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97-576: Eckbert was born in the early part of the twelfth century of a distinguished, devout family named Hartwig, along the Middle Rhine . He was the brother of Elisabeth of Schönau (1129-1164), whose life he wrote and whose works he published. He studied in Paris, and was for a time canon in the collegiate church of Sts. Cassius and Florentius at Bonn . The monastery of St. Florin in Schönau im Taunus

194-612: A Celtic settlement, with the grave pillar of Pfalzfeld and the Waldalgesheim chariot burial . In the 4th century BCE, the area had come under the influence of Mediterranean civilizations. The north-south link between mouth of the Nahe and the Moselle estuary rich already in use in pre-Roman times. The Roman development of the route overlaps in large sections with the route of the modern Bundesautobahn 61 The Romans settled in

291-734: A specified area for quality wine . The Romans introduced viticulture into the Region. That is, they introduced it into the Moselle valley; it spread into the Middle Rhine Valley during the Middle Ages. This development took place in four phases from the 11th to the end of the 14th century. An essential element of this development was the new technique of terrace viticulture. Vines are grown on terraces sloping from 25° to 30° and more. The climate favours wine production, as both

388-402: A bridge, a master plan is to be presented to demonstrate the need for new bridge and compatibility with World Heritage status. Only further consultations can reveal whether problems similar to those in the former World Heritage Site Dresden Elbe Valley can be avoided. Various explanations by the state government notwithstanding, reports that consent of UNESCO had been granted after discussions

485-408: A cultural group. Culture is the agent, the natural area is the medium, the cultural landscape is the result" Since Schlüter's first formal use of the term, and Sauer's effective promotion of the idea, the concept of 'cultural landscapes has been variously used, applied, debated, developed and refined within academia. In the 1950s, for instance, J.B. Jackson and his publication 'Landscape' influenced

582-451: A day job, and grew wine as a secondary occupation. New sources of income were the sparkling wine industry and wine bars serving tourists attracted by the Rhine romanticism . After 1870 the railways brought new problems: cheaper and better foreign competition and the advent of vine insects of America and France ( powdery mildew , phylloxera , downy mildew and vine moth ). The deeper cause of

679-640: A generation of particularly American scholars, including architectural historians Denise Scott Brown , and Gwendolyn Wright . By 1992, the World Heritage Committee elected to convene a meeting of the 'specialists' to advise and assist redraft the Committee's Operational Guidelines to include 'cultural landscapes' as an option for heritage listing properties that were neither purely natural nor purely cultural in form (i.e. 'mixed' heritage). The World Heritage Committee's adoption and use of

776-459: A land consolidation in the 1960s. Unfortunately, with the disappearance of the old stone walls, a valuable habitat for microorganisms was lost. Some old style terraces are still in use in the Middle Rhine Valley. They continue to use the old technique of binding each vine to a separate pole. In the Middle Ages, wine was the only non-germinated storable drink for the common people, as beer was often expensive and of poor quality, water in urban areas

873-523: A significant and continuous contribution to research into plant diversity and economic botany. "The 18th- and 19th-century cultural landscape of Dresden Elbe Valley ... features low meadows, and is crowned by the Pillnitz Palace and the centre of Dresden with its numerous monuments and parks from the 16th to 20th centuries. The landscape also features 19th- and 20th-century suburban villas and gardens and valuable natural features." This landscape

970-637: A weak section of the border. In the 2nd century, the Romans ventured onto the right bank of the Rhine and constructed a fortress at Niederlahnstein . Emperors Constantine and Valentinian safeguarded the frontier by constructing fortresses in Koblenz are ( Confluentes ) and Boppard ( Bodobrica ) with strong walls and round towers, of which remnants remain. In the 5th century, the Alamanni and Franks forced

1067-527: Is Brasília, turned out to be premature. According to the UNESCO commission, a decision could be reached in the summer of 2011 at the earliest. The Rhine Cable Car that was constructed for the Federal Garden Show 2011 in Koblenz also posed a threat to world heritage status. For this reason, the garden show organisers agreed with UNESCO on an inconspicuous design of the cable car structures and

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1164-428: Is a rich cultural landscape that bears exceptional testimony to millennia of human occupation." "The Lavaux vineyard landscape demonstrates in a highly visible way its evolution and development over almost a millennium, through the well preserved landscape and buildings that demonstrate a continuation and evolution of longstanding cultural traditions, specific to its locality." Kuk Early Agricultural Site ( Kuk Swamp )

