THE URBANISATION ASPECTS IN THE GERMAN COUNTRYSIDE

Eleonora Gonda-Soroczyńska
The Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Geodesy, Agricultural University of Wrocław, Poland

ABSTRACT

Modern German village, in the form of dense or shattered settlement, its architecture, constructive materials, spatial lay-out, functions, the way of ground-exploitation are slightly differentiated in particular united countries (lands). Natural conditions, the time of springing up, farming type (if still exists) and social structure – all those factors influence the country development. All changes in the style of farming and village function are being reflected in development of building areas, which has been moderated and renovated from many years – not always with the profit for cultural heritage. The evidences of the urbanisation may be seen at German countryside (as well as in other UE countries), discussed in the paper and shown on annexed photographs. In the process of constant changes the attention points on saving the identity of the place and form of development. The projects focused on development and infrastructure renovation and preserving cultural heritage as well are being initiated. The awareness of countryside cultural value as the result historical colonisation has been creating during multi-year transformation.

Key words: countryside development, village restoration and revitalisation, cultural heritage, historical colonisation.

INTRODUCTION

Relatively large differences between the countryside in different German regions (i.e. – western and eastern ones) may be noticed during analyses. Figs. 1 and 2 show beautifully renovated village-house from the Empire period (the thatched hut with modern woodwork) in Schleswig-Holstein federative and restored country building in western Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) land. On the contrary – Fig. 3 shows still significant in number, sloppy rural building in eastern lands (on the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern example).

The above photographs of eastern lands do not prove, that the process of German country transformation has been occurring only in western lands, what may be seen on Figs. 4, 5 and 6 from eastern lands Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

After Germany unification the differences between eastern and western lands are progressively vanishing, what may be seen on annexed photographic documentation. In all – eastern and western – lands the big stress is being put for country modernisation and its renovation, what leads to not-always advantageous results (as the expression of cultural heritage). The evidences of urbanisation in the German country may be seen with naked eye. The shopping and service malls, public objects, dwelling-complexes (similar and sometimes identical to the urban ones) are being built (see: Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10).

Just like in other West European countries, the rural areas colonisation was influenced by such factors as: natural environment, historical background, the forms of social and industrial organisation etc. The process of settlement choosing is linked to the human story from the very beginning, when we were the slaves of the Nature – our vital environment with all its attributes. The choice of the place of settlement depended on natural environment. The form and constructive elements of dwelling-houses and farm buildings were strictly linked to the old customs, traditions and local possibilities. Fig. 11 shows the roman church in federative land Saxony-Anhalt, built of fieldstone.

Presently the relationship between the man, and its settlement, have been changed in many ways for the reason of multi-field transformations. The technical development is one of the reason, as well as new possibilities in commonly accessible constructive elements and urbanisation treated as complex process of transformations, leading to the development and increasing importance of the cities, at the cost other kinds of human settlements.

Germany is a federative nation of 16 united countries (lands). Table 1 shows demographic data which present the regional differences amongst the lands.

According to German encyclopaedic definition, the village is a settlement of rural structure, with agrarian colonisation, industrial and social structure. The agriculture had dominated before. People had been focused on farming and they had crofts with dwelling, stocking and farmstead buildings (Figs. 12 and 13).

Now the situation has radically changed, especially in the aspect of rural people’s activities. Typical individual agriculture occurs in the relict form. Individual farmers treat soil cultivation as seasonal job, working simultaneously in town or other non-agricultural sectors. Fig. 14 shows the barn adapted to service workshop.

Table 2 shows the percentage share of Germans farmers and people of high activity in agriculture in the comparison with Poland.

The agriculture as itself runs most often in the form of multi-hectares, highly specialised farms. In many farmyards the buildings, which used to be the farmstead ones, were adopted for strictly dwelling purposes.(Fig. 15)

The term “German village” can not be defined in explicit way as the settlement, where the majority of inhabitants earns for living by cultivating plants and breeding animals, because it is not truth. Table 3 shows the urban and rural population in Germany in the years 1990-2000.

