The solutions are under the soil

Activating the UNESCO archaeological sites of the Lower Germanic Limes in Nijmegen by creating sustainable places for the cultural memory

Master thesis (2023)

Authors

M. Corbeek Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

G.A Verschuure Landscape Architecture - Architecture and the Built Environment (mentor)
F.L. Hooimeijer Environmental Technology and Design - Architecture and the Built Environment (graduation committee member)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment, Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2023 Max Corbeek
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Published Date

17-01-2023

Language

English

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

Around 19BC the Romans established their military camps on the hills of Nijmegen in their conquest of Germania. After a huge defeat the Roman Empire decided that the great Rhine river would be the per-manent border of the empire. From that moment on The Lower Germanic Limes was fortified in stone to protect the border from the tribes north of the river. After 100 AD the Rhine tributary started flowing southwards, the Dutch constructed their dikes and urbanization sped up. Nowadays the historic knowledge of the Romans is protected in archaeological locations by UNESCO.

However above ground this archaeology isn’t experienced in the urban fabric and additionally the cul-tural memory of this history induces a local identity, but the locations don’t allow for place attachment or a representation of this identity. Therefore the challenge is how to translate this experience to the current locations as part of their heritage and the main question can be formulated as ‘’How can urban design sustainably develop the UNESCO sites in Nijmegen-Oost to create awareness and create place attachment for the cultural memory of Roman Nijmegen?’’

Nijmegen was chosen for this thesis, since it has the highest concentration of UNESCO sites within the Limes in the Netherlands, with 4 overlapping archaeological areas. These locations were analysed through the Dutch Layer Approach in Roman and current times, becoming a Diachronic Layer Approach that shows opportunities for transformation and Roman visualizations.

This research firstly aims to create an elaborate design for the Limes in Nijmegen by using methods to design with archaeology. Secondly it seeks to reflect on these methods by testing designs and using theory to develop a comprehensive method on designing with archaeological heritage, which is in its infancy at the moment. The report builds upon the Limes Atlas from 2005 and where Robert Broesi categorized 10 ways of doing this with references. Using these as design methods sparked creativity, but also showed that there are more elements to the process. The main findings were more ways of creating visibility, how interaction with senses and activities created awareness, but also that the site must have a sustainable impact to function in the community. Furthermore the incorporation of a ques-tionnaire, in cooperation with the municipality of Nijmegen, determined what the inhabitants view as heritage and opportunities of the sites. This research shows that solutions to current challenges are truly under the soil and that the two fields of archaeology and urban design should interact more in future developments.