Zprávy památkové péče 2017, 77(5):505-514

Industrial landscapes as part of cultural heritage

Věra Kučová

NPÚ, GnŘ

Industrial heritage creates an image and documents of specific types of the cultural landscape. This material heritage and the large industrial landscapes that are defined by it are literally disappearing before our eyes; the production units that once determined the image of the location are currently beyond the limits of possible rescue and are even the subject of organized liquidation. The search and naming of the values and importance of industrial landscapes must be systematic, scientific, and motivated.
Even though the leading experts in this segment of cultural heritage have been very active for a long time, the Czech Republic as a whole has unfortunately not been very successful in the area of industrial heritage. The topic of industrial landscapes, especially mining landscapes and their relics, is very important for the Czech Republic as a country with a great industrial tradition.
The article contains a summary of arguments and reference links intended to enhance interest in the heritage of industry in the landscape. It focuses on international methodological documents and selected works by leading European specialists on this topic. It brings parallels to practice in the Czech lands and openly highlights the negative situation and the rapid extinction of large sites, including the inadequate documentation of their appearance and values. It also points to recent findings from Norway, where the identification and regeneration of documents of large sites which co-create the national identity were the subject of governmental decisions, on the basis of which the selected entities were renewed.

Keywords: industrial landscape, industrial heritage, cultural landscape, heritage care

Published: December 1, 2017  Show citation