Abstract
137 This article addresses methodology of modern landscape studies from the perspective of natural and man-made components of a territory. Railway infrastructure is not only an important systembuilding element of economic and settlement patterns; it also affects cultural landscapes. The study of cartographic materials and historiography made it possible to identify the main stages of the development of the Kaliningrad railway network in terms of its territorial scope and to describe causes of the observed changes. Historically, changes in the political, economic, and military environment were key factors behind the development of the Kaliningrad railway network. Nature was less important. The existing Kaliningrad railway network is to a great degree the legacy of the earlier, pre-war times. Today, its primary function is to provide international cargo and passenger transportation. Two types of railway infrastructure are identified in the Kaliningrad region — modern (functioning) and relic (abandoned) ones. In the Kaliningrad region, the process of land reclamation of the railway system starts when the maintenance of railroads is discontinued, which is followed by the formation of primitive soils and emerging biocenoses enhanced by fill soils and artificial relief.
Highlights
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Two types of railway infrastructure are identified in the Kaliningrad region — modern and relic ones
In the Kaliningrad region, the process of land reclamation of the railway system starts when the maintenance of railroads is discontinued, which is followed by the formation of primitive soils and emerging biocenoses enhanced by fill soils and artificial relief
Summary
The development of a transport system always affects the territory’s appearance This impact can be either direct or indirect. The direct impact of railway construction on the landscape is not limited to augmenting the existing landscape structure with new elements. The indirect — but important — impact of the transport network on the appearance and structure of the landscape network is associated with the changes in the settlement system. Polarisation of space and settlement systems is caused by the development of continual transport. It results in the emergence of isolated stripes, whereas gaps characterised by decreased human activity are disconnected and they have less opportunities for preserving biodiversity [ibid]. Based on the direction of network development, the railway history of the Kaliningrad region’s territory can be divided into the following periods: beginning of railway network development (main artery stage); development of the narrow-gauge railway network (filling in inter-artery intervals and creating looped networks) [ibid]; simplification of railway network following the destruction of most narrow-gauge railways; current stage (extant and relict railway landscapes)
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