The Impact of the Development of the Sugar Industry on Pond Systems and Water-Powered Facilities in Moravia

Abstract The sugar industry in Moravia not only left a significant mark on the development of industrial areas and settlements, but it also strongly influenced the use of the landscape in the hinterland of the sugar factories. In the 19 th century, the development of the sugar industry and the demand for arable land resulted in the disappearance of some pond systems and, consequently, nearby water-powered facilities. Of the total area of 4,184 ha of ponds in the hinterland of the sugar factories from 1840, approximately 60% disappeared and have not yet been restored. On the contrary, the share of continuously operated and preserved ponds in the hinterland of the sugar factories is very low (18%). Preserved ponds are most often found in the higher parts of Moravia (uplands, hills). It was confirmed that a large number of water areas disappeared in the hinterland of the sugar factories in 1880, and, on the contrary, a larger number of ponds outside the hinterland of the sugar factories remained preserved. Some extinct ponds were gradually restored. Extinct ponds in the period 1880 were gradually restored in two basic waves, 380 ha of ponds by 1950 and 150 ha of ponds by 2025. Following the extinction of ponds in Moravia, water-powered facilities in the immediate vicinity of the ponds also disappeared. The sugar industry was one of the fundamental driving forces behind changes in the use of the landscape in this area in the second half of the 19 th century.