Experience of Interpreting the Change of the Cultural Landscape from the Standpoint of the Landscape Dynamics

Abstract

The paper describes the application of the basic concepts of landscape dynamics (landscape site, landscape state, impact, dynamics and evolution of landscape, dynamic trajectory, etc.) for the study of cultural landscapes. The Karelian isthmus with a complex political and ethnic history is considered as a case of modern diversification and evolution of cultural landscapes. There are processes of active transformation of cultural landscapes, when many of the widespread complexes (rural and agricultural, military objects and settlements) get to the category of relic, and new types of cultural landscapes are formed: collective gardens and “dacha” settlements, cottage settlements, landscapes of sport and recreation, etc. The term “virtual cultural landscape” is proposed for the part of territory used by different communities for different purposes in relatively short periods of time. The transformation of rural cultural landscape in residential-recreational landscape is studied in detail in the key area of 7 km 2 , where the fist state border between Novgorod the Great and Sweden had been established in 1323. The series of maps showing the evolution of the cultural landscape along the banks of the Sestra River (Rajajoki) from the mid-19th century to the early 21st century is presented. It is shown that under any transformations of cultural landscapes the main features of the structure of the landscape sites of the territory retain relative stability that gives advantages for the study of cultural landscapes using the concept of landscape dynamics.