Landscape as Cultural Heritage

Maria Auböck, landscape architect, President ZV Austria (Central Association of Austrian Architects)

Since regional landscapes change over time, preservation and protection are necessary, but further development in the process is an essential cultural and communal task. Using examples from Austria and elsewhere, this presentation provides insights into how the landscape is understood as a cultural heritage today. Situated among vineyards, forests and fields, public green spaces and private gardens are parts of the complex diversity that makes up the cultural landscape. It is about the large green spaces but also about distinctive individual initiatives and special facilities, which are all together a part of the building culture. The Vienna Woods, for example, are now a protected natural area, but 120 years ago they were threatened by deforestation. Where are European cultural landscapes heading? Between the question of the preservation of historical monuments and the interests of project development, exciting areas of discussion open up, which are explained in the lecture. Local identity is at stake. In view of the growing pressure of use and the issues between agriculture, tourism and mobility, the possibilities will have to go beyond the seemingly familiar. New approaches to building culture and landscape planning will become essential for this.