Archaeological monuments of the Warmian-Masurian voivodeship – spatial analysis using GIS tools

Abstract

Archaeological monuments are one of the forms of monument protection in Poland. It includes various objects, among which one can distinguish: field remnants of prehistoric and historical settlements, graveyards, burial mounds and single graves, as well as relics of industrial, religious and artistic activity. All these objects are of great importance in spatial planning, and its location possess a big impact on the possibilities of land development. According to The National Heritage Board of Poland database for September 2018, there are 7 672 archaeological monuments registered in the polish register of objects of cultural heritage. The number of archaeological objects entered in the register in individual voivodeships is varied. The majority of monuments is located in the Lower Silesian voivodeship, the least in Łódź voivodeship. In this article, archaeological monuments in the Warmian-Masurian voivodeship were analysed, in which there are 286 of such objects. Identification with regard to function was carried out, and a detailed location was specified. With the use of GIS tools, a series of maps was created, which after analysing became the basis for formulating final conclusions. Some of it can be used in the preparation of planning documents at the voivodeship and municipal level.