Cultural Landscape and Heritage in the Wadden Sea Region FOREWORD 5 01 THE WADDEN SEA REGION 7 Project LancewadPlan 2004 - 2007 02 LANCEWADPLAN 10 A project for the preservation and development of the cultural landscape and heritage of the Wadden Sea Region, co-fi nanced by the EU Interreg IIIB North Sea Programme. Colophon Publishers International Wadden Sea Secretariat, Wilhelmshaven 03 THE MAIN OUTCOMES 13 Working Group on Landscape & Cultural Heritage (WADCULT) Kulturarvsstyrelsen Copenhavn, Denmark Archäologisches Landesamt Schleswig-Holstein Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpfl ege Min. Landbouw, Natuurbeheer en Voedselkwaliteit, DRZ Noord, The Netherlands Text Matthias Maluck 04 THE COOPERATION 21 Translation and text revision Tammy Smalley, Anja Hinrichs, Maria Röbbelen, Erik Staal Photo cover page Landscape on Terschelling, The Netherlands; © Jan Heuff Layout 05 CONCLUSION 22 SCHWEERPUNKT & dewalldesign, Wilhelmshaven Published 2008 HAUKE JÖNS : ”The LancewadPlan project has managed to direct public at- Head of the department of cultural sciences, Lower tention to the cultural heritage along the Wadden Sea coast. Saxony Institute for Historical Coastal Research The cross-border co-operation, exercised in the Lancewad- Plan-Project, should therefore become a daily practice for those who take responsibility in safeguarding and using the FOREWORD natural and cultural heritage.” Ribe from the air, Denmark; Foreword © Svend Tougaard M an along the Wadden Sea coast has sig- nifi cantly shaped its landscape. This landscape is part of the local identity and a valuable as- set for its future. The international project LancewadPlan, co- fi nanced by the EU „Interreg IIIB North Sea Programme“ wants to safeguard the region’s cultural treasures and integrate them into a prosperous economic development. This bro- chure explains the project via providing a back- ground, aims, content and outcomes of this en- deavour, and also touches on the new working relationship with The Wash area of the UK. Seaweed barne on Terschelling, Wreck of the Sheraton, Hunstanton UK; The Netherlands; © Jan Heuff © WESG/Simon Baumber Mound village Toornwerd near Middelstum, The Netherlands; © Jan Heuff 4 -4 5- 5 01 THE WADDEN SEA REGION JOKE GELDORP-PANTEKOEK The LancewadPlan project works as an ambassador for the identity UWE MEINERS : ”With its tasks and objectives, LancewadPlan has given Mayor of the island of Texel, of the region. Together with identity we also talk about the inhabit- Director of the open air museum fresh impetus to the initiative for sustainable valorisation Chair of The Wadden islands ants of the region and their involvement in their living area. of Cloppenburg, Lower Saxony of historic landscape types, promoted by the open air and Euregio The Wadden The interest in LancewadPlan can be raised by facilitating projects museum of Cloppenburg. like the “loodsenproject “ in Den Hoorn in the future. Practical and Hence, the management handbook is an excellent THE WADDEN SEA REGION bottom up. companion, which is also a prerequisite for the successful sensitisation of people for the aims of the protection of cultural landscape and historic buildings.“ 01 The Wadden Sea Region: Landscape as Cultural Treasury Threat and pleasure to protect their farmsteads from the rising The island of Rømø, Denmark; © Svend Tougaard fl oods. Frisians, Saxons and Danes followed P eople have feared the incalculable sea for this practice in later years. They also started to centuries. Its whims were more bane than from generation after generation asserted surround their marshland with sea walls in the boon for a long time; like storm surges, which efforts to cope with the unbelievable powers Middle Ages. Bogs were drained and new land destroyed farms, fl ooded fi elds, breached sea of nature in this region. Natural and cultural developed in front of the so-called dikes and walls and killed people and animals. Bogs and landscapes merge into an inseparable whole in became protected soon afterwards against soggy roads made travel overland an awful the Wadden Sea area. regular fl ooding by new embankments. The ar- burden. rival of Christianity triggered the construction A rich international heritage of early churches, of which some immemo- The Wadden Sea coast used to be an inhos- There is a rich heritage of megalithic tombs, for rial walls have survived till today, where they pitable area. But about 200 years ago, at the example, in Danish Marbæk, or on the island of have not fallen prey to storm surges. The sea beginning of the 19th century, its beauty be- until today. What makes this region so attrac- Sylt, or a bog causeway near Tannhausen in fetched back many boldly reclaimed polders. came increasingly recognised. Suddenly, land- tive? What is so special about this landscape? Lower Saxony. These still tell the tale of peo- Traces of old occupation in the mud fl ats of scape was perceived as something amiable, Firstly, it required a change