Fighting Floods. River Regulation in Lower (or Slovenian) Styria in the 19th and the First Half of the 20th Century

In recent decades, climate change has increased the frequency of weather extremes, with devastating consequences for the natural environment, infrastructure, and human lives. Among the many natural disasters, floods are undoubtedly the most devastating, as they are highly unpredictable and often extremely intense. On the other hand, there has always been a constant “struggle” between people and high waters, as floods have repeatedly forced them to regulate inland waters, i.e. rivers and streams. However, due to inadequate technology, all the measures taken before the Industrial Revolution were largely unsuccessful. From a broader perspective, speaking for the Habsburg Monarchy, we can safely state that it was only in the 19th century that river regulation was finally approached more professionally and comprehensively, and that, at this point, high waters were finally tamed – at least to some extent, depending on the location.