1261-555: Is a term used in the fields of geography , ecology , and heritage studies , to describe a symbiosis of human activity and environment. As defined by the World Heritage Committee , it is the "cultural properties [that] represent the combined works of nature and of man" and falls into three main categories: The concept of 'cultural landscapes' can be found in the European tradition of landscape painting . From

1358-751: Is inherited by the Landgraves of Hesse . The grandsons of Charlemagne split his Empire in the Treaty of Verdun of 843, which they prepared in the Basilica of St. Castor in Koblenz in 842. The left bank of the Rhine between Bacharach and Koblenz falls to Middle Francia . In 925, Middle Francia is finally becomes the Duchy of Lorraine within East Francia , the German Empire. The Rhine remains

1455-544: Is located in the western highlands of Papua New Guinea, at 1500m and covering 116ha. Kuk is one of the few places in the world where archaeological evidence suggests independent agricultural development, with the wetlands preserving archaeological evidence of agricultural practices stretch back 10000 years. "The West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou , comprising the West Lake and the hills surrounding its three sides, has inspired famous poets, scholars and artists since

1552-419: Is regarded as a cultural landscape. In a sense this understanding is broader than the definition applied within UNESCO, including, as it does, almost the whole of the world's occupied surface, plus almost all the uses, ecologies, interactions, practices, beliefs, concepts, and traditions of people living within cultural landscapes. Following on this, geographer Xoán Paredes defines cultural landscape as: "...

1649-542: Is the country's largest protected area (82 thousand hectares). A significant part of it is Biosphere Reserve and a quarter of its area enjoys international protection under the Ramsar Convention on the conservation of wetlands. The Matobo Hills area exhibits a profusion of distinctive rock landforms rising above the granite shield that covers much of Zimbabwe. The large boulders provide abundant natural shelters and have been associated with human occupation from

1746-414: Is useful for the sustainable management and conservation of heritage. Adopting a cultural landscape perspective can interlink individual aspects of cultural heritage, such as historic buildings, regional material resources, and vernacular construction techniques, into a unified notion of identity and place. This can unify tangible and intangible heritage, expose risks within complex system dynamics, and draw

1843-673: The Königshof ("Royal Court"), outside the city gate. Bacharach was a founding member of the League of Rhine Cities in 1254. King Louis IV the Bavarian resided in Bacharach at the time. The painted Volto Santo by Lucca in the local St. Peter's church is testimony to the reverence for the reverence Louis held for the Lucca archetype and the cultural exchange between imperial Italy and

1940-583: The Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Prussia annexed the Nassau areas on right bank. Steamships were introduced on the Rhine from about 1830. Railway lines were constructed from 1857. Neither innovation led to industrialization in the narrow Rhine valley. As late as 1900, viticulture dominated the economic structure of the Middle Rhine, with its small cities and agriculture. After the end of

2037-705: The Emperor . In 1166, after the death of the first abbot, Hildelin, he was placed at the head of the monastery. As abbot, he promoted devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary . Theodore A. Koehler, S.M. credits Eckbert as "the first to compose a prayer in honor of Mary’s Immaculate Heart". Eckbert preached and wrote much defending Church teachings against the doctrines of the Cathars. Around 1163, he wrote fourteen sermons against Catharism , Sermones contra Catharos . He drew from Augustine of Hippo 's discussion of

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2134-710: The First World War in November 1918, the left bank of the Rhine and 50 km wide strip on the right bank were declared a "demilitarized zone". At first the Americans administered this territory, after 1923 the French. In the Rhineland, the change from a monarchy to a republic went almost unnoticed. The plan, in 1923, to build a " Rhenish Republic " failed. The French withdrew their troops again in 1929. After

2231-761: The Franconian Kingdom . Although the Roman population of the area declined steadily, the people spoke a Franco-Roman dialect and the language of administration was Latin . Grave inscriptions from the 4th to the 8th century in Boppard, in the St. Severus Church and the Carmelite Church prove the survival of a small Roman population in addition to the Frankish immigrants. The Roman settlements, especially

2328-571: The Germanic tribes of the Tencteri , Usipetes , Menapii and Eburones . The agricultural settlements in the hinterland provided for the people in the cities and military camps. The Romans used the Rhine for shipping. In the 1st century CE, bridges were constructed at Koblenz across the Rhine and the Moselle. In 83—85 a limes was constructed between the Rhine and the Danube , to protect

