The presented paper focuses on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site of Vlkolínec (Slovakia), changes in its cultural landscape and the possibilities of its preservation for future generations. However, it is also a living settlement with residents who have demands for their standard of living. To analyze the development of changes in the landscape of the Vlkolínec protection zone, we used available relevant data such as historical maps and aerial photographs from selected time horizons 1769, 1823, 1949, 2007 and 2017. Overall, we interpreted a total of 13 landscape elements, paying special attention to historical landscape structures. For the land use elements, we focused mainly on determining their area and percentage of the landscape in relation to their changes in the period under review in the context of natural and socio-economic conditions. In order to gain a realistic view of the future development and use of the Vlkolínec area in the context of direct users of the area, we decided to apply a questionnaire survey in 2017. The questionnaire is a written form of a structured interview. We determined a target group of respondents—residents of Vlkolínec and users of this area (holiday cottage owners, foresters, farmers), i.e., we processed the opinions of people directly influencing Vlkolínec and its immediate surroundings—the landscape. The interviews were focused on identifying problems and proposing solutions so as not to disturb the uniqueness of this site, but at the same time to also attract tourism participants. Based on the results of the survey, we evaluated the identified phenomena, structures and values and compared them with the desired state of protection of the landmark. Subsequently, we prepared plans for the preservation and sustainable development of this important site.

The sense of place (SOP) concept has considerable potential in geography education and is recognized as an effective tool for developing sustainability competencies. This article aims to address the following research questions: 1) To what extent do Czech and Slovak students identify with their region, and which factors are associated with this identity? 2) Which types of places do students feel the most connected to, and what are the reasons for this connection? We employed both qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection and analysis. An online questionnaire with both open- and closed-ended questions was distributed to all lower secondary schools in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The questionnaire was completed by 8,653 students from these schools. Responses were analyzed using both statistical and content analysis. The results indicate that students’ identity with their region decreases with age, that boys exhibit a stronger identity than girls, and that significant differences exist in students’ identity across different regions. Students’ preferred places most often fall within the categories of home, city, and natural environment. The reasons for students’ SOP are multidimensional. Research into students’ SOP may contribute to more effective integration of the concept into education, thereby fostering the development of sustainability competencies.

Local landscape is a part of the real world that surrounds a person from an early childhood. It offers opportunities for their cognitive development, stimuli for emotional development, shapes their views. A positive relationship with the local region should be developed in Geography education as one of the affective educational goals. The aim of this paper is to evaluate pupils' perception of the concept of a local region and to find out their relationship to their local region based on the results of a questionnaire survey of pupils of lower secondary education in the Czechia and Slovakia. The data were collected using an online questionnaire, which was completed by 4 673 pupils in the Czechia and 3 980 pupils in Slovakia. The results show that pupils perceive their local region most often as the whole district or the whole region in which they live. Pupils' attitude to the local region decreases with their age and was stronger among boys. Slovak pupils identify with their region more and there are significant differences in their relationship to the region across regions. In particular, pupils are most proud of the natural environment and cultural monuments. The findings are beneficial in the field of regional identity research, but also in educational settings, as the local region and a deeper knowledge of it is not only the goal, but also the means of Geographic education.

This paper presents an Integrated Thematic Instruction to learn about the local landscape. The curriculum from different subjects is thematically linked, with the main integrated subject being Man and Society (Homeland Science). The study is based on the curriculum framework of the National Curriculum for Primary Education, which was approved in 2023. This plan sets out the time allocation for the learning areas and subjects in each learning cycle. Our focus was on the learning standards within each learning area in Cycle 1 of primary education.