Sytuacja rozwojowa wsi w województwie opolskim w warunkach depopulacji

Abstract

In 1975 rural areas in the Opolskie Voivodship were inhabited by approx. 559 thous. citizens, i.e. 13.9% more than in 2014. Decrease of population is unequally distributed. Nineteen communes lost more than 20% of their inhabitants and in six among them the decrease exceeded 30% ( up to 36.2%). Only five communes experienced a slight increase of population. According to the demographic prognosis, in 2050 rural areas are expected to be inhabited by approx. 385 thous. people –19.6 % less than now. These changes are going to be a continuation of the already consolidated depopulation processes, which have started about 40 years ago. Such condition distinguishes the Opolskie Voivodship and predestines it to becoming an experimental ground for demographic transformation research and forming of conclusions to counteract the inevitable impact of depopulation. The regional strategy Special Demographic Zone Programme – ‘Opolskie for a family’ does not take into consideration the problem of village vanishing, although the existence of such process is implied by the scale of population decrease. The village vanishing process, depicted by the Wilkow village case study, corresponds with the model of a negative development spiral, formulated in Austria by G. Weber in 2006. This process after occurrence of an triggering factor, e.g. lack of jobs, manifests itself as a sequence of multiple negative feedbacks. The author distinguishes phases of this sequence indicating factors, e.g. financial transfers from job emigration and EU structural funds, which have slowed down the process in the Opolskie Voivodship. Between 2002 and 2012 inhabitants number decrease took place in 3/4 of villages. In 244 villages it exceeded 1% per year. In 1/3 of villages between 2008 and 2013 no flat was built. These numbers depict to what extent villages in the region are endangered by vanishing. In the final parts of this article perspectives of further rural transformations in the region were discussed and a counteract strategy was outlined.