2425-543: The Manichæans to describe what he believed to be their origins, but distinguished the contemporary sect from the earlier version. Eckbert offers a detailed account of the early stage of Catharism in the Rhineland . Upon her death in 1164, Elizabeth, who was by then Abbess, admonished her brother to remain in the cloister. Although he was later offered higher appointments, he followed her advice. Eckbert died in 1185 and

2522-532: The Marksburg , the only undamaged hilltop castle in the Middle Rhine Valley, the Burg Pfalzgrafenstein , on a rocky island in the middle of the Rhine, and Rheinfels Castle , which was developed into a fortress over time. Stolzenfels Castle is a synonym for Rhine romanticism like no other. It did not just encourage the acceptance of the existing castles, it also encouraged their restoration and

2619-666: The Middle Ages , unique terraced vineyards , and many wine villages. The lower half, from Koblenz (Rhine-kilometer 593) to Bonn (Rhine-kilometer 655), is famous for the formerly volcanic Siebengebirge , with the Drachenfels volcano. Both parts together are known as "the romantic Rhine". The Middle Rhine Valley has been a major tourist attraction since the 19th century. It is also home to some 450,000 people. The valley owes its special appearance to both its natural shape and human alterations. For two millennia , it has been one of

2716-638: The Rhenish Slate Mountains between Bingen am Rhein and Rüdesheim am Rhein in the South and Bonn- Bad Godesberg and Bonn- Oberkassel in the North. Between Rüdesheim and Lorch , the left bank belongs to the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate ; the right bank belongs to the wine region of Rheingau in the state of Hesse . Downstream of Lorch, both banks belong to Rhineland-Palatinate until

2813-516: The Rhine ) is the section of the Rhine between Bingen and Bonn in Germany. It flows through the Rhine Gorge ( Oberes Mittelrheintal ), a formation created by erosion , which happened at about the same rate as an uplift in the region, leaving the river at about its original level, and the surrounding lands raised. This gorge is quite deep, about 130 metres (430 ft) from the top of

2910-480: The Upper Middle Rhine Valley , the breakthrough by the Rhine through the Rhenish Slate Mountains created this configuration. The valley with its steep rocky slopes, which forced users to create terraces, which shaped the valley over the centuries. It was particularly influenced by the vineyards on terraces (since the 8th century), shale mining and coppicing . Agriculture was possible only on

3007-563: The Urlandschaft (transl. original landscape) or landscape that existed before major human induced changes and the Kulturlandschaft (transl. 'cultural landscape') a landscape created by human culture. The major task of geography was to trace the changes in these two landscapes. It was Carl O. Sauer , a human geographer , who was probably the most influential in promoting and developing the idea of cultural landscapes. Sauer

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3104-605: The 12th century and the power of the Princes grew. Between 1220 and 1231, several important rights ( regalia ) were transferred to the spiritual ( Confoederatio cum principibus ecclesiasticis ) and temporal ( Statutum in favorem principum ) princes of the empire. From 1273, the Emperor was elected by the Electors; in 1356 imperial fiefs became territorial states. This was also the period when most castles were constructed. Four of

3201-465: The 16th century onwards, many European artists painted landscapes in favor of people, diminishing the people in their paintings to figures subsumed within broader, regionally specific landscapes. The word " landscape " itself combines "land" with a verb of Germanic origin, "scapjan/schaffen" to mean, literally, "shaped lands". Lands were then considered shaped by natural forces, and the unique details of such landshaffen (shaped lands) became themselves

3298-413: The 18th to 20th centuries. Kew Gardens is home to botanic collections (conserved plants, living plants, and documents) that are of global historical significance and continue to be used today, this includes a herbarium collection with over 8.5 million preserved plant and fungal specimens. The living collections within the gardens cover over 27000 taxa. Since their creation in 1759, the gardens have made

3395-545: The 1960s, 92% of the slopes was consolidated into larger vineyards. Nevertheless, the wine industry declined further, due to lack of profits. In 1950 the Mittelrhein region boasted 1,448 hectares (3,580 acres) of vines under cultivation. In 1989 it had fallen by 53% to 681 hectares (1,680 acres), and from 1989 to 2009 the total area of viticulture in the Middle Rhine region shrunk by a further 19% to 438 hectares (1,080 acres). Cultural landscape Cultural landscape

3492-495: The 9th century. It comprises numerous temples, pagodas, pavilions, gardens and ornamental trees, as well as causeways and artificial islands." Qhapaq Ñan is an extensive Inca communication, trade and defense network of roads covering 30,000  km. Constructed by the Incas over several centuries and partly based on pre-Inca infrastructure, this extraordinary network through one of the world's most extreme geographical terrains linked

