During the last month, partners have been sharing information of their fortresses related with Nature and Environment. It was a sucesfull campaign as we have reached more than 2.800 people. #NatureInFortresses was the second campaign of the six that are planned for this year.
This is the summary of the campaign:
Czech Republic
Terezín - Jewel in the green
Terezín is a bastion fortress built between 1780 and 1790. As one of the few such fortresses in Bohemia, it has preserved its original area and almost untouched shape. The whole fortification consists of green walls and ditches. In these places you can meet sheeps, goats, but also horses and llamas, which keep these areas in harmony with nature. Thanks to the fact that Terezín is a fortress protected by water, built on a wetland and floodplain meadows, there are also unique water ecosystems in the form of floodplain forests, wet meadows and wetlands. Thanks to not only its history, Terezín is an uncut diamond, which is still waiting to show what is actually hidden in it.
Belgium
Walls and gardens project
PP2’s regional stakeholder Ewald Wauters of Tractebel engeneering company shared his experience twice with RFC partners, the first time as key-note expert during the technical workshop on nature and environment management and maintenance on the 3rd of December and a second time during the regional stakeholders meeting on 20th of January, hosted from virtual Dendermonde in Belgium.
As Ewald was coordinator of a former European project about green management on fortifications – he was the proper expert on informing all partners on the sustainability challenges. The project “Walls and gardens has produced a manual and is available online.
Ewald indicated during his presentations that networking and sharing of experience is important, he also had a remarkable insight: altough all European partners handle the same topic on fortifications there are clear cultural differences between European countries; as for the Dutch entrepreneurship and good economic re-use of fortifications is important, the English take more importance in re-enactment and fake cannons, the French and Belgian partners value more the natural aspect and protection of the bats inside the fortresses.
You can see the guide on the following link bit.ly/2RQClHb
“ Thank you Ewald for sharing twice your valuable experience with the RFC partners on how to perform a good green management on fortifications ”
Romania
The Bologa Fortress
The Transylvanian Bologa Fortress represents a best practice in applying for the first time in Romania soft capping walls as preservation method for wall-tops. It consists in covering the upper walls with a layer of local soil and spontaneous field vegetation, keeping moisture out of the structures as environmental protection but also granting an attractive look to the fortress and reducing the “aggressiveness” of the interventions.
Spain
Restoration of the Albarracín walls and landscape adaptation of its surroundings.
The walled enclosure of Albarracín brings together twonimportant values: the historical value, and the artistic value. In order to guarantee the preservation of the BIC monument, the Santa María de Albarracín Foundation has been working on its conservation and restoration since 2007. The project presented on this occasion also includes treating the environment surrounding the wall, creating a comprehensive intervention of the space in the Torre Blanca South Canvas section.
Germany
Ökozentrum Magdeburg
Built 100 years earlier as part of the fort belt around Magdeburg, the previous 'intermediate work 4a' found its use as ‘Ökozentrum’ (ecology centre) in 1990. The site was acquired by the city of Magdeburg as early as 1920, then landscaped and temporarily used as a day-care centre for lung patients. It is still owned by the city of Magdeburg and was given to the non-profit association ‘Ökozentrum Magdeburg’ for use. Today it appears as a green paradise and place for environmental education, centre of peace and getting together, for yoga, creative design, handicrafts and so much more.
