Viticultural landscapes in transition: permanence and change

This article concerns the transitions of cultural landscapes, especially of viticultural landscapes. The authors do not aim to present new definition of the term “landscape” but base their study on the existing output of Polish and foreign scholars. The fact that cultural landscapes are in a constant state of flux is stressed, and periods of both development and regression are included. These phenomena are illustrated with reference to the transformations of Poland's viticultural landscapes, the cultural landscapes of the Palmeral de Elche, and the mouth of the Vistula, as well as the metamorphosis of the landscape of Alto Douro. These examples may be an apt illustration of F. Braudel's concept of “longue durée”.