Ecological-Geographical Determination of Colonization of Slavonia in the 18th Century (Summary)

Sa？etak By the end of the 17th century started a new colonization of Slavonia. It was also a new phase of anthropization that lasted until mid-19th century. At the beginning newly arrived settlers colonized villages that were devastated and abandoned during the Habsburg-Ottoman War of 1683-1699. At the beginning of the 18th century a process of establishing of new villages started. Settlers were arriving from different regions. The strongest migration route went from Bosnia and Serbia. Other settlers arrived from Lika and Gorski kotar, central Croatia, Ba？ka and Baranja. Migration from German lands was significant as well. Germans, however, settled in relatively small number, comparing to their migration to Baranja, Ba？ka and Banat. Looking from perspective of ecological geography and environmental history most paradigmatic examples of colonization in Slavonia at that time are colonization of the forest area at the ？akovo Estate and colonization of Germans in the plain swamp area of Osijek and Srijem. Those two examples demonstrate important impact of ecologicalgeographical determination of the colonization of Slavonia in the 18th century. Anthropization of the forest area at the ？akovo Estate started by establishing new villages on the road ？akovo-Osijek and resettling two other villages nearby in the woods. On the other hand, the main problem of colonization in the plain swamp was ecological-epidemiological. The presence of infectious diseases, mostly malaria, posed a constant threat to the inhabitants and new settlers. Historical sources show that malaria existed in Slavonia during the 18th century and that it influenced colonization of Germans in Osijek and Ruma. There is evidence that quinine was used as a cure against malaria in Slavonia already in the second half of the 18th century. Besides all the problems produced by ecological-geographical and ecological-epidemiological factors, the number of inhabitants of Slavonia and Srijem continued to grow throughout the 18th century, predominantly due to improving of public health institutions, increasing in number of doctors of medicine, hospital capacities and drug supply, and changing of natural environment, mostly by draining swamps