The Void and Its Significance for the Structure of Rural Settlement
Abstract: Every settlement is a complex and multi-layered entity. A settlement is a living organism whose development is never permanently completed. It changes depending on the economic prosperity of the area, employment opportunities, population, tourist attractiveness, the structure of the development, the limits of the area and many other influences. Historic settlement structures that have qualities worthy of conservation also develop. Even where a settlement is under heritage area protection, it is not desirable to stifle development. Stagnation sooner or later brings decline. If a settlement is to prosper, it must be alive and able to develop. People have a natural need to fill the space around them. In attractive locations, there is increasing pressure to build on empty sites. Particularly within rural settlement patterns, this pressure can be devastating for the specific characteristics of the site. Character, identity and genius loci are being lost. Emptiness is in some cases a desirable phenomenon. Why is it important to protect the void in the structure of a rural settlement? What is the importance of empty space for the harmony of a settlement and its external and internal image? The paper defines the term void broadly, highlights the horror vacui and points out the importance of preserving what is known as valuable void. These notions are specified through specific examples of valuable rural settlements in the Jeseníky region of Moravia-Silesia in the Czech Republic.
