Viticulture, Architecture and Building Resilience: Wachau Cultural Landscape as a Case Study

Posted: January 5th, 2023

Viticulture, Architecture and Building Resilience: Wachau Cultural Landscape as a Case Study

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Viticulture, Architecture and Building Resilience: Wachau Cultural Landscape as a Case Study

Agriculture serves vital roles to both the economy of a country and human beings, and acts as the backbone of the economy in many countries. In addition to employment opportunities to a large group of people, it provides the chance to get raw materials for every day operations and food. In fact, agriculture is the primary source of raw materials to major manufacturers and producers, such as tobacco, sugar, cooking oil, fabric, and producers of other edible products. Consequently, large scale farmers conduct their activities in agricultural landscapes, which often comprise of large fields, man-made infrastructure such as shops and roads, semi-permanent residential areas, and other naturally existing components. One particular example is the Wachau cultural landscape which lies along the Danube River in Austria that is known for large fields of grapes, purposely produced with the objective of producing quality wine. The valley boasts of its prowess in viticulture, but must rely on effective management plans through local participation and organisations to survive possible turbulent and to maintain the authenticity of the landscape.

Literature Review

The enlargement and intensification of agriculture since the 1950s have transformed agricultural landscapes across Europe. The increased engagement in agricultural activities was enhanced with the large scale use of mechanisation, synthetic fertilizer, and as a result of the subsidies introduced by the CAP (European Common Agricultural Policy). Further advancements and scale expansion occurred again during the 1990s, and land abandonment in areas that were less favored was introduced by reforms to the CAP and growth and globalisation of commodity markets. The landscape alterations in the last five decades have transformed the values and flows of ecosystem practices and services. Van, Verburg, Espinosa, and Paloma (2013) perform a systematic literature review to examine the impact of policy formation in the emergence of agricultural landscapes across Europe. They discover that increased value in agricultural landscapes and growth in ecosystem services are usually an outcome of constant interactions between ecological structures and appropriate agricultural management practices. Increased development of suitable policies transform agricultural landscapes across Europe into areas worth visiting because of their aesthetic appearance. One particular example of an agricultural landscape is the Wachau, also known as the Wachau cultural landscape. It is a renowned feature in Europe, and is a stretch of the Danube Valley between Krems and Melk, and can be termed as a place of high visual appeal.

Viticulture

The production of wine in Austria, and particularly in the Wachau traces its origin to the medieval period when the Romans lived in the area. The production that started as early as in the 1983, and the tradition remain alive up to date. Farmers in the region have formed an alliance and have drafted a set of policies to guide their wine-production activities (Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus, n.d.). Farmers grow quality grapes and apricots, both of which are used in the production of wines and branded drinks (Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus, n.d.). The landscape boasts of producing some of the finest wines in Austria and the entire world such as Gruner Veltliners and Rieslings that are produced from locally vines (Harea & Eplenyi, 2017). The good performance of vines in the Wachau is attributed to the fluctuation in temperature in the valley between cold nights and warmer days, which facilitate the ripening of the fruits. In addition, the heat held in the stony slopes with a thin soil covering as well as in water boosts the process of producing a wide variety of fine grapes, which contributes towards the production of high quality wine in the valley (Pincus, 2003). Farmer know that rainfall is not enough to sustain the growth of grapes in thin soil, and use various irrigation approaches to give surplus production of water (Pincus, 2003). Farmers in the region hope to maintain their lead in wine production as they move towards the future.

Architecture

Several architectural structures exist in the Wachau. Several historical monuments exist in the landscape, which serve as destination for local and international tourists. The UNESCO believes that the monuments in the place are more than 4000, which makes the valley unique in its own way. For example, one finds the renowned Melk Abbey in Wachau, which is a famous monastic site. The site started as early as the late 1000s during the reign of Leopold II, and today the site is just as impressive with its appealing colors and designs that would make one to come again and again. Another notable monument is the Schallaburg Castle built around 1570s. The designers use terrcotta mosaic design to develop a unique structure that has a rich history for the locals. Other than the monuments, Wachau has tarmac roads that facilitate the movement of people and farm products from one point to the other, as well as other social amenities such as schools, shopping centers, religious institutions, residential places.

