HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY AND SETTLEMENT MORPHOLOGY OF KAPOSVÁR

Abstract

Historical geography covers temporal and spatial correlations of forms of human activities. The examination of settlements’ functions forming throughout history and that of their internal spatial structures is a part thereof. On the example of Kaposvár, the capital of Somogy County, the study presents that there is a strong correlation between the history of a settlement and the change in its horizontal plan.

Besides agricultural economy, the establishment of central functions promoted the development of the city after the mid-18th century. The decisive turn was, however, the appearance of the railway (1872), the subsequent industrialisation and the rapid population growth associated with it. At that time the ground plan and the visage of today's downtown took shape and conscious urban planning and construction began. Since then the territorial extent of Kaposvár has increased considerably, and her development has been uninterrupted with the exception of the period between the two world wars. After the change of regime, she received major urban functions, the image of the city centre completely renewed, its functional structure changed significantly.