Earthen Forms in the Landscape of Cities as Structures of Symbolic

Abstract

The intentional arrangement of earthen forms in the landscape is a measure that has been used since ancient times. Their significance changed over the centuries, similarly to the scale of the structures that were being built. All manners of escarpments, mounds and embankments functioned as integral elements of a visual, religious, sepulchral and commemorative significance within the landscape, in addition to constituting the basis of the compositions of garden and park layouts. In prehistory there appeared a tradition of the forming of artificial hills, examples of which were the most numerous in areas of Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Scandinavia and central Europe (including, among other areas, Poland). During later periods, along with the disappearance of pagan cultures, the tendency had disappeared as well until the late Middle Ages, when earthen embankments were used, among other things, as tombs or in order to delineate the borders of landed estates. During the Renaissance and the Baroque the building of so-called parnassi (from the name Parnassus), which were garden mounds, gained in popularity. In modern times, in turn, mounds and other artificial embankments were erected mainly as monuments commemorating national heroes and important evens (e.g. the Kościuszko and Piłsudski mounds in Krakow). Since the second half of the twentieth century landscape architects have often employed these types of spatial elements. This fascination with the use of earthworks - both for practical (e.g. waste treatment, reducing noise and air pollution), as well as artistic reasons - provides excellent effects in the spaces of cities. It aids in the individualisation of the landscape and of individual places, in building their identity and distinctness. Despite the fact that the reasons for using earthen forms in the landscape have been changing since ancient times all the way to the present, in many cases it is the symbolic value constitutes the overarching creative idea. This phenomenon has been presented in the article. Selected case studies, primarily from Europe and the United States of America, were analysed. The use of these forms throughout history has been presented - ranging from prehistoric geoglyphs or tombs, mounds used as monuments, e.g. those in Krakow, to contemporary layouts, e.g. the Vietnam Veterans Memorial by M. Lin, the Jacobs Javitz Plaza by M. Schwartz or the built projects by Ch. Jencks. The mutual correlations between structures built during different historical periods - for instance common archetypes or the idea of visual and spatial connections - is also an interesting problem. Elevating the landscape to the rank of a symbol causes space to gain an intangible value and provides visitors with new experiences. The placement of these types of structures within the contemporary landscape appears to be a beneficial measure making it possible to create not only a harmonious or beautiful space, but also one that has meaning.