HISTORICAL URBAN GEOGRAPHY OF SZÉKESFEHÉRVÁR
Abstract
Our paper interprets the birth process of the settlement space of Székesfehérvár, and points out the principles of spatial arrangement in the formation of the settlement. In accordance with out goal, we focus on the base plan of the city, as it is a slowly changing component in the history of the genesis of a city. Székesfehérvár is one of the founded cities of Hungary and Transdanubia, which, however, more and more showed the typical features of natural grown cities, especially after the late 18th century, both in base plan and urban geography. In addition to the history of the morphological elements of the city we also pay attention to the social and functional aspects of the transformation process. In the enlargement of the urban space, for the definition of the possible expansion and regression directions we simultaneously use cross sectional and process analysis methods of historical settlement geography. In the research aiming at the genesis of spatial development, our view is determined by the attitude of geographical possibilism – in this view the geographical endowments offered by the natural environment only give possibilities to society, but it is basically the development level of society that determines what, how and in how much time society can utilise from these physical geographical endowments. On the ground of these thoughts above the paper is divided into three parts: the first is a brief introduction to the geographical environment of the city, the natural endowments (energies) that supported the birth of the settlement; this is followed by the analysis of the transformation of settlement functions and social structure; and the paper is concluded by a connected issue, the survey of the settlement structure inherited from the past. Our intention is the exploration of the individual character of Székesfehérvár city inherited from the past, and the research may serve as the basis for further researches on the present urban morphology of the city.