Land Management

The composition and structure of agricultural landscapes are determined by the link between the biophysical features of the environment and the landscape management models. The UNESCO informs that by 2000, the regional coordinators of the Wachau were already working together with several associates on the development and protection of the landscape as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Kieninger, Gugerell & Penker, 2016). Under the guidelines for executing the World Heritage Convention of UNESCO, the valet is regarded as a continuing landscape, which implies that dynamic activities available in historic towns, cultural landscapes, or other existing properties important to the members of the area and its sustainability require effective maintenance. Today, the World Heritage advisory board plays a vital management role in the Wachau, and body decides on key issues and developmental projects in the area. Leaders in charge of the Wachau are impacted in their landscape and agricultural management through agricultural and environmental directives, such as European laws and policies or other management guidelines and standards on natural resource management (Stadt Regensburg, n.d). The team acknowledges that adherence to landscape management directives by landscape leaders has an influence on landscape composition and structures, and know that landscape composition and structure significantly influence it roles and functions, and impact on the provision of ecosystem services (Stadt Regensburg, n.d). They also understand that to uphold development and preservation of World Heritage sites, the UNESCO must devise an effective management plan that permits for the working across various cutting ideologies which permits for a future without struggle for the heritage site.

Desk Research

Various scholars have conducted researches to examine how wine cultural landscapes enhance their resilience, and to understand the connection between viticulture, architecture and land management. One particular example is a research by Bender, Biagioli, and Prats (2012) who learn from the outcomes of a VITOUR Landscape European programme that took place from 2010 to 2012 that the varying demographic, economic, and historic factors in the cultural landscapes spread across Europe play significant role in influencing their production of quality grapes and other agricultural products. The study that incorporated 10 vineyards enlisted on the World Heritage List also found that variations in laws and regulations influencing activities in these regions, also play vital roles in determining resilience (Bender, Biagioli & Prats, 2012). Aiassa et al. (2018) performs a qualitative research to examine why various European agricultural landscapes have succeeded in wine production, and learn that farmers, especially in Wachau are shifting away from traditional aspects and are fast embracing technology to facilitate their production. Such studies provide much insight into how wine production has transformed and blossomed in the European landscapes. 

Comparative Research

Other similar features to Wachau cultural landscape are the agricultural landscape of Southern Oland in Sweden and the Val d’Orcia in the Province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy. The region is dominated by a limestone plateau, which makes agriculture quite difficult to manage. However, the agrarian revolution of the 19^th century paved way for improved ways for producing pasture and timber in the less developed land. Continued transformations have transformed the Southern Oland into an agrarian landscape where plains, coastal lands, arable lands, and villages compose the landscape that stretches more than 55,690 hectares wide (Johansson et al. 2008). The World Heritage owns the landscape and plays key administrative roles. However, protection of Southern Oland happens in accordance with the different Swedish guidelines, more precisely the Environmental Code, the Planning and Building Act, and more essentially the National Heritage Act. Similar to Wachau, Southern Oland has various monuments, as well as critical facilities such as houses, roads, and other social amenities. However, the primary factor that distinguishes Wachau and Southern Oland is that the latter neither practices wide scale production of grapes nor venture in production of wine. The Val d’ Orcia, on the other hand, developed during the 14^th and 15^th centuries and is designed to give a pleasing and aesthetic feature. The common architecture in the Italian landscape, include farmhouses, streets, religious institutions, houses, and numerous fortifications (UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2021). The World Heritage manages the property and gives plans and directives on how to manage the property. The Val d’Orcia Artistic, Natural and Cultural Park has the mandate to locally coordinate the management of the cultural and natural features of the place, and power is further distributed among five municipalities, including Radicofani, Pienza, Montalcino, San Quirico d’Orcia, and Castiglione d’Orcia (UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2021). However, Aiassa et al. (2018) inform that the level of wine production in Val d’Orcia is not as rampant as it happens in Wachau, which qualifies the latter as the leading in terms of growing grapes and producing wine as a core contributor to the local economy.

