Folk architecture and its significance in regional development (with an example of the Mladá Boleslav region)

The topic of the diploma thesis refers to a research carried out by the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, under the leadership of Mr. Jiří Vaníček. The goal of this thesis is to determine and evaluate the effects of monument protection of rural mansions on the life and development of villages, to analyze potential problems and to search for opportunities to ensure further improvements. In its theoretical part, the thesis maps the legislation governing monument protection in the Czech Republic, with a focus on the monument protection of works of folk architecture. Its practical part is based on a sociological survey carried out in the Mladá Boleslav region, namely in villages that are subject to flat monument protection (Mužský Rural Monument Reserve (RMR), Víska RMR, Březinka Rural Monument Zone (RMZ), Skalsko RMZ, Loukov RMZ and Kluky RMZ), in the form of a questionnaire survey and focus-group discussions. The respondents were owners of properties in the protected villages, their mayors and public officials responsible for monument care. The results obtained from the questionnaires are compared with the results obtained from a survey conducted by the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. The results of focus-group discussions were then used for a detailed analysis of the attitudes of all groups involved and for the definition of key areas decisive for mutual relationships between the owners of protected properties, local governments and public administration. A principal issue of the entire thesis is to determine to what extent the lives of people residing in the above-mentioned villages are influenced by the fact that their village has become a rural monument reserve or zone.