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Geo-Cultural Aspects of Building Stone Extracted Within Brno City (Czech Republic): a Bridge Between Natural and Cultural Heritage

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Abstract

Building stone, its deposits, its extraction, and its use represents an element that may be considered a bridge between cultural and natural heritage of a given area. The research on building materials includes numerous aspects such as geological and geomorphological settings of the deposits, cultural aspects, overlaps with geoconservation efforts and urban geotourism development. The case study from Brno (Czech Republic) presents examples of building stones used in the city with an emphasis on Crinoidea Limestone and Old Red Conglomerate and Sandstone. These materials have been extracted since Middle Ages and they have left an imprint in the identity and look of the city. Both extraction sites and building stones present several mutually interconnected aspects, including the specifics of the deposits, history of mining, use of the stone in architecture, its importance within archaeological and historical research, its reflection in toponyms, the importance of old quarries (landforms) for geoconservation and their role in urban development. Based on the research and assessment of extraction sites, geotourist and geoeducational activities are designed with an emphasis on the complex promotion of natural and cultural heritage. Proposals for the activities which could be available even during the times of social distancing are also outlined.

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Acknowledgements

The authors were financially supported by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (Eta programme), Project “Geodiversity within urban areas: perception, function, potential” (project code: TL02000219).

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  1. Institute of Geonics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Drobného 28, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Lucie Kubalíková

  2. Archaia Brno, z.ú., Bezručova 15/78, Brno, 602 00, Czech Republic

    Dana Zapletalová

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  1. Lucie Kubalíková
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Correspondence to Lucie Kubalíková.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on The Oxford Geoheritage Virtual Conference: Reshaping discourse in a time of social distancing

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Kubalíková, L., Zapletalová, D. Geo-Cultural Aspects of Building Stone Extracted Within Brno City (Czech Republic): a Bridge Between Natural and Cultural Heritage. Geoheritage 13, 78 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-021-00585-5

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