Modern German village, its architecture, constructive materials, spatial lay-out, functions and the way of exploitation are highly differentiated in particular regions of the country. Table 4 shows the ground-exploitation by Germans (in the comparison with Poland), especially arable lands, which cover a little bit more that 30% of total country area.

Natural conditions, the time of springing up, farming type (if still exists) and social structure – all those factors influence the country development. All changes in the style of farming and village function are being reflected in development of building areas, which has been moderated and renovated from many years – not always with the profit for cultural heritage, because the rural architecture and landscape are the national heritage as well (Figs. 16, 17, 18, 19).

Typical German village (in encyclopaedic definition) consists of dwelling buildings, farmstead buildings and arable lands. The differentiated way of buildings distribution – towards one another and fields or roads – creates peculiar space pattern of any village.

German village is the single – (Fig. 20) or group – settlement, featured with traditional forms and types.

In the past the rural people support themselves with agriculture (just like in Poland). The social structure consisted of farmers, dwellers and owners of the small workshop without their own land.

As the result of country urbanisation, industrialisation and socio-economical changes, which have taken places during last 40 years, rural areas are still inhabited by non-farmers. The number of city-dwellers, deciding on second country-house, is still increasing. The rural structure becomes similar to the urban one. Urban civilisation (complete technical infrastructure, computers, Internet) reached the countryside (Figs. 22, 23).

The urbanisation process in German countryside takes place in spatial, architectonic, constructive, economical and social sense. The spatial one leads to designing and architectonic changes, for example – creating wide urban zones in rural areas. Basic economical change is the increasing in numbers of non-farmers and out-of-agriculture employees in the cities and countries as well. The social sense consists in widespread of urban lifestyle among villagers.

There were different factors – including economical, cultural, ethical, functional, and social ones and technical (mainly constructive) possibilities – which have been shaped modern German countryside (Figs.24, 25)

HISTORICAL AND GENETIC FORMS OF GERMAN COUNTRYSIDE

Multi-centuries historical processes were contributive to the creation of oldest German countryside forms. In dependence on the level of conglomeration the compressive and shattered colonisation may be singled out.

Just like in Poland, the oldest – and most common – form of compressive colonisation is squares-and-streets type, so-called “ovate”. The “encircle” form – multi-squares village with farmyard parcels, arranged fanwise – most often around the square – and creating well-knit, closed ring. This is very old type of defensive village, where central square was the cattle-site for the nights.

The “multi-road” type, arranged on the “backbone” of some roads with irregular routes, is often quite common. Such villages were created mainly on woodless areas and their main functions were the trading (market) ones. This is one of the oldest village types in Europe, occurring in the belt of fertile soils from France, through Germany, Poland to Ukraine.

The “one-road” village with compressive development on both side of the road, strongly connected with physiographic factors, is also worth mentioning. The linear settlements were most often placed alongside the river or river valley. In that cases the yards are arranged in straight line, side by side. The roads begin on the yards and lead to the farmstead buildings and to the fields.

Development density in German countryside is different in various regions. Very dense one is typical for the villages in the South-Eastern part of Germany, in contrary to Northern part, where development density is low. The yards and buildings are also differentiated. One may distinguish various forms of rural development, village size and character, building position towards one another, the functions share amongst buildings, floor-number and the building-number in the farmyard, constructive elements etc.

The most common yard-types are: “Zweiseit, – Dreiseit and Vierseithof” (built over two-, three- and four-sides).

In the case of “Mehrbauhof” (the yard with a lot of buildings) the buildings have been divided according to their functions. Significant designing and architectonic differences between the same yard-type in northern and southern Germany may be noticed.

The kind of constructive material, which had been used in German countryside, is especially worth noticing. Very popular so-called “Prussian wall” (brick nogged timber wall) have been used for dwelling-flats e.g. Müller family house from 1778 (Fig. 26), Ehrenbruch family house from 1770 (Fig. 27), farmstead buildings (Fig.28), village churches (Fig. 29). Red bricks and tiles, burnt in local brick-kilns, were also very common (Fig. 30).

That type of farmyards and development as well as constructive materials, were typical especially for Lower Saxony. Now those objects are being restored, renovated or rebuilt with modern, widely-accessible materials (such as new ceramic or tin tiles, window and door woodwork or PCV one – Figs. 31, 32).