The World Heritage manages both Southern Oland and the Val d’Orcia because they have the qualities outlined in the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), which determines whether a site qualifies to be world cultural heritage site, and whether it is worthy to be preserved by UNESCO. The study Gullino and Larcher (2013) show that the UNESCO manages the three landscapes because they display nearly all the features UNESCO requires to term a place as a world cultural heritage site, including the availability of historical aspects, local products and traditional crops, agricultural practice, and architecture connected to agricultural practice.

Even though the World Heritage tries to put equal focus on each of these properties, the managing body tend to adopt some techniques that would suit the needs of the local residents. For instance, the governing body produced the Management Plan for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Wachau in 2017 and outlined the entire structure for managing the region at Gottweig Abbey (UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2021 a). The framework shows the need to engage various stakeholders at the municipalities, province, and federal level, as well as experts from various fields to collaborate on different issues that would improve the welfare of people living in the Wachau. On the other hand, World Heritage incorporates local directives to achieve complete protection of all essential features in the Val d’Orcia landscape (UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2021). Similarly, the World Heritage employs the guidance of local directives to facilitate the management practices at the Southern Oland (Johansson et al., 2008). Therefore, a similar factor in the way the World Heritage manages the three landscapes is in the way it engages local stakeholders in decision-making and policy implementation. The difference, however, lies in the way it dispatches different resources to meet the specific needs of the local communities.

Conclusion

The study looks into the European agricultural landscapes and pays considerable attention to the Wachau. The region strives to build its resilience in wine production and local farmers and adopting new ways of producing grapes to become more appealing in their products. The World Heritage advisory board manages the landscape that has many infrastructures that support the lives of local residents. Wachau compares to other agricultural landscapes such as Southern Oland in Sweden and Val d’Orcia in Italy. Even though Southern Oland was initially not arable, transformations in agriculture paved way for increased production of pasture and timber.

References

Aiassa, P., Baltes, M., Danner, S., Frischengruber, H., Horvath, R., Klotz, W., & Vacca, A. (2018). Successful wine cooperatives: Field reports from cooperative managers in Austria, Italy, and Germany. Journal of Wine Economics, 13(3), 243-259.

Bender, J., Biagioli, G., & Prats, M. (2012). European guidelines for wine cultural landscape preservation. 56. Retrieved from http://openarchive.icomos.org/id/eprint/1648/    

Gullino, P., & Larcher, F. (2013). Integrity in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A comparative study for rural landscapes. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 14(5), pp. 389 – 395.

Harea, O., & Eplenyi, A. (2017). Viticultural Landscape Patterns – Embedding contemporary wineries into the landscape site. Landscape Architecture and Art, 10(10), 7-14.

Johansson, L. J., Hall, K., Prentice, H. C., Ihse, M., Reitalu, T., Sykes, M. T., & Kindstrom, M. (2008). Semi-natural grassland continuity, long-term land-use change and plant species richness in an agricultural landscape on Oland, Sweden. Landscape and Urban Planning, 84(3-4), 200-211.

Kieninger, P. R., Gugerell, K., & Penker, M. (2016). Governance- mix for resilient socio-ecological production landscapes in Austria – an example of the terraced riverine landscape Wachau. Incorporating Concepts and Approaches of Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes (SEPLS) into Policy and Decision-Making, 2, 36-49.

Pincus, R. (2003). Wine, Place, and Identity in a Changing Climate. Gastronomica, 3(2), 87-93.

Stadt Regensburg. (n.d.). World Heritage Management – Plan. Retrieved from https://www.regensburg.de/welterbe/en/projects/completed-projects/management-plan

UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (2021). Val d’Orcia. Retrieved from https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1026/

UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (2021 a). Wachau cultural landscape. Retrieved from https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/970/

Van, B., Verburg, P., Espinosa, M., & Paloma, S. (2013). European agricultural landscapes, common agricultural policy ecosystem services: A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 34(2), doi: 10.1007/s13593-013-0183-4

Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus. (n.d.). The codex Wachau. Retrieved from

https://www.vinea-wachau.at/vinea-wachau/vinea-wachau