Skip to main content

Waddenland Outstanding

17th Symposium Waddenacademie

Symposium on the History, Landscape and Cultural Heritage of the Wadden Sea Region, 1-3 December 2016, Husum

The Waddenacademie, the Nordfriisk Instituut (Bredstedt) and the Fisheries and Maritime Museum/Centre for Maritime and Business History (Esbjerg) organised a symposium on the History, Landscape and Cultural Heritage of the Wadden Sea Region, 1-3 December 2016, at the “Schloss vor Husum”, Husum, Germany.

The Wadden Sea Region - the area of the embanked coastal marshes, the islands and the Wadden Sea of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands – retains an exceptional common history in all its aspects, archaeologically, economically, socially, and culturally. Though it has never constituted a political unity, it shares a coastal landscape and cultural heritage which is worldwide outstanding. Its settlement history of more than 2000 years is unrivalled and still mirrored in the landscape. The approaches to water management and associated societal organisation developed in this region during the last millennium have set world standards. The Wadden Sea is inscribed on the World Heritage List for its outstanding universal value since 2009. A history and heritage of unparalleled importance. “Waddenland” is an entirely appropriate term for conveying the uniqueness of this region.

The objectives of the Symposium were threefold:

  • to take stock of the research in this field with a view to promote further inter-disciplinary and trans-boundary research;
  • to contribute to further the integration of the cultural and natural landscape heritage in terms of research and management;
  • to contribute to further developing public awareness and relevant common policy and management approaches.

The symposium was organised by a Preparatory Group of representatives of the partner organisations. The programme was prepared with the assistance of a Scientific Advisory Committee with representatives from key scientific institutes from the Wadden Sea Region. The symposium was simultaneously the “8. Historiker-Treffen des Nordfriisk Instituut”.

During the three days of the symposium lectures by leading scientists from Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands were given, on day 3 there was an excursion to Eiderstedt: A landscape heritage in the change of times. All participants received a book of abstracts with all the lectures.

You can view all presentations and a photo-impression of the three days.

Book Waddenland Outstanding

In november 2018 Amsterdam University Press released the book: 'Waddenland Outstanding; History, Landscape and Cultural Heritage of the Wadden Sea Region', edited by Linde Egberts and Meindert Schroor. The selected contributions  of the symposium in Husum are included in this book and offer a unique overview of the state of the art in cultural-historical research in the Wadden Sea region.
The book can be ordered via: https://www.aup.nl/en/book/9789462986602/waddenland-outstanding

Press

Organising parties

Sponsoring parties

  • Die Stiftung Vermächtnis Johan van Wouwer