3589-560: The Lower Middle Rhine. On the right bank are Rüdesheim, Assmannshausen , Lorch, Kaub , St. Goarshausen , Braubach and Lahnstein on the Upper Middle Rhine and Vallendar , Bendorf , Neuwied, Bad Hönningen , Linz am Rhein , Bad Honnef and Königswinter on the lower part. Larger tributaries on the left include Nahe , Moselle and Ahr ; on the right Lahn and Wied . The most outstanding castles are

3686-508: The Marksburg, Rheinfels Castle, Reichenberg Castle and Katz Castle . Another outstanding ruler in the 14th century was Elector and Archbishop Baldwin of Trier from the House of Luxembourg . His brother King Henry VII , Count of Luxembourg and Roman-German King from 1308, had pledged him the imperial cities of Boppard and Oberwesel, two of the around twenty cities and towns established on

3783-542: The Middle Rhine (for example, cherry growing in Bad Salzig , like it was practiced in Normandy ). This partly replaced the viticulture, which had declined sharply at the end of the 18th century. The French included the Middle Rhine area in the department of Rhin-et-Moselle , with its seat in Koblenz. The new government replaced the German princes with French secular rulers, abolished the feudal system, seized land from

3880-540: The Middle Rhine since Hermann of Stahleck in 1142. Most of the forty castles in the area between Bingen and Koblenz arose during this period as a sign of mutual competition. These castles are interesting examples of late medieval military architecture. They were partly influenced by developments in France, Italy and the Crusader states. The Counts of Katzenelnbogen in particular, excelled as castle builders. They built

3977-458: The Middle Rhine, in downstream order: The terraces of the Middle Rhine Valley have been inhabited since the early Iron Age . Evidence of this are the barrow fields around the city forest of Boppard and in the forest of Brey and the ring walls on the Dommelberg in Koblenz and on the giant hill at St. Goarshausen. On the western border of the Middle Rhine region, there are also traces of

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4074-936: The Middle Rhine. Landgrave by Philip the Magnanimous of Hesse introduced the doctrine of the Reformation in the Katzenelnbogn area in 1527. In 1545 the Reformation reached the area of the Electorate of the Palatinate through Elector Frederick II . The Thirty Years' War broke out in 1618 from the struggle between the Catholics and the Protestants and the political tensions in the German Empire. France, Spain and Sweden intervened. When peace

4171-453: The Rhine and the slate and greywacke weathered soils function as a heat storage that helps prevent large temperature fluctuations. Additionally, the steep slopes function to drain cold air from the valley. This is particularly beneficial for the late-ripening Riesling , which as of 2010 was grown on about 68% of the total area under viticulture. The terraced vineyards used to be much smaller. The current situation has emerged only after

4268-416: The Rhine between Bingen and Koblenz in the 13th and 14th century that had city rights and similar freedoms. Not all of those city rights have resulted in effective urban development, but in almost all these places more or less extensive remnants of the fortifications remain to this day. Boppard and Oberwesel resisted of integration into a modern territorial state for a long time. Boppard fought battles for

4365-543: The Roman Empire, which is why the road had to be constructed on the left bank, just inside the Empire. Traces of significant road construction have been identified near Stahleck Castle at Bacharach. The cities of Bingen ( Bingium ) and Koblenz ( Confluentes ) are the sites of early Roman fortresses , and Oberwesel ( Vosolvia ) housed a Roman Mansio . The fortresses protected agriculture and natural resources against

4462-555: The Romans to withdraw from the area. They took over the Roman cities and the Franconians began founding new cities of their own. Unlike the old Roman cities, the new Franconian cities were independent of the old Roman farmsteads; agriculture and livestock farming took place inside the city. These cities can be recognized by their names ending in -heim . At the end of the 5th century, the Merovingian king Clovis founded

4559-409: The UNESCO committee also stated upon inscription, that the marine environment surrounding the archipelago should be considered for listing and the boundaries extended. The state party had not nominated this in their original application. In response to a report prepared by Greenpeace in 1998 which raised concerns on potential impacts to the site from oil exploration of the surrounding seabed, the boundary

4656-595: The Upper Middle Rhine Valley" is the narrow Rhine Valley from [Bingen and Rüdesheim to Koblenz. On 27 June 2002, the UNESCO included this unique landscape in the list of the World Heritage sites. Recognition as a "cultural landscape" requires under the terms of the criteria an integrated landscape space that has a certain uniqueness and where humans experience an unusual configuration. In

