Przemiany zespołu osadniczego Bełchatów-Rogowiec pod wpływem eksploatacji złóż węgla brunatnego
The transformation of the Bełchatów-Rogowiec ‘settlement complex’ under the influence of lignite mining

Summary/Abstract: The main objective of this paper is to identify changes in the settlement network in the Bełchatów area, covering both changes to Bełchatów itself and transformations to the local settlement system. A turning point in its history and that of its surroundings was the discovery of large lignite deposits in the vicinity of the village of Piaski in the municipality of Kleszczów at the turn of the 1970s and this contributed to the formation of the settlement complex of Bełchatów-Rogowiec. In the course of the research four main settlement network transformations were identified: settlement changes related to the construction of the open-cast pit and waste areas, the development of Bełchatow as a main service and residential center, the development of the rural commune of Kleszczów as a main labour supply center, and ‘suburbanisation’ in the vicinity of the core area. The analysis of socio-economic transformations in Bełchatów has enabled the pattern of development of the settlement complex to be defined.

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