Similarities in landscape management

Cultural change between Finland and Germany 16.- 20.7.2002

In June 2002 Satu Mikkonen-Hirvonen and Teija Tiitinen from the Finnish National Board of Antiquities visited the Spessart area to learn about the cultural landscape of Spessart and the work done within the Archaeological Spessart Project.

During the visit we focused on the dissemination and the discussion between the researchers and the public. At the same time we got a change to get information about the landscape analyse made within the Spessart Project.

In Spessart our hosts were Gerhard Ermischer, Harald Rosmanitz and Jürgen Jung. Jürgen initiated us into the landscape research and the analyses he had made so far. He also introduced us the ”Scientific Research Institute and Museum of Nature Senckenberg” the research station for Central European highlands. Our hosts had prepared us an interesting and versatile program. During five days visit we managed to see many interesting places and meet several scientists and authorities, who gave us important information about the cultural landscape of Spessart and about it's importance to the local inhabitants. Especially we want to mention the pleasant discussion with Siegfried Selinger the mayor of Lohr am Main. After the meeting we made a short visit to the EPCL office, witch is situated in the old centre of Lohr at Main

We arrived to Spessart via Frankfurt am Main, where we started our visit with an excursion to the Celtic exhibition ”Der Keltenfürst aus Frankfurt” in the archaeological museum of Frankfurt. The exhibition was beautifully designed and with modern technique containing lot of information. It opened a charming view to this mysterious culture witch has so few marks in Finland.

Spessart is an area of variety between the states of Hessen and Bayer situating in both of these areas. There are lots of historical details, splendid culture historical landscape areas and charming old tows making a great impression on us. One evening was dedicated to the town of Miltenberg am Main. In this historical picturesque town there are superior houses and construction from different historical periods (and very delicious food indeed). During that evening we learnt many interesting details about the housebuilding in Spessart in the 1600^th and 1700^th century.

After all it was somewhat suprising, that the same problems that are so emphasising in the cultural landscape of the Untamala project area, were somehow visible in the Spessart region also. The changings in traditional farming methods are seen as unavoidable changings in the cultural landscape. The historical elements are decreasing and some of them are vanishing. For example the old system of irrigation has been abandoned and the constructions it needed are ruined now. At the same time we saw successful revitalisations of cultural landscape as well. Grazing for keeping the landscape open is one of them and the restored vineyards is another one.

One of the highlights of our journey to the Spessart area was the visit to the St Elisabeth nursery school in Frammersbach, the co-operation partner of the didactic sub-project of the European co-ordination office at Lohr. We had nice time with the children and their teachers. It was extremely interesting to get to know what they had liked about making the cultural landscape exhibition and how they had done everything. We also participated the inauguration ceremony of the exhibition containing the pictures done by the pupils from Frammersbach and Untamala. The atmosphere in the inauguration ceremony was cordial and enthusiasted. It helped us to believe that the children participating this project will be interested in protecting the cultural landscape, when they are decision makers in the future. We hope that we have been able to convey the atmosphere from the inauguration ceremony home to Finland.

Among other things we had a change to make some excursions to the cultural paths produced in Spessart. It was interesting to see what kind of sites were chosen by the side of the paths and how the paths were signed to the terrain. We got plenty of new ideas and inspired by the Archaeological Spessart Project we have started to build a cultural path to the village of Untamala.

Once again Gerhard, Harald and Jürgen: Thanks a lot for the interesting days in Spessart.

Impressions

Program