Change of Cultural Landscape in the past

At the end of October, German scientists spent a four-day visit with their Irish project partners, to share experiences and deepen their joint research within the European project "Pathways to cultural Landscapes".

Three German scientists participated in the exchange, which was organised within the "Personnel Exchange" Programme of the European Union Cultural Commission within the "Culture 2000" Programme. Geographer Jürgen Jung from the Research Institute Senckenberg, the EU-Project co-ordinator Harald Rosmanitz and the archaeologist Rüdiger Kelm from the Archaeological-Ecological Centre Albersdorf (Archäologisch-Ökologischen Zentrum Albersdorf (AÖZA)) exchanged and intensified their up-to date experiences within the project with their Irish colleagues Eion Grogran from the Discovery Programme in Dublin and Charles Mount from the Irish Heritage Council in Kilkenny. The Irish had prepared a scientifically interesting, diverse and enjoyable programme from presentations on the very up-to-date Irish computer-based cartography of cultural landscapes, over visits to different archaeological monuments and examples of successfully implemented public access to historical sites to excursions into the study area of the Irish colleagues at Dowris near Banagher in Offlay.

Within the Dowris Project, around 9000 km² of prehistoric landscapes in the Irish midlands are being studied. The aims of the Project are to deepen the knowledge of prehistoric landscape development within the region and making this newly obtained knowledge accessible to the public.

The positive effects of this visit will document themselves within new ideas and impulses in both cartographic and public relation aspects of the German partner projects and parts of the work being done at the AÖZA.

Next Year, the Irish colleagues will in turn visit Albersdorf and Lohr/Main to inform themselves "live" about the AÖZA, the Dithmarschen Region and the Spessart Mountains.

Impressions