Hans Peter JESCHKE

(ICOMOS – Austria, Linz, Austria)

In 2005 World Heritage Site of the Hadrian’s Wall (UK) was joined by the Upper German-Raetian border wall. Supported by the Summary Nomination Statement „Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site“ (English Heritage, 2004) the perception of the archaeological relicts changed in these years from „an extensive and diversified ensemble (with) some 100 monuments and sites“ (Hadrian’s Wall Military Zone (1987)), and Upper German-Raetian border wall (2004) „together the remains form a relict landscape (2004) to an „extensive historic landscape“ of the UNESCO-Category serial property (UNESCO-Guidelines 2008).
The principal thesis of this contribution is that such the historical cultural landscape approach makes it possible to protect and maintain the transcontinental archäological property with its landscape setting (Bufferzones and surrounding protective landscape zones / relict landscapes and continuing landscapes). This paper develops therefore a comprehensive managementsystem for a historic cultural landscape zone. This Cultural Landscape Maintaining System (Kulturlandschaftspflegewerk ©) for the Historic Landscape Zone of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire was created as a transdisziplinary governmental protection-, preservation- and developmentsystem, which covers all planning levels and different legal levels selected for this purpose. Based on a principle mangement mechanism the system consists of ten components:

  • Regional Goverment and member of the Government principally responsible
  • Regional planning concept
  • UNESCO-Site management unit
  • World Cultural Heritage Forum
  • Monitoring
  • Management mechanism (mentioned already)
  • Preservation by means of subsidy measures
  • Preservation by means of protective instruments / management plan
  • Preservation by means of basic research and inventory
  • Public relation, civic participation and communication.

This system with its mechanism includes overcoming the splintered administrative bureaucracy which govern cultural landscapes in different-organised states throughout Europe: Protective and maintenance systems of the entire landscape surrounds with a network of specialised protective and maintenance for individual cultural landscape elements (FRE-Informationssystem with a integrated cultural landscape registry!) as well as pertinent financial support system specific methodology (as well as other spatially-relevant means) of cultural landscape care (historical spatial sciences) etc. inventory of cultural sites and landscapes tied to funding for the pertinent area organisational elements (office for coordination, protection and monitoring) as well as all decision-making levels united in a trans-disciplinary managment for securing the protective and maintenance goals.