The present-day cubature-objects presented on photographs from Lower Saxony were built in 1770. They underwent thorough modernisation and functional changes (hitherto farmstead part adopted for dwelling one, unarranged attic adopted for dwelling purposes, natural extra-lightning of particular rooms, total change of window and door woodwork as well as roof coverage, modernisation of architectonic details, dwelling-part adding with upper terrace, not composing itself with whole architectonic conception).

Shattered colonisation, widespread in Northern Germany, so-called “one-mansion” one, is also called the “solitary village”. Two types of shattered colonisation may be distinguished: isolated farms with long distances between one another and shattered family-type villages. Single settlements, consist of one yard with few buildings, occur mainly in Eastern Alps and in Northern Germany.

The most common type of German village, as well as French one, is mixed type. Few single settlements, arranged in relatively loose pattern to one another, is also called “the village”, with church, school, offices etc. So-called “closed villages” may be seen mainly in Hessen and Baden-Württemberg. Tidy and untidy forms of the village may be also singled out.

MASS-MIGRATION FROM VILLAGES TO THE TOWNS

After the Second World War the towns began to develop effectively. Economical “boom” was the reason of human population increasing. Simultaneously the rural areas began to loose their attractiveness. Villagers in masses leave their homes to look for a job in towns. Rural communities weakened, but that situation begins to change slowly. Human population increases in number in few rural areas. The reasons are various. Although Germans – basically for economical reasons – are still exposed for urbanisation, their return to the countryside may be noticed, especially in last few years. They build second houses – strictly for dwelling purposes – or adopt abandoned farms for dwelling or dwell-and-service ones. In last few decades many German villages were depopulated (Fig. 33), inhabited by older and older people.

Economical crisis, lasting from ten to twenty years and causing continuous destroying of abandoned development and infrastructure, challenge the commons with countryside restoration. In Germany, as well in other UE countries, the new trend – “back to the roots” – may be seen. Living in small settlements and close relationships between humans is being promoted. The superannuated employees have begun to come back to their birthplaces.

BENEFICIALLY CHANGES IN RURAL DEMOGRAPHY

In modern Germany the migration from villages to towns have significantly decreased. Now the direction is just opposite. The rural demography changes from year to year. The number of villagers increases. People working in town also settle or build new house (whole year’s or seasonal) in the country. But the economical and social problems still exist in rural areas. The significant lowering of agriculture status and fierce competition in non-agricultural services may be observed.

THE RENOVATION OF GERMAN COUNTRYSIDE

Many UE projects of German countryside renovation are carried into effect now. They are focused on house-development and infrastructure renovation, national heritage protection and tourism (also agro-tourism) development. The aims of the projects are also the limitation of the interference with local landscape and its protection. The village-museums are being opened – for example the one in Cloppenburg – and became the tourist attractions.

Slow increasing in density of population, especially in Western lands, have been observed since nineties. The change of lifestyle is also noticeable. For many Germans the countryside is a perfect place not only to rest, but to live. The distance between the village-house and the place of employment is not as arduous as it used to be due to very modern roads, motorisation development, new mass-media, mobile phones, Internet etc. The advantages of urban living are not so significant and the value of country-living is rising.

“SECOND HOUSES, SECOND FLAT AT THE COUNTRYSIDE”

In Germany, as like in France, a lot of people live in many places in the same time – for labour or sometimes recreational reasons. The Germans build so-called “second house” at the countryside, of the same standard as the one in town. Such decision is influenced by the possibility of buying the cheaper building lot, progressive decreasing in labour-time (increasing in free days number), the mechanisation development, the possibility of decreasing in the number of employees at work-place, the economical development independent to the area, causing the changes in work-and-life conditions.

The number of German villages of strictly residential character is still increasing. The reasons are the “second homes” erecting or old-ones renovation – for reach people recreational purposes (holidays and weekends). The number of such houses is getting higher from year to year and it is to assume that that trend will be maintained (Fig. 34)

The Germans opinions about countryside problems are differentