Abstract
During the period 2014-2018, the commemoration of the First World War (WWI) is taking place in many by the war affected and/or related areas. This war, which can be seen as a worldwide cultural calamity, destroyed besides the societies and their mode of life, also directly different landscapes in many regions. The extent of the impact depended on the warfare, hinterland activities, landscape characteristics, geology and many other defining features related to this complicated war. This paper discusses the
impact of the war on the landscape in West-Flanders, an area located on the former Western Front of Belgium, which formed the theatre of warfare for four years long as a result of the stalemate of the trenches. Consequently, this area was intensively disturbed by many consecutive battles forming a lunar like landscape full of craters, mud and military features, with no or barely visible elements of the pre-war landscape and a completely disturbed fauna and flora. The spectacular recovery and reconstruction with traditional pre-war influences took a lot of effort, time and money. Consequently, one hundred years later, the landscape looks 'healthy' again with many panoramic views and vista' s, blooming nature and a well-running economy. Nevertheless, the war still left its footprint in the landscape, forming the last witness of this event. This can be found in above ground and in below ground preservation. Most of
the above ground WWI-traces are obvious like protected relics (e.g. bunkers, trenches), but many of the traces are not always visible with the normal eye and can be found in the micro-topography of the landscape. The presented research analysed this micro-topography with remote sensing techniques
such as valuable historical aerial photographs taken during and after the war and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. With these sources, it was possible to study the temporal evolution based on land use/land cover and linear elements as an understanding of the presence of WWI-relics in the present-day micro-topography. Different landscape patterns and changes were linked with the above-ground preservation of WWI-relics and revealed that many WWI-craters still have subtle footprints in the landscape, making the area on and around the former frontline in West-Flanders a remembrance landscape.
impact of the war on the landscape in West-Flanders, an area located on the former Western Front of Belgium, which formed the theatre of warfare for four years long as a result of the stalemate of the trenches. Consequently, this area was intensively disturbed by many consecutive battles forming a lunar like landscape full of craters, mud and military features, with no or barely visible elements of the pre-war landscape and a completely disturbed fauna and flora. The spectacular recovery and reconstruction with traditional pre-war influences took a lot of effort, time and money. Consequently, one hundred years later, the landscape looks 'healthy' again with many panoramic views and vista' s, blooming nature and a well-running economy. Nevertheless, the war still left its footprint in the landscape, forming the last witness of this event. This can be found in above ground and in below ground preservation. Most of
the above ground WWI-traces are obvious like protected relics (e.g. bunkers, trenches), but many of the traces are not always visible with the normal eye and can be found in the micro-topography of the landscape. The presented research analysed this micro-topography with remote sensing techniques
such as valuable historical aerial photographs taken during and after the war and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. With these sources, it was possible to study the temporal evolution based on land use/land cover and linear elements as an understanding of the presence of WWI-relics in the present-day micro-topography. Different landscape patterns and changes were linked with the above-ground preservation of WWI-relics and revealed that many WWI-craters still have subtle footprints in the landscape, making the area on and around the former frontline in West-Flanders a remembrance landscape.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Publikationsdato | 2018 |
| Status | Udgivet - 2018 |
| Udgivet eksternt | Ja |
| Begivenhed | Military and Postmilitary Landscapes: Central European Conference of Historical Geographers - Charles University, Prague, Tjekkiet Varighed: 14 feb. 2018 → 15 feb. 2018 http://www.historickageografie.cz/cechg2018 |
Konference
| Konference | Military and Postmilitary Landscapes |
|---|---|
| Lokation | Charles University |
| Land/Område | Tjekkiet |
| By | Prague |
| Periode | 14/02/2018 → 15/02/2018 |
| Andet | In 2018, we will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War and three hundred and seventy years since the end of the Thirty Years’ War. All conflicts have causes, course, and consequences. Conflicts may be relatively short, although they are often the result of long-term political, social, cultural, ideological or even environmental transformations.<br/><br/>Tensions stemming from political ambitions of individuals or whole states originated primarily in territories where power and influence concentrated. However, their outreach was often unimaginable. Even regions distant from troubled places had to cope with the consequences of local turmoil that threatened to or eventually resulted in conflicts. Conflicts impacted societies as well as environments where they took place. Through conflicts whole landscapes were erased, the organisation of states and of the world system transformed. Therefore, they provide suitable reference points allowing discrimination between different stages in the development of society (for example, they conclude phases of preparation, and shed light on the strategies and technological advancement of the time). Moreover, also the preparations for potential conflicts (that did not have to escalate into actual conflicts) have had impact on the landscape.<br/><br/>In the broad sense of the term, it is thus possible to think about military landscapes which are characterised by the occurrence of military-strategic features, remnants of troop activity (fortification systems, training areas, military-industrial complexes, etc.) and related activities (changes to the settlement and transport systems, different branches of the economy, etc.), or are filled with symbolic places (e.g. various monuments, cemeteries) pointing at the presence of military activities in the past.<br/><br/>Conflicts often entail certain trauma and disruption in continuous development of communities at different geographical scales. However, they may also give new impetus to future lives. Due to changing societal contexts, the view, understanding and interpretations of particular military landscapes change through generations. Different communities may express disparate attitudes towards the war heritage and its preservation. Military landscapes change their functions and meanings, and postmilitary landscapes have often become problematic areas, e.g. from the point of view of future use and territorial development. Sometimes they function as a place of memory, elsewhere they are subject to commodification.<br/><br/>We have the honor of inviting you to join us at the conference in Prague this February.<br/><br/> Eva Semotanová, Pavel Chromý, Zdeněk Kučera<br/>Conference Themes<br/><br/>The conference topics will be focused on, but not limited to:<br/><br/> the conceptualization of the military and postmilitary landscape<br/> remnants of military and postmilitary activities in the environment<br/> traces of military landscapes in cartographic, iconographic and written sources<br/> the processes of militarization and demilitarization and the possible ways of reconstructing their imprint on the landscape<br/> disappeared (post)military landscapes of cities and rural areas, centres and peripheries<br/> interwar period: conflict / war as a historical-geographic point of reference<br/> conflict as an impulse for socio-spatial change: pre-war and post-war landscape<br/> changes in the functions of military landscapes and the potential for their future use<br/> environmental context and consequences of the existence of military landscapes<br/> memories and heritage of military landscapes<br/> (post)military landscapes of the victors and the vanquished – the symbolic significance of military landscapes<br/> |
| Internetadresse |