4753-514: The World Heritage Committee, multiple specialists around the world, and nations to apply the concept of 'cultural landscapes', observed and concluded that: "Although the concept of landscape has been unhooked for some time from its original art associations ... there is still a dominant view of landscapes as an inscribed surface, akin to a map or a text, from which cultural meaning and social forms can simply be read." Within academia, any system of interaction between human activity and natural habitat

4850-627: The World Heritage List under the revised criteria describing cultural landscapes. The mountains at the heart of the park have cultural and religious significance for the Maori people and symbolize the spiritual links between this community and its environment. The park has active and extinct volcanoes, a diverse range of ecosystems and some spectacular landscapes." "This park, formerly called Uluru (Ayers Rock – Mount Olga) National Park, features spectacular geological formations that dominate

4947-438: The appointment of Hitler as Chancellor on January 30, 1933 the enthusiasm on the Middle Rhine was great. In many places, Hitler was named an honorary citizen. Jewish and other non-Christian officials were replaced by party functionaries. The Jews , who had played a significant role in small town business were robbed and driven out, some of them murdered. The Battle of Remagen during the Allied invasion of Germany resulted in

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5044-405: The area of the Middle Rhine from the mid-1st century BC to about 400 AD. An important factor was the construction of the Roman Rhine Valley Road between the provincial capitals Mainz and Cologne along the left bank of the Rhine, both on the plateau (northbound from Rheinböllen ) as on the left bank in the Valley (the route of the modern highway Bundesautobahn 9 ). The Rhine was the border of

5141-541: The bridge. The French again took up the administration of the territory in its occupation zone. At end of 1946, the Americans created the State Hesse in their occupation zone; six months later the French founded of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate . Although some areas were combined in the new states that historically do not belong together, a sense of togetherness quickly appeared. The desire for state boundaries more in line with historical territorial boundaries, however, never ceased entirely. The "cultural landscape of

5238-437: The building of even more castles. The Electoral Palace in Koblenz was the last residence of the Electors of Trier. It was demolished by the French revolutionary army. The most powerful fortress in Rhineland-Palatinate, Koblenz Fortress , was built in the 19th century by the Prussians. Ehrenbreitstein Fortress , once part of the fortification system, dominates the Rhine Valley to this day. The following castles are found along

5335-469: The capture of the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine and shortened World War II in Europe. Damage during the battle caused the bridge's collapse on March 17, 1945, but only after the Allies had gained a foothold on the eastern side of the bridge. By March 21, Allied forces had ended the war's hostilities on the Middle Rhine. Because of the battle's outcome, Hitler ordered a court-martial that sentenced to death five officers that had been involved in defending

5432-419: The church and nobility in order to resell it and introduced French-style legislation. On New Year's Day 1814, an army under general Blücher crossed the Rhine at Kaub . This marked the end of the French rule, the final defeat of Napoleon and the beginning of Prussian rule over the Middle Rhine. On the Congress of Vienna in 1815 Prussia received its " Watch on the Rhine " on the left bank. The right bank

5529-480: The cities' defenses. The city of Koblenz was reconstructed in the 18th century and is characterized by the style of early classicism. After the French Revolutionary Wars , the left bank of the Rhine was annexed by the French Republic and later the French Empire. Prefect Lezay-Marnésia, who resided in Koblenz began restoring the road on the left bank, which had not been maintained after the Romans had left and had fallen into disuse. He also promoted fruit production in

5626-427: The city dwellers in check. By the end of the 14th century, firearms were introduced in the area. Structural responses were needed, which only wealthy castle owners could afford. Many castles lost their strategic importance to firearms in this period. Most castles declined slowly or were abandoned. In the Thirty Years' War , many castles were destroyed by passing troops. The final destruction of almost all castles

5723-421: The concept of 'cultural landscapes' has seen multiple specialists around the world, and many nations identifying 'cultural landscapes', assessing 'cultural landscapes', heritage listing 'cultural landscapes', managing 'cultural landscapes', and effectively making 'cultural landscapes' known and visible to the world, with very practical ramifications and challenges. A 2006 academic review of the combined efforts of

5820-422: The creation of a park blending local and exotic species of trees. Other fine dwellings, built along the same lines in the surrounding serra, created a unique combination of parks and gardens which influenced the development of landscape architecture throughout Europe". "The Ligurian coast between Cinque Terre and Portovenere is a cultural landscape of great scenic and cultural value. The layout and disposition of