of people’s views. ple, who settled on the elevated islands and North Frisia, hark back to days of once fl our- special, recreational, useful and singular. More The coast itself has generally remained the coastal areas beginning in the New Stone Age. ishing landscapes where today the waves of and more visitors came from afar to inhale same but is now perceived differently. Second- The fi rst people set foot on the young, pris- the North Sea are rolling again. the healthy sea-air, but also to indulge in the ly, the landscape of the Wadden Sea coast has tine salt marshes centuries prior to the birth Settlements like Ribe and Glückstadt thrived unique aesthetics of the coast and its islands not been untouched for a long time anymore, of Christ in Ostergoo or Hunsingo. Soon, the on trade, and towns like Esbjerg, Wilhelms- 01 and mud fl ats. This fascination has not declined but is a peculiar cultural product, emerged fi rst tribes piled up dwelling mounds in order haven and Den Helder emerged as military har- Tümlauerbucht in Eiderstedt, Schleswig-Holstein; © Archäologisches Landesamt SH 46 - -7 7 01 THE WADDEN SEA REGION Hallig Hooge, Schleswig-Holstein; © Archäologisches Landesamt SH View on Esbjerg and habour facilities, Denmark; © Svend Tougaard The Wadden Sea coast of Denmark, for in- Settlement in the marshes along the coast of the fi st spa of the coast was founded at the gion, which have protected the mound villages stance, has amazingly few and only small Lower Saxony can be traced to a few hundred end of the 18th century. Spa and tourism re- for over a thousand years. The surrounding patches of marshland which are so typical centuries BC, and is still indicated by rows of lated architecture has shaped the popular is- marshlands are criss-crossed by a fi ne mesh elsewhere along the coast. Instead, the dwell- large dwelling mounds with the trade post of land and remains to till this day. of ditches and canals, which often stem from ing mounds of Misthusum in the Ballummarsk Feddersen Wierde as the most prominent. Ex- former tidal streams, and which were used as have already been deserted for a long time. The tensive bog areas like the Teufelsmoor in the Westergo in the Netherlands is situated in the highways of the middle ages and early Varde River winds through the northernmost hinterland of Land Hadeln were colonised and the heart of Friesland, and has not only some modern times. marshland near Esbjerg, and fl ows into the sea drained only in early modern times, leaving us of the oldest mounds, but also boasts of the as the only river with an unprotected mouth. genuine villages. On the island of Norderney, most ancient sea walls in the Wadden Sea re- Even though The Wash in the east of England The origins of Ribe lye in being a trade post does not belong to the Wadden Sea region it- dating back to the Viking Age, which makes it „Roter Haubarg“ in Eiderstedt, Schleswig-Holstein; Punt van Reide, Ems, The Netherlands; self, it displays astonishing parallels in land- bours. Agriculture remains to mould the land- An area of magnifi cent the oldest town along the Wadden Sea coast. © Archäologisches Landesamt SH © Jan Heuff scape and history. Here, extensive mud fl ats scape today, as it did in the past to some ex- regional variety The Wadden Sea of North Frisia of the more and salt marshes are also dissected by tidal tent. Apart from sea walls, drainage ditches and Even though landscape along the Wadden Sea southerly Schleswig-Holstein is animated by creeks. Here, people also guarded themselves hedgerows, beautiful farm houses catch the eye coast looks strikingly uniform at fi rst sight, it a multitude of small islets and islands. The with the construction of sea walls against everywhere, like Gulfhäuser in many parts of turns out to be highly diverse with much vari- youngest ones are called Halligen and have the threat of the sea since the Middle Ages. Lower Saxony and Groningen, Low German bay ation at a closer look. The better the insight, emerged only during the last centuries. Their And medieval towns and villages, as well as hall houses in Land Wursten and Elbmarschen, the bigger appears the variety of different inhabitants still need to live on dwelling Norman castles, overlook the semi-circular the enormous Haubarge in Eiderstedt and the landscapes with their own characteristics, dif- mounds to protect themselves against recur- bay, and therefore give The Wash its own pe- Stolpboerderij in Kop Noord-Holland. fering traditions and regional cultures. rent fl ooding in the winter time. culiar imprint. 8 - 9 01 THE WADDEN SEA REGION The castle of Gödens, BERIT JOHANNSEN : ”The cross-linking of the different interests like economy, Niedersachsen; © H.W. Heine Project manager culture, Tourism agency nature conservation, landscape planning and tourism, Schleswig-Holstein (TASH) as it is done in the LancewadPlan project, offers the possibility to safeguard and protect the cultural heritage of the Wadden Sea coast effectively.