varies between 700 and 1193 m.a.s.l. Jezersko is located more to the east, in a narrow fluvially modelled valley at an altitude of 660–1176 m.a.s.l. The northern and NE part of the Spis ˇ Magura mountain is divided by long and branched erosion valleys which consequently cut into the ground sandstones and claystones inclined in the direction of valley downstream. Shaping of the archetype is associated with the structure of settlements in bottom and foothill localities of valleys with predominantly both sided build-up and relatively large gradient of reach of activities, from gardens and narrow-striped forms of arable land, respectively terraced fields, through hay meadows and pastures, to continuous forest formations. The result of an interplay of human and natural factors are symmetrically arranged, fan-like, or feather patterns of land cover. An archetype in the conditions of an amphitheater-like erosion valley of a central paleogenic flysch mountain is a mountain village Hradisko in the Levoc ˇske ´ vrchy Mountains. The location of the village in the middle of the valley, which is built by subhorizontal flysch strata of sandstones and claystones, was determined by the potential of water source. Subsequent concentric arrangement of fields and balks in the direction of isopleths had an anti-erosion and water-retention function in relatively unfavorable hydrological conditions (Fig. 6). The current development of the archetype is determined by the partial extensive agricultural use in a form of narrow-striped fields of arable land, hat meadows and pastures. However, the process of succession of shrub and tree vegetation, abandonment of fields and change of settlement use is becoming more common with the rise in weekend tourism and cottaging (Fig. 7). Archetypes of mountain ridges and plains with occurrence of isolated and dispersed settlements is potentially the most widespread phenomenon of the Western Carpathians, which is closely related to the initial settling of Slovakia in a form of mountain villages and dispersed settlements, which have various regional names, such as ‘‘kopanice’’, ‘‘s ˇta ´le’’, ‘‘lazy’’, etc. Colonization and use of these localities had generally a permanent character, in some mountains, these activities were limited by the duration of summer season—use of higher-located pastures and meadows (Levoc ˇske ´ vrchy Mountains, Pol’ana, Pohronsky ´ Inovec). In the vicinity of isolated dispersed settlements and around the core with concentrated build-up area, there were preserved remains of narrow-striped, and to a much lesser extent terraced, abandoned fields. The texture is moderately to highly fragmented, which is a result of introduction of intensive forms of land-use with a significant contribution of deforestation. An important factor and a limit were for the plateau areas the deepcut stream valleys, which are generally forested, while flat backs were deforested and used for agricultural purposes. A classic example is the archetype with a focused arrangement of
Fig. 7 Archetype of concentric arranged pattern of strip-fields (arable, gardens, grasslands) situated on the erosion-fluvial side valley (Levoc ˇske ´ vrchy Mts. Hradisko village) (Photograph: J. Hres ˇko 22.05. 2013)
Biodivers Conserv
123
land-use element