and a fact that role of the border has been marginalized. From the other point of view the decreasing role of the political borders which have become in Europe in most cases barely a symbolic meaning. In the presented case studies the key aspect determining the marginalization of their role in the rail transport system and also their urban development was the change of the political borders and their negative consequences (demolition post-rail areas, formation of functionally derelict areas or depopulation). Former glory and role of these three towns are the still existing railway stations. Fortunately, presented railway stations – their potential and heritage give new possibilities for ideas of functional changes and future development.</p></abstract>

The article addresses the question of the emergence of urban centres with a gateway function in the area of contemporary Poland. The work concentrates on three urban centres – Mysłowice, Szczakowa and Granica (Maczki) – which gateway function was conditioned by the existence of railway border crossings in the past that provided services for international transport. The interpretation of settlements and their transformations followed the town plan analysis includes method of Conzen. The article indicates spatial consequences of this kind of function which influenced a significant part of the urban area in the indicated towns. The study highlights the dynamics of spatial changes contemporarily conditioned by the loss of the former gateway function and a fact that role of the border has been marginalized. From the other point of view the decreasing role of the political borders which have become in Europe in most cases barely a symbolic meaning. In the presented case studies the key aspect determining the marginalization of their role in the rail transport system and also their urban development was the change of the political borders and their negative consequences (demolition post-rail areas, formation of functionally derelict areas or depopulation). Former glory and role of these three towns are the still existing railway stations. Fortunately, presented railway stations – their potential and heritage give new possibilities for ideas of functional changes and future development.

Genesis and development of the spatial structures in former border railway centres Mysłowice – Szczakowa – Granica (Maczki), Poland

Department of Economic Geography, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia, Będzińska Str. 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland

Herder Institute for East-Central Europe Research, Gisonenweg 5-7, 35037 Marburg, Germany

Environmental & Socio-economic Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The article addresses the question of the emergence of urban centres with a gateway function in the area of contemporary Poland. The work concentrates on three...

Genesis and development of the spatial structures in former border railway centres Mysłowice – Szczakowa – Granica (Maczki), Poland

Published Online: Jun 27, 2015

Page range: 35 - 44

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/environ-2015-0030

Keywords
border cities, gateway cities, spatial planning, urban development

© University of Silesia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Genesis and development of the spatial structures in former border railway centres Mysłowice – Szczakowa – Granica (Maczki), Poland

Published Online: Jun 27, 2015

Page range: 35 - 44

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/environ-2015-0030

Keywordsborder cities, gateway cities, spatial planning, urban development

© University of Silesia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
border cities, gateway cities, spatial planning, urban development