Title: Reconstruction of the morphology and hydrography of the centre of Cracow (Poland) in the historical period (9th-12th AD)

Biography:

Roksana Zarychta, geomorphologist, germanist, current employment: Institute of Geography, Pedagogical University of Cracow, Poland (Department of Geoinformation and Environmental Research). Her scientific interests include the use of GIS in the analysis of changes in topography of anthropogenically modelled areas.

Abstract

In the town centres with a long history, the initial topography is masked mainly by a layer of cultural deposits. The sediments considerable change the initial morphology of towns including range of landforms, and surface waters (e.g. wetlands), and finally the initial morphometry of urban areas (absolute and relative heights, slopes, aspects). The subject of the study is the historic centre of Cracow (former capital of Poland) where the early-medieval relief (up to the 8^th century) became masked due to the rapid increase in cultural deposits. The aim of the investigation is the reconstruction of morphology and hydrography of this area relating to the period of mid-medieval time (9^th-12^th). On the basis of rich sources of data (e.g. geoengineering, archaeology) and historical maps of the town, a hypsometric map and digital elevation model (DEM) have been generated, which showed the reconstructed morphology and hydrography of the study area. An estimation by ordinary kriging method were carried out. The final cartographic work was prepared with the use of Surfer software. The former distribution and limit of landforms (Pleistocene terrace, Holocene floodplain, meandering Vistula river channel, secondary channels, limestone hills) in the study area before the 13^th century is presented as a proposed variant of the geomorphological and hydrographic maps prepared by the authors. The former relief and distribution of wetlands was evaluated in terms of its potential for encouraging medieval settlement.