Ore mountains - social and economic conditions: Difference between revisions

==Post WWII culture and society==

After the Second World War the vast majority of the original German population was expelled from the land where they had their roots. They were replaced by newcomers from other regions who preyed upon the land as property of the ousted “enemy” as if it did not deserve protection, but was perceived instead as a conquered territory to eradicate. Contributing factors to this perception was the combination of communist ideology with tense postwar Czech nationalism and the general situation in postwar Europe (see more on the [http://www.czp.cuni.cz/vcsewiki/index.php/Ore_mountains_-_region_and_history#Social_and_national_conflicts VCSE wiki]).  

==Opposition to the communist regime==

The combination of communist ideology with tense postwar Czech nationalism and the general situation in postwar Europe brought development that was not only politically, but also economically, erroneous and, it could be said, pathological and was leading to the collapse of the social and economical structures in the region.

There were enlightened people who tried to stop the negative open mining trend, and at least protect the rest of surviving regional natural and cultural treasures, even before November 1989. Martin Říha and regional geologist Miroslava Blažková at Regional National Committee in Ústí nad Labem managed, despite opposition from Federal Ministry of Fuel and Energy (FMPE) and miners, to push the Czech Mining Office and the Czech Geological Office to write-off the coal reserves under the historical centre and urban conservation area including the Castle of Duchcov. Even before the "Velvet Revolution" non-governmental organisations such as Brontosaurus from Litvinov were established to protect Jezeří castle, the remaining arboretum under it and the remaining municipalities, including Horní Jiřetín and Černice – activists such as Peter Pakosta and Miroslav Brožík were engaged to save the slopes of the Ore Mountains. The worthy deeds of Jan Marek from Stavební geologie (Structural Geology), Prague are also important to highlight as he was the one who pushed the authorities to carry out the appropriate monitoring of the Ore Mountains using a special shaft under Jezeří castle. Marie Lafarová insisted on evaluation of the safety and stability of pillar slopes of the Ore Mountains in the upper section of Černice-Horní Jiřetín at 300 m above sea level. All these efforts combined expertise and commitment to support a sustainable development in the region (see also…). Although reluctant, Regional National Committee officials in the Commission of the Environment in cooperation with the central authorities had to include higher environmental protection standards in the planning documents for the further development of the region. Also, compensation measures were put in place and some measures to address the causes of environmental degradation.<ref name = Riha></ref>

==Natural conditions==

So little of the natural and cultural wealth present in the region before 1938 has survived that it is imperative to conserve all that remains. Uninterrupted portions of the North Bohemian Basin (NBB) that have not been affected by mining or its consequences are difficult to find today. The main, central part of the Basin with the thickest and best-quality seam had largely been exhausted by underground mining. Open-cast mining has returned to those areas and has been destroying the last remains of natural soils on a large scale with its open pits and spoil banks. The natural structures have long been reduced below a tolerable minimum.<ref name = Riha></ref>

==Mining industry and its social consequences==

It seems extraordinary that during the First Republic, Czechoslovakia was among the economically most advanced countries in the world, whose demand for energy was satisfied by small surface and underground mines with bucket excavators without needing to turn the land upside down or destroy settlements. Furthermore this allowed the selective extraction of raw materials from the top layer of excavated rock while accessing the coal below it to supply the power plants. The largest and most advanced of these power plants is, by today's standards, the small and now non-existent Ervěnice power plant. Development in our country and our region after 1948 must have been not only politically, but also economically, erroneous and, it could be said, pathological.<ref name = Riha></ref>