Walks

Landscape between Revolutions and Romanticism – Three Wiederstedt Walks
Invitations to conversations accessible on foot by Lars Fischer, Büro für Landschaftskommunikation [Office for Landscape Communication]

The copper shale mining in the Mansfeld region is a thing of a bygone era, the Romanticism has become museum-like, and instead of the blue flower, yellow Adonis roses can be found. Wind turbines in combination with photovoltaic plants sketch out a still uncertain future on the horizon. What precious treasures does the landscape around Wiederstedt hold? What can be connected to after 800 years of industrial history: to new energies, to the natural beauty along the valley of the Wipper River? These questions will be answered differently by an archaeological monument conservator, residents of Wiederstedt, the owner of the former boat rental at the Ölgrundteich [Oil Ground Pond], a wind turbine operator or the director of the Novalis Museum in Oberwiederstedt Castle. One thing is certain: a treasure hunt and search for traces in this landscape in the north of the Mansfeld region, which has been shaped by humans for thousands of years, is worthwhile. I have found a precious treasure for myself: the Planteurhaus in the Ölgrund near Walbeck. The classicist villa in the style of the Renaissance master architect Palladio is not only an architectural rarity but also a welcome occasion to talk about the utopian idea of a “(post)socialist landscape”.

The three Wiederstedt walks that I have suggested are an invitation to talk about the country, its people, and their landscape treasures. The walks are designed with guests who are familiar with the area.