Enhancing the value of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Upper German-Raetian
Limes' through landscape management
Background
The Upper German-Raetian Limes of the Roman Empire is Germanys
largest and best known ancient monument. The artificial, linear
border and the watchtowers and forts symbolise the Roman era in
Europe between the first and the third century after Christ. Its
singularity and its cultural importance led to its incorporation
to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005, Germany's 31st cultural
heritage site.
The Limes management plan emphasises a strong union between the
monument and the landscape and the connections and interactions
between nature conservation, agriculture and forestry. Against this
backdrop, our institute was called upon to submit proposals for
the management of this important heritage site.
Objective
The objective of the project is,
- to make tangible the atmosphere of the Limes and its associated
military infrastructure by means of a consistent design oriented
according to the historic and the landscape phenomena,
- to reveal synergies between heritage protection, nature conservation
and landscape management based on the example of the proposed
design and management measures,
- to draft a guideline ensuring the lasting care of the design
elements introduced.
Methods
The project will combine methods from
the disciplines
- historical geography(evaluation of primary and secondary sources,
mapping of historical landscape elements),
- remote sensing (evaluation and interpretation of aerial photos,
laser scanned images, data processing in the geographic information
system software ArcGIS),
- landscape ecology (landscape structure and vegetation mapping),
- landscape design (e.g., creation of vista observation points,
sowing, planting and forest conversion procedures) and
- social sciences (stakeholder participation, surveys).
Research sites
 The
research will be carried out in the German federal states Baden-Württemberg,
Bayern and Hessen. The current focus of the project in Baden-Württemberg
is on selected Limes segments near Walldürn, Osterburken, Mainhardt,
Lorch, Schwäbisch-Gmünd and Aalen. The selection of suitable
sites in Bayern and Hessen will take place in spring 2007.
Information about current results
Presentation within the framework of the final conference of the project "Frontiers of the Roman Empire" on May 28th, 2008 (800 KB)
| Project duration: |
July 2006 - June 2008
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| Finance: |
Deutsche Limeskommission, Landesamt für
Denkmalpflege beim Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart
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| Project supervisor: |
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| Researcher: |
Dr. Franz Höchtl,
Dipl. Ing. (FH) Patrick Pauli |
| Partners: |
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