Monastic Island of Reicheneau - UNESCO: World Heritage

Summary:
Historical Characteristics in
Today’s Landscape
Continuities and changes and – as the circumstances
permitted – their brief characterization
is the topic of these explanations.
The evaluation intends to balance
change and tradition in line with the criteria
mentioned in the introduction. It intends
to point out the places on the island
of Reichenau that in clearly discernible
and authentic ways convey the history of
the monastic island by historical structures,
patterns or building plans immediately
evident in the cultural landscape.
The changes in settlement, transport system
and land-use did not permit an unconditional
classification of the complete
island as “of historical value” in terms of a
cultural landscape. Especially around the
conservation area in the west of the island
a relatively early executed reallocation of
land left considerable marks on the historical
structures. It was in this part of the
island that a group of huge greenhouses
was built that – as opposed to other such
groups of greenhouses on the island – do
not exhibit a relation to a settlement. Likewise
destroyed by over-dimensioned rebuilding
and building projects were the
historical structures along the ancient
road between Mittelzell and Oberzell.
On the other hand there are still numerous
areas to be localized that can be asserted
the status of “area with a high representativity
in terms of the geo-cultural
history of the island of Reichenau”.
A large part of the established archeological
cultural monuments (according to the
Law on the Protection of Monuments of
Baden-Württemberg) is situated either
within the boundaries of areas to be
classed as of historical value or conservation
areas or intersects them. The areas
around the churches at Oberzell, Mittelzell
and Niederzell for instance at the
same time are settlement areas that very
clearly illustrate the history of the island.
And both the constructions of Schloß
Königseck and Schloß Eilandsfrieden as
manor houses are so well preserved that
they too deserve characterization as “settling
element of geo-cultural value”.
In the area around the village of Mittelzell
Historische Strukturen im Landschaftsbild
it is especially the closer surrounding of
the monastery that justifies positive evaluation.
These are identical with the area
mentioned under Position 1. Considerable
changes have taken place around the
monastery such as the ad-hoc addition of
buildings in typical 20 th century fashion.
The high density of historical substance
however as well as the preserved historical
course of the roads, free spaces, and
squares permit a classification of the settlement
south of the former monastery
construction as “of historical value”.
North of the minster the Mittelzell center
dissolves into a more loosely spaced settlement
that stands out for its high share of
cultural monuments as well as its historically
characterized appearance. The greenhouses
snuggling up against the settlement
in the house gardens point back to
early times of growing of vegetables on the
island of Reichenau and sympathetically
complete the construction of the settlement
passing perfectly smooth into a
shoreline of equally positive classification.
The other positively highlighted areas
of the historical settlement refer to areas
of scattered settlement at the northern
and southern shores of the island. Their
characteristics resemble those of Mittelzell
described above. Here too, an adhoc
addition of buildings has taken place,
and the construction is interspersed with
greenhouses. Nevertheless all the areas
classed as of historical value leave the impression
of a shore-oriented settlement
characterized by agriculture and based
upon historical models. In part they pass
into the conserved shoreline which completes
the settlement and is of equally positive
classification.
Those parts of the conservation areas
classed as of geo-cultural and historical
value with one exception all border on the
Lake Constance. A part of these areas without
access to the water around the
Hochwart was classed as of historical value
because here historical forms of land-use
combined with a historical course of the
tracks is well preserved till the present day.
Numerous of the small plots of land are
planted with vine. Here the vineyards, traversed
by narrow tracks, are interconnected
with farmland used as such since historic
times.
Enclosure A 10
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