Structural Evolution of the Coastal Landscape in Klaipėda Region, Lithuania: 125 Years of Political and Sociocultural Transformations

Thomas Gloaguen (), Sébastien Gadal, Jūratė Kamičaitytė and Kęstutis Zaleckis
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Thomas Gloaguen: Cultural and Spatial Environment Research Group, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-51367 Kaunas, Lithuania
Sébastien Gadal: UMR 7300 ESPACE, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, Université Côte-d’Azur, Avignon Université, 84029 Avignon, France
Jūratė Kamičaitytė: Cultural and Spatial Environment Research Group, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-51367 Kaunas, Lithuania
Kęstutis Zaleckis: Cultural and Spatial Environment Research Group, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-51367 Kaunas, Lithuania

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-33

Abstract: The coastal region of Klaipėda (Lithuania) has experienced major political, economic, social, and cultural transformations since the 20th century. Landscapes as evolving expressions of land use and land cover patterns offer a valuable lens to analyse these changes. This study examines the evolution of physical landscape structures across the pre-Soviet, Soviet, and post-Soviet periods, using historical maps and open-access geospatial data. An ontological approach, combined with morphological and configurational metrics, reveals four major and relatively persistent landscape structures: hydrological systems (sea, lagoon, rivers), forest cover, farming intensity (from extensive grassland use to intensive arable farming), and semi-natural environments. Their structural evolution reflects broader cultural factors, such as contrasting land use traditions between former Prussian and Russian territories. The study also highlights the impact of Soviet collectivisation, marked by irrigation networks, agricultural intensification, and forest expansion. The post-Soviet period is characterised by widespread farmland abandonment and fragmentation, revealing new spatial dynamics and challenges in land reappropriation. Landscape transformations are predominantly structured around agricultural dynamics. Although the analysis was limited by the incomplete availability of data for this specific land use class, the centrality of agriculture in shaping territorial organisation is evident and reinforces the strong rural identity associated with the landscape.

Keywords: spatial system; landscape structures; spatiotemporal modelling; territorial dynamics; geospatial ontologies; Lithuania; pre-Soviet; Soviet; post-Soviet (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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