Special notes evoke beautiful views of nature in man. After all, we are her part. Flowering trees, sunshine, green spaces, murmuring water makes a unique impression on us. Residents of the metropolis, immersed in a frantic urban rhythm, so need peace. Very often, tranquility is found while admiring the cultural landscapes. This is the space of the earth, formed by the conscious, purposeful work of man himself. Over the past decades, interest in the objects of the developed landscape has increased. His research is engaged in the science of geography. It is the cultural landscape - this is one of its leading keynotes. Well, let's talk about this concept, introduce you to examples of similar domestic and foreign landscapes.
What is a cultural landscape?
It’s not easy to define a cultural landscape. This is most likely an earthly relief that appeared after the transformative activities of people to satisfy certain spiritual and practical needs. What is the idea of cultural space? For many, the cultural landscape is a continuous multilayer fabric in the form of an integral carpet that combines natural and cultural components. All objects and places on the earth's surface are nodules of landscape fabric with a holistic pattern.
It can be concluded that the cultural landscape is an earthly space that is integral and structured, it contains natural and cultural elements. Man himself influenced many terrestrial spaces, supplementing them with artifacts. It was human activity that influenced the dynamics of natural conditions. Such altered landscapes are also called man-made landscapes. We will discuss these later in the article.
The concept of anthropogenic landscape
By this concept is meant a natural-cultural territorial complex that has been mastered by human society. Anthropogenic (cultural) landscape is a component of culture on a natural basis. Such a cultivated territory preserves and inherits the natural basis. Anthropogenic particles tactfully complement natural foundations and follow their laws. An example is a rural settlement.
By the concept of anthropogenic landscapes is meant individual high-status cultural elements on a continuous natural area. The man-made landscape is a cultural variety. This is a territory changed by man. Famous Russian landscape expert F.N. Milkov called anthropogenic territories newly created by man, as well as natural complexes that underwent changes as a result of his activities. Vegetation, wildlife can change. Most of the modern territories are man-made, because they have been changed to some extent by people. The most noticeable transformations of nature by man - deforestation, the formation of artificial embankments - heaps. There is also such a thing as anthropogenic relief.
Who gave rise to the concept of "cultural landscape"?
The first to speak of such a concept was the German scientist Oto Schlüter. By it, he meant the unity of natural and cultural things that are accessible to human perception. The word "landscape" itself is of German origin and consists of two words. The first part of the word means "country", the second - "type of terrain." This suggests the conclusion that under this concept Schlüter meant a man-altered territory - anthropogenic. The transformation and evolution of this concept was also considered by the following scientists:
- The American geographer who defined the cultural landscape as the result of human interaction with nature, Carl Sauer.
- Alexander von Humboldt.
- V.I. Vernadsky.
- Russian scientists who also determined the cultural landscape as a result of the interaction of man and nature - V.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky.
To determine the geographical locations that are recognized as objects of the cultural heritage of mankind, this concept is used by UNESCO.
How to approach the study of cultural landscapes?
Domestic science is very careful in studying this concept. There are three main approaches to it:
- From the informational-axiological point of view. The landscape is considered as a component that carries spiritual and intellectual value, which was influenced by material components.
- From the ethnocultural side. The landscape is considered in the form of a natural-cultural complex, which appeared under the influence of nature and ethnic groups.
- From a phenomenological point of view. Cultural space refers to the living area of a large group of people who remade nature for themselves.
Under what conditions does such a space form?
The cultural landscape is formed under certain conditions:
- It is important to rationally use natural resources and natural diversity.
- The natural resources of the landscape should be reproduced and protected.
- Construction or engineering work is not carried out in opposition or conflict with nature.
- Carefully think through the optimization of sanitary conditions.
Norms of concept
Geolocations claiming to be defined as “cultural” must comply with the following requirements or standards:
- They should not be monotonous.
- Man-made wastelands (vacant lots, landfills, quarries) should be absent.
