Inhabitants in a Depopulating Landscape: The Life of the Creative Class in a Border Region

This thesis explores the way of life of young, university-educated people who have moved from large Czech cities to the Broumovsko region situated in the Czech-Polish borderland. Its aim is to describe their motivations for relocation, their relationships with other local residents, and their everyday reality in an area that has long been affected by depopulation and outmigration of young people. The theoretical framework of the thesis is based on Richard Florida's theory of the Creative Class (2019), which is used to define the studied group and to conceptualize its potential role in development of the places in which its members live. The empirical part of the thesis is based on qualitative research conducted through in-depth interviews analysed using the method of open coding. The research is complemented by an autoethnographic approach focusing on the presence and reproduction of negative depopulation narratives among the inhabitants of Broumovsko region. Through its findings, the thesis offers insight into the process of settlement among newly relocated young people in the Broumovsko region, their everyday realities, and the challenges associated with living in a borderland region. Keywords Depopulation, Czech borderlands, creative class, Broumov region