Lower Saale Valley Nature park (DE)

Introduction into pilot region

Lower Saale Valley nature park streches some 50 kilometers along Saale River between Halle in the South and Nienburg in the North. The area shows exemplary the field of conflicts that cultural landscapes are dealing with. On the one hand you will find numerous natural and cultural treasures on the other hand you will see the landscape changing almost every day. The use of e.g. agricultural land is becoming more and more intense or is completely abandoned. Furthermore cities as Halle or Bernburg are slightly growing in terms of settlement area despite the demographic development. The region has a size of 408 sqkm and is home to approx. 45.000 inhabitants.

Together with regional experts (>>) Land Company Saxony-Anhalt aims to identify and develop suitable areas for compensation measures. By doing so investor's compensation measures are able to be coordinated in area and dimensions appropriate for nature conservation. (>>) Cultural Heritage Association Saxony-Anhalt will focus on strengthening civic engagement. Long before project start (>>) Nature Park Association Lover Saale Valley was easily convinced in cooperating within the porject.

Outputs

>> Overview on regional activities

>> Land register for suitable compensation measures (external link)

>> Strenghtened local particaption(DE)

>> Portrait of local people (DE)

As it happened

In Bernburg on 15.06.2010 VITAL LANDSCAPES partners from Saxony-Anhalt, Land Company and Cultural Heritage Association presented their pilot project activities to stakeholders from economy, agriculture, nature conservation, politics and administration.

On 07.09.2010 the first meeting of the working group compensation pool took place at the Nature park administration in Rothenburg.The steering group is an informal panel of regioal actors from agriculture, nature conservation, regional development and science. Its aim is to direct statutory compensation and replacement measures after surface sealing on areas and projects that combine as many different interests in land use together. The process is moderated by Land Company Saxony-Anhalt.

On 17.09.2010 Cultural Heritage Association Saxony-Anhalt organized a first workshop to support civic engagement within the Lower Saale valley. The participants, mostly inhabitants from Nienburg and surroundings were interested especially in recording of cultural landscape elements as in preparing the town anniversary next year.

On 07.12.2010 the working group compensation pool discussed first approaches to potential areas and measures.

On 28.01. and 18.02.2011 Cultural Heritage Association Saxony-Anhalt together with local experts performed two additional workshops in Gerbstedt resp. Wettin on civic engagement. Amongst others participants got to know the >> education opportunity of cultural landscape guides.

On 04.04.2011 the first course on educating cultural landscape guides has started. Until end of summer it will take place every Monday in the nearby city of Halle. A second run is planned for winter 2011/12.

On 31.05.2011 the working group compensation pool agreed on certain areas of Lower Saale Valley to be analyzed in detail.

On 30.08.2011 Land Company and Cultural Heritage Association together with stakeholders and citizens of Lower Saale Valley started to a 4 days study tour to Austrian Muehlviertel and Czech Sumava. The focus of the journey was to experience good practise examples regarding the conservation, usage and marketing of cultural landscapes. Together with international VITAL LANDSCAPES partners the group from Saxony-Anhalt visited amongst others the local herb cooperative in Hirschbach, the cidery Pakrazhofer in Tragwein as well as the national park centre Šumava in Stožec. For more information see >> Excursion guide and >> Press article (German).

On 07.01.2012 Cultural Heritage Association started the second course on educating cultural landscape guides. Until end of March it will take place every Saturday in Magdeburg. In that context 2 brochures on cultural landscape elements were published: >> Catalogue, >> Recording.

In February and March 2012 two further workshops of Land Company and Cultural Heritage Association dealing with compensation pool resp. participation of inhabitants took place. For further information please contact us.

Between spring and autumn 2012 Cultural Heritage Association organizes several excursions to certain cultural heritage spots in the region. If you are interested please let >> us know.