- Such territory must be protected.
- To improve and preserve the facilities, work must be carried out constantly.
List of categories and types of anthropogenic landscapes
Cultural spaces can be divided into several main categories:
- Those that develop organically. They are vulnerable because they are created by indigenous cultures.
- Those that have stopped development (relict). They are carriers of culture, their heyday has remained in history.
- Purposefully created, conceived and executed by people landscapes of nature, which include gardens and parks.
- Associated spaces included in the list of cultural heritage. Such objects of the cultural landscape are places of creativity of famous people, memorable places. The example of associative space is the ruins of the Acropolis of Athens.
Also, scientists identified 5 main types of anthropogenic spaces:
- Forest. It is associated with forest plantations and artificial forests.
- Water. Includes reservoirs and artificial lakes.
- Agrarian or agricultural. Associated with field cultivation.
- Industrial. Includes roads, factories, factories.
- Urban landscape or residential. This infrastructure is from small towns to large cities.
Cultural and historical landscapes
As cultural and historical spaces, one can cite palace and park ensembles, estates of noblemen, complexes of monasteries, battlefields, archaeological complexes, a totality of historical rural and urban sites. There are a lot of examples of such territories in the world. It is worth mentioning the Tongariro National Park in New Zealand. For local Māori people, it carries a religious and spiritual significance. On the expanses of this reserve towering domes of extinct and active volcanoes. There are also craters, springs, lava plains, moraines, glacial deposits. The fauna of the park is also very rich.
The old Sintra fortress with romantic European architecture is named the national monument of Portugal. This Moorish structure is located on the top of the Serra da Sintra mountain range. The time of its construction is the 8th-9th century. When Christians fought with slaves for land, the building was the main strategic object. Today, this ancient landscape view is protected by UNESCO. Also in Portugal there is another palace complex - the palace of Quinta da Regaleira.
One cannot but recall the National Camellia Garden in Sydney. Many Australians like to relax here. It is here that you can admire not only a variety of camellias, but also azaleas, rhododendrons. What varieties of these plants you will not find here. The garden is also famous for its huge rose garden.
Ethiopia has the unique city of Conso. Here you can see wooden statues of past generations, stone terraces. The city is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In its vicinity are sculptures of religious purpose (waka). There are also many fossilized remains of hominids. Residents of Conso live in agriculture, beekeeping, and cotton weaving. Recently, a permaculture farm was built in the vicinity.
The old river landscape on the Danube River in Austria also deserves attention. On the hills, between which the Danube flows, castles, church spiers, small towns and villages are visible. Tourists associate these places with the filming of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. The Wachau Valley, stretching along the Danube to Melk, is especially remembered. This is the most beautiful place in Austria. Image, description of nature landscapes, picturesque landscapes attract many artists and writers. This area is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also near Salzburg there is a valley rich in very beautiful lakes. This area is called the Salzkammergut. There are a lot of attractions, museums, historical buildings.
In a dense forest, near the Vindhya massif (India), there is a unique monument of the prehistoric culture of mankind - the rock dwellings of Bhimbetka. There are about 500 unique caves, the walls of which are decorated with drawings of primitive people of the Mesolithic era. These dwellings were formed naturally in massive limestone cliffs of brown-brown sandstone. Distant ancestors they were used as shelters. Bhimbetka cave paintings are panoramic paintings that reproduce the daily life of prehistoric people: harvesting, hunting, birth of offspring, ritual dances.
In the course of the description, the conclusion suggests itself that an example of a cultural territory can be everything that was created by people. The most famous example is Versailles in France. Photos of this attraction you see above. This is the largest garden and park ensemble in France, where the residence of the kings was located. Today, the castle houses the National History Museum, which houses paintings, busts, portraits. On the territory of Versailles there are also magnificent alleys, flowerbeds, fountains, artificial reservoirs.
