STREDOVEKÁ CESTNÁ SIEŤ V OKOLÍ ZVOLENSKÉHO PUSTÉHO HRADU. ANALÝZA NA ZÁKLADE ANTROPOGÉNNYCH RELIÉFNYCH FORIEM

Studied area around the Pustý hrad with forests and two antecedent valleys belongs to the most valuable sites in the Zvolen cadastral area. The castle had important role to keep watch on the entrance routes to the rich mining towns during the medieval ages. Antecedent valleys with steep slopes and rocky cliffs create natural conditions of defence. The castle was particularly vulnerable from the forests to the South, where historic access roads are situated. The main aim of the research is identification of the medieval settlements and historic roads dependence to the selected natural factors and conditions. Relations of the historic settlements to the natural environment are observed in the wider region and historic roads are studied in the closer area, in the forests around the Pustý hrad. They are identified by global position and navigation system in the field. We present location and routing of the roads in relation to the relief attributes (slope, meso-forms configuration) and to the geological substrate, where we indicate resistance to weathering of the rocks, in the small spatial segment. We define in the results the complex of important natural factors as: geological substrate, groundwater and springs, specific attributes of relief which limited location of the settlements and related access roads during the medieval ages.