Mapping military landscape as a cultural heritage: case study of the Austerlitz/Slavkov battlefield site

Jozef Sedláček,Alena Salašová,Markéta Šantrůčková,Klára Sokolová

doi:10.14712/23361980.2020.2

Abstract

Military landscapes and battlefields are important part of cultural heritage and identity of society. As a part of common social memory, military landscape could be assessed as an associative landscape according UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Before nature and culture heritage could be treasured, it first had to be recognised. Therefore, the paper focuses on identification of historical and cultural values of military landscapes, especially battlefields. Different types of values are discussed and demonstrated on the model area of battlefield Austerlitz/Slavkov near Brno. The battle was held in 1805 and several cultural values are identified there. Identification of cultural historical values is based on detailed analysis of the old and present maps and land cover assessment, study and analysis of archival sources and grey literature and detailed terrain research. Generally, we distinguished several types of values: elements forming the setting of the battlefield; elements tied with the battle (i.e. features and objects that served for purposes of the battle during the fights and are preserved until today); elements created after the battle. Once the associative landscapes are allocated together with their associative patterns, certain values should be given to particular elements in order to secure heir protection. Then each planning activity within the site should be given a level of effect on the associative element. This simple matrix implemented in local planning development plans and policies could be a source for rational decision within the associative landscapes.

Highlights

Military landscapes could be studied from many perspectives, e.g. social economic conditions and specifics of local and regional identity in military landscapes (Seidl, Chromý 2010), ecological values ofmilitary areas (Kopecký, Vojta 2009; Lepková et al 2018; Bušek, Reif 2017; Lindenmayer et al 2016), or land use/land cover changes (Havlíček et al 2018; Skokanová et al 2017; Gibbes et al 2017)
As a part of common social memory, military landscape could be assessed as an associative landscape
These maps were used for setting up the former land cover categories of the historical cultural landscape

Summary

Introduction

Military landscapes could be studied from many perspectives, e.g. social economic conditions and specifics of local and regional identity in military landscapes (Seidl, Chromý 2010), ecological values of (post)military areas (Kopecký, Vojta 2009; Lepková et al 2018; Bušek, Reif 2017; Lindenmayer et al 2016), or land use/land cover changes (Havlíček et al 2018; Skokanová et al 2017; Gibbes et al 2017). Especially battlefields, are important part of cultural heritage and identity of society. As a place of memory, battlefields are joined to (dark) tourism that could initiate the deep investigation of the public sense of the place as well as conservation of the tangible heritage in situ. As a part of common social memory, military landscape could be assessed as an associative landscape. The associative cultural landscape is an expression used for categorization of cultural landscapes in terms of World Heritage Convention. In 1992, the World Heritage Convention became the international instrument to recognise and protect cultural landscapes. The dark heritage of military landscapes and battlefields often do not fit the scope and purpose of the World Heritage Convention (ICOMOS 2018)

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Conclusion