Another object of cultural and ethnic heritage is the Great Wall of China. This is truly a unique building of our civilization. This building is already 1000 years old. The Chinese Wall is fraught with many interesting facts. Firstly, it is the longest man-made structure in the world. Secondly, more than a million people died during its construction. Thirdly, sticky rice porridge and slaked lime admixture were used to lay the stone blocks of the wall. Every year, over 40 million tourists visit the landmark of China.
The complex cultural property of the World Heritage Site is the territory of the Orkhon River Valley. Once there was the capital of the Mongol Empire - Karakarum. UNESCO has identified the area as representative of the evolution of a nomadic shepherd civilization for two millennia. There are many cultural monuments in the form of stone Turkic statues and stelae. They show Orkhon runic inscriptions.
City landscape
What is inherent in the urban landscape or residential? Its distinctive features are the complete reconstruction of the primary relief and soil. This also includes a change in the hydraulic network, the construction of buildings. It combines natural and artificial components. These are residential premises, factories, factories, engineering, household, transport and energy facilities. These are also gardens, parks, and landscaping elements in squares and streets. The anthropogenic nature of the urban landscape is represented by the following elements:
- engineering structures, buildings;
- streets, highways;
- intersections, traffic intersections;
- city squares;
- courtyards, intra-quarter spaces;
- artificial gardening;
- squares, boulevards, embankments;
- small architectural forms, advertising.
Examples of cultural landscapes of Russia
Russia is rich not only in beautiful views of nature, but also in cultural landscapes. The study of domestic cultural landscapes was done by the geographer V. L. Kagansky. It was he who described all the Russian landscapes available in the country. Among the developing and relict landscapes of the country there are noble estates, architectural complexes of monasteries, ancient settlements.
A unique Russian estate is considered the family estate of the great Russian writer Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy - Yasnaya Polyana. During the XVIII-XIX, a unique manor ensemble was created here from parks, gardens, picturesque alleys, ponds, a rich greenhouse, a large manor house and two outbuildings. This architectural complex has been preserved for more than 100 years on the model of 1910, when the writer died. In Yasnaya Polyana, beautiful views of nature with centuries-old trees, young shoots, picturesque alleys, secluded forest paths, mirror-like surface of ponds. Today this museum complex is recognized as a cultural center of world significance.
In the Oryol region is the State Memorial and Natural Museum-Reserve of I. S. Turgenev - Spasskoye-Lutovinovo. Here is the Turgenev clan nest. The ensemble includes a family crypt, a noble house itself, a carriage shed, a stable, a church, a park with beautiful birch alleys and flower beds.
Another example of cultural landscapes in Russia is the Kremlin’s structures that have been preserved in different cities. They can boast of Moscow, Tula, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan. City fortifications in ancient Russia were called the Kremlin. This is not just a defensive point, but a complex of fortified buildings. The Kremlin ensemble includes a whole territory surrounded by a fortress wall. Such fortresses of ancient Russia were a reliable stone shield. Many of them have survived to this day. Less well-known are the Pskov, Zaraysk, Kolomna, Astrakhan, Tobolsk, and Smolensk Kremlin.
Targeted landscapes include the famous palace and park ensemble Peterhof. It was created during the time of Peter I. The city is located on the shores of the Gulf of Finland and is part of St. Petersburg. It was with this ensemble that Peter the Great wanted to outshine the French Versailles. This is a collection of beautiful palaces and unique fountain complexes. Today it houses the State Museum-Reserve. A single composition is Peterhof Park with unusual green alleys.
Immersed in the history of battles and plunge into the era of the 14th century will help the museum complex "Kulikovo Field". It is located directly near the battlefield of 1380. The museum project was developed by the Honored Architect of Russia S.V. Gnedovsky. The complex is made in the style of Russian postmodernism and betrays the specifics of the landscape. Viewers here observe the new Russian style in modern architecture, forest and steppe territories and the battle site.
