Abstract
The work examines the degree of stabilization, innovation and cultural variability in the locality of Modrý Kameň (a small town in the south of central Slovakia). Using the example of a local type of dwelling - the layout of the house and its functional adaptations between 1920 and 2020, horizontal and vertical transmissions of cultural variants and their impact on the vitality of the entire territory will be examined.
The locality's dwellings are predominantly represented by family houses, which have been changed and adapted. Some houses are maintained for generations, others are enlarged and reconstructed.
Some houses became abandoned, dilapidated, or demolished over time. At the beginning of the investigated period (1920), there was identified the predominant invariant type of house.
Selected houses are developmentally and historically examined (periods of reconstruction, expansion or functional change of premises, abandonment or demolition). Qualitative information from owners will be compared with data from censuses, maps and old photographs.
Using the Henrich-Boyd model of cultural transmission and its extensions, local models of cultural vitality will be created. Modeling assumes the change of several variables for example the effect of migration.
Previous research shows that the condition of dwellings is an important cultural indicator of the vitality of the local community. The main effects of culture transmission are migration and positive adaptations of new cultural variants.
Evolutionarily, we can thus model the spread of other local cultural patterns of behavior. These significantly influence whether a given local population will grow, stagnate, or be gradually depopulated.