Cite this article
Beták, P. (2026) ‘Functional micro-region and its cultural potential: Skalica, Slovakia’, Architecture Papers of the Faculty of Architecture and Design STU, 31(1), pp. 21-30. https://www.doi.org/10.2478/alfa-2026-0004
SUMMARY
The paper examines cultural potential as a key endogenous development resource within micro-regional cooperation, focusing on the Horné Záhorie micro-region in the Skalica District, Western Slovakia. The research is positioned in debates on territorial cohesion, place-based development and cross-border cooperation, with particular attention to historically interconnected border areas in Central Europe. Micro-regions are understood as functionally coherent territorial units between the local and regional scales, able to address development challenges through coordinated action, mobilisation of local resources and the strengthening of territorial identity.
Horné Záhorie represents a cross-border territory shaped by long-term historical, cultural and socio-economic linkages with South Moravia, Czech Republic. Its geographical setting between the White Carpathians, the Little Carpathians, and the Morava River forms a distinctive landscape framework in which cultural landscapes, historic settlement cores, sacral and archaeological sites, vineyards and agricultural structures, and living cultural traditions are closely interwoven. Despite these advantages, the use of cultural resources in development practice remains fragmented and only weakly integrated into strategic and spatial planning.
The aim of the paper is to analyse the cultural potential of Horné Záhorie in relation to spatial structure, demographic development and the institutional framework of planning, and to identify factors that influence cooperation among municipalities and cross-border actors. The research is designed as an interdisciplinary case study combining spatial planning, urban and architectural analysis, regional development, and cultural geography. Quantitative methods include demographic analysis of population change and ageing patterns in comparable reference years, supported by GIS-based spatial analysis of the settlement structure and functional linkages. Qualitative methods comprise systematic mapping of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, cultural landscapes and cultural events, complemented by content analysis of municipal strategic and development documents assessing how identity- and culture-related themes are translated into objectives, measures, and implementation tools.
The results reveal pronounced internal disparities within the micro-region. Towns such as Skalica and Holíč function as stable centres concentrating services, cultural functions and employment, while smaller municipalities face demographic decline and population ageing that weaken local capacity and increase polarisation within the settlement system. Cultural potential is spatially uneven: major concentrations appear in historic cores and key heritage sites, whereas many values occur in dispersed form across the surrounding rural and landscape context. This pattern highlights the integrative role of cultural landscapes, thematic routes and soft mobility in linking dispersed assets into a legible micro-regional system and in supporting forms of tourism based on authenticity, slower rhythms, and local identity.
The analysis of cross-border linkages confirms a strong functional orientation towards Hodonín, Strážnice and Mikulčice, where cultural, educational and tourism attractors form a complementary cross-border system. Existing routes, cycling infrastructure and everyday mobility support interaction, yet the potential remains constrained by limited coordination of strategic documents, differing municipal planning capacities and the absence of a shared micro-regional vision. Regional identity and cultural potential are often reflected only formally or sectorally in local strategies, while lacking any systematic linkage to spatial planning instruments and mechanisms for inter-municipal coordination.
From an architectural-urban perspective, the paper emphasises the settlement structure, historical continuity and the settlement-landscape relationship as durable carriers of territorial identity. In Skalica, weakened pedestrian, visual, and functional links between the historic core and the surrounding landscape illustrate broader challenges related to expansion, mono-functional zones, and spatial fragmentation. Revitalising the transition zones and activating landscape-based public spaces—particularly by connecting heritage areas to recreational networks and cultural landscapes—is identified as a key opportunity for identity-building and sustainable tourism.
Overall, the findings confirm that cultural potential becomes an effective development resource only when it is systematically valorised, institutionally anchored, and integrated into coordinated micro-regional and cross-border strategies. In Horné Záhorie, cultural potential functions less as a straightforward growth driver and more as a stabilising factor supporting social cohesion, territorial identity, and internal coherence. The paper concludes that strengthened cooperation, aligned strategies, and an integrated spatial approach are prerequisites for unlocking the development potential in culturally rich cross-border micro-regions, and that the lessons are transferable to comparable European border regions facing similar demographic and institutional constraints. It also points to the need for shared governance arrangements, joint project pipelines and consistent territorial communication (branding and interpretation) that translate cultural values into concrete, implementable measures and indicators.