5917-440: The decline were the changed socio-economic conditions. Until the 19th century, there were few other opportunities for paid employment in the Rhine Valley, so many workers migrated to areas where the emerging manufacturing industries were creating new employment opportunities. The economic situation on the left bank improved after the Second World War . Until then, the only industries on the left bank were viticulture and tourism. In

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6014-535: The demolition of the cable car after three years. With a few exceptions, the castles in the Middle Rhine Valley were constructed between the 12th century and the first half of the 14th century. They were usually built on the middle terraces that were created during the formation of the valley. In the 10th and 11th century, castle building had been a privilege of the king and high nobility. Structures from this period were usually made of wood or rammed earth and have not survived. The weakening of imperial power began in

6111-464: The early Stone Age right through to early historical times, and intermittently since. They also feature an outstanding collection of rock paintings. The Matopo Hills continue to provide a strong focus for the local community, which still uses shrines and sacred places closely linked to traditional, social and economic activities. The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew ( Kew Gardens ), is a historic landscape garden which illustrates significant garden styles from

6208-483: The environment modified by the human being in the course of time, the long-term combination between anthropic action on this environment and the physical constraints limiting or conditioning human activity. It is a geographical area – including natural and cultural resources – associated to historical evolution, which gives way to a recognizable landscape for a particular human group, up to the point of being identifiable as such by others." The concept of cultural landscape

6305-477: The focus of conservation from the protection of past fabric towards the management of future change. It can be a vehicle for people-centric approaches, which support local ownership and participation at cultural heritage sites. This paradigm aligns the management of the historic environment with contemporary attitudes to environmental management in general, which are also influenced by cultural landscape perspectives. Some universities now offer specialist degrees in

6402-412: The fortified cities in the Middle Rhine Valley, were taken by the Franconian Kings as Crown possessions. Almost all of the territory between Bingen and Remagen, including the cities of Bacharach, Oberwesel, St. Goar, Boppard, Koblenz and Sinzig, were in royal ownership. The enfeoffment of individual parts of the empire began in the 8th century and continued until the early 14th century. Beneficiaries of

6499-401: The freedom of the city in 1327 and 1497. The grave stone in the popular "wide-track bully" type in the Carmelite church of Boppard of the knight Sifrid of Schwalbach, who fell in 1497, is a testimony to this struggle for local liberties which erupted for the last time in the Palatine Peasants' War of 1525. The City Castle of Boppard, built by Baldwin of Trier in 1340, however, is a monument of

6596-407: The gifts were, among others, the abbots of Prüm and Trier and of the Abbey of St. Maximin and the Archbishops of Cologne, Trier, Mainz and Magdeburg . The Counts of Katzenelnbogen are also governors of the Abbey of Prüm and this allow them to establish their own territory around their seat Burg Rheinfels Castle in St. Goar. When the male line of the Counts dies out in 1479, this territory

6693-406: The heartland of the royal power, or Vis maxima regni as Otto of Freising called it, until in 1138 Conrad III is elected King of Germany in Koblenz, the first King of the House of Hohenstaufen . The late Middle Ages were marked on the Middle Rhine by the territorial fragmentation. In addition to the spiritual Electors of Cologne, Mainz and Trier, the Count Palatine had gained influence on

6790-403: The most important routes for cultural exchange between the Mediterranean region and northern Europe . Situated in the heart of Europe, it was sometimes a border and sometimes a bridge between different cultures. The history of the valley reflects the history of Western Europe. With its many outstanding monuments , its hills full of vines , its settlements crowded on the narrow river banks, and

6887-459: The next, and the expression of sacred traditions and a delicate social balance, they have helped to create a landscape of great beauty that expresses the harmony between humankind and the environment." "In the 19th century Sintra became the first centre of European Romantic architecture. Ferdinand II turned a ruined monastery into a castle where this new sensitivity was displayed in the use of Gothic, Egyptian, Moorish and Renaissance elements and in

6984-490: The plateaus. The valley is unique in its variety of over 40 castles along only 65 kilometres (40 mi) of the stream. The Upper Middle Rhine Valley is the epitome of the Romantic Rhine landscape and also a traditional transport axis (important shipping lane, two highways and two railway lines). When the world cultural heritage status was granted, UNESCO pointed out that the noise generated by traffic (in particular,

7081-451: The property should be listed for a cultural criterion (relating to traditional human settlement), stating that “the St. Kilda archipelago corresponds perfectly to the definition of a cultural and natural property whose value should be taken into consideration in an evaluation complementary to that of IUCN”, however this was not executed by UNESCO. IUCN commented in their initial evaluation, and

7178-511: The railway lines) is a problem. Concrete measures but were neither recommended nor required. Nevertheless, the Rudesheim section was scheduled to be routed through a tunnel (construction began in 2011). The Rhineland-Palatinate state government plans to construct a new Middle Rhine Bridge near St. Goar and St. Goarshausen. This should be coordinated with UNESCO. On 29 July 2010, UNESCO announced in this regard that before further planning of

7275-536: The river crosses the border with North Rhine-Westphalia shortly before Bonn . The Middle Rhine basin at Neuwied separates the upper and lower halves of the Middle Rhine. On the Namedyer Werth peninsula (between Rhine-kilometer 614.2 and 615.5), is the Andernach Geyser , which at 50 to 60 metres (160 to 200 ft) is the highest cold-water geyser in the world. On 7 July 2006, the geyser

7372-559: The rocks down to the average water-line. The Middle Rhine is one of four sections of the Rhine between Lake Constance and the North Sea (the others being the High Rhine , Upper Rhine and Lower Rhine ). The upper half of the Middle Rhine (Rhine Gorge) from Bingen (Rhine-kilometer 526) to Koblenz (Rhine-kilometer 593) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site , a striking cultural landscape with more than 40 castles and fortresses from

7469-400: The rows of castles lined up on the hill tops, it is considered the epitome of the Rhine romanticism . It inspired Heinrich Heine to write his famous poem " Lorelei " and Richard Wagner to write his opera Götterdämmerung . The vineyards along the Middle Rhine form a wine-growing region of the same name . The name Rhine Gorge refers to the narrow gorge of the Rhine flowing through

7566-425: The seven Electors held territories in the Middle Rhine Valley. The political landscape was a patchwork, as the parts of these territories were not connected. initially, the castles served to secure territory. In the late 12th century, the princes discovered customs revenue as a source of income and some castles were built to control customs. Castles were also built outside cities to keep the aspirations to freedom of

7663-492: The small towns and the shaping of the surrounding landscape, overcoming the disadvantages of a steep, uneven terrain, encapsulate the continuous history of human settlement in this region over the past millennium." Hortobágy National Park is the largest continuous natural grassland in Europe, which means that it was not formed as a result of deforestation or river control. The first Hungarian national park (established in 1973), it

7760-457: The snow-capped peaks of the Andes – at an altitude of more than 6,000 m – to the coast, running through hot rainforests, fertile valleys, and absolute deserts. It reached its maximum expansion in the 15th century when it spread across the length and breadth of the Andes. The Qhapac Ñan, Andean Road System includes 273 component sites spread over more than 6,000  km that were selected to highlight

7857-480: The study of cultural landscapes, including, for instance, the Universities of Naples, St.-Étienne, and Stuttgart who offer a Master of Cultural Landscapes diploma. The World Heritage Committee has identified and listed a number of areas or properties as cultural landscapes of universal value to humankind, including the following: "In 1993 Tongariro National Park , became the first property to be inscribed on

7954-399: The subject of 'landscape' paintings. Geographer Otto Schlüter is credited with having first formally used “cultural landscape” as an academic term in the early 20th century. In 1908, Schlüter argued that by defining geography as a Landschaftskunde (landscape science) this would give geography a logical subject matter shared by no other discipline. He defined two forms of landscape:

8051-575: The suppression of urban autonomy by territorial princes. Since the territories of the four Rhenish electors lie close together on the Middle Rhine, these cities have been the venue for countless historically important events, such as imperial diets , electoral diets, royal elections and princely weddings. The most important of these events was the Declaration of Rhense in 1338. Boppard was especially frequently visited ed by German Kings and Emperors. The rulers would then reside with their entourage in

8148-583: The vast red sandy plain of central Australia. Uluru, an immense monolith, and Kata Tjuta, the rock domes located west of Uluru, form part of the traditional belief system of one of the oldest human societies in the world. The traditional owners of Uluru-Kata Tjuta are the Anangu Aboriginal people." "For 2,000 years, the high rice fields of the Ifugao have followed the contours of the mountains. The fruit of knowledge handed down from one generation to

8245-453: Was a double monastery . His younger sister Elizabeth, whose health had never been strong, had first entered the women's convent many years earlier as a student at the age of twelve. Despite objections from other members of the family, at Elizabeth's urging to come and record her visions, in 1155 he became a Benedictine at the monastery in Schönau. While a canon at Bonn he often had occasion to speak with Cathars, and after his monastic profession,

8342-538: Was brought about by Louis XIV's troops during the War of the Palatine Succession . Only the high castles Festung Ehrenbreitstein , Marksburg and Burg Rheinfels were spared. With the advent of Rhine romanticism after 1815, many castles were rebuilt. The Middle Rhine geographical region is largely identical to the geographical region to the Middle Rhine wine region, as defined by the German wine law as

8439-430: Was buried next to his sister near the high altar in the monastery church. Eckbert's writings on the humanity of Christ influenced Bonaventure 's Lignum vitae . On the death of Eizabeth in 1164, he wrote the mournful treatise De obitu dominae Elisabeth . Among his works are: Middle Rhine Middle Rhine ( German : Mittelrhein , pronounced [ˈmɪtl̩ˌʁaɪn] ; kilometres 529 to 660 of

8536-461: Was determined to stress the agency of culture as a force in shaping the visible features of the Earth's surface in delimited areas. Within his definition, the physical environment retains a central significance, as the medium with and through which human cultures act. His classic definition of a 'cultural landscape' reads as follows: "The cultural landscape is fashioned from a natural landscape by

8633-409: Was divided into many small parcels. By the end of the 16th century this industry was booming. The Thirty Years' War then caused recession and decline. Prices of beer, tea and coffee dropped, causing profit margins on wine to shrink. After 1815, the left bank was Prussian and the economic situation improved. The 1839 German customs union led to strong competition. Many farmers found themselves

8730-489: Was established in 1648, the country was economically ruined with and half the population having died from the fighting, disease or famine. During the 17th century, the Middle Rhine was increasingly the scene of a long-lasting conflict between Germany and France . After devastation of the Thirty Years' War, the War of the Palatine Succession brought in 1688–1692 further destruction of castles and fortifications part of

8827-437: Was extended in 2004/5 and the property was additionally listed for a further natural criterion (relating to ecological processes). As part of the relisting process, it was re-nominated for two cultural criteria, recommended for listing by ICOMOS, and this time inscribed by UNESCO in 2005 and designated as an 'organically evolved relict cultural landscape'. "Overlaying the spectacular natural landscape and giving scale to it all,

8924-488: Was held by Hesse-Nassau . Prussia secured its supremacy by the construction of the great fortress at Koblenz from 1817 onwards. After 1830, most of the changes introduced by French rulers were abolished in the Rhine Province and the old corporate state (nobility, cities, farmers) was rebuilt. The nobles resumed the political power; the educated middle class had almost no political influence outside of towns. After

9021-559: Was invited by Rainald of Dassel , Archbishop of Cologne , to debate publicly with the leaders of the sect in Cologne itself. Around 1155 several tombs were discovered in Cologne, which were soon reported to contain the remains of Saint Ursula and her companions. This prompted Eckbert to compose a new account of her story. During the papal schism that followed the death of Pope Adrian IV , Eckbert supported Victor IV out of loyalty to

9118-617: Was reactivated for tourists. There are major railway lines on both sides of the river: the West Rhine Railway on the left and the East Rhine Railway on the right. Major roads are the federal roads B9 and B42, and the Rhine itself is a major international waterway. The most important cities on the left bank are Bingen, Bacharach , Oberwesel , St. Goar , Boppard and Koblenz on the Upper Middle Rhine and Andernach , Bad Breisig , Sinzig , Remagen and Bonn on

9215-589: Was struck from the World Heritage list in 2009, due to the construction of a four lane highway across the Elbe The archipelago of St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland was originally inscribed as a natural heritage site in 1986 following recommendation by IUCN, due to its superlative natural features and habitats for rare and endangered species of birds. ICOMOS also recommended in 1986 that

9312-401: Was usually polluted and coffee and tea were still unknown. A regional speciality of the four valleys around Bacharach is Feuerwein , a specially treated wine that was traded far to the North. It now again being manufactured at Posthof in Bacharach. It was one of the dominant items of trade in the Middle Ages, fostered by the Rhine as the most important waterway, and existing Roman roads. It

9409-399: Was valued by landlords, as growing wine appreciated the value of their land. The legal, social and economic situation of the workers improved as more and more workers with critical skills were needed. In the late Middle Ages, the economy flourished and the majority of the population was dependent on wine growing. After the dissolution of many Lordships, land ownership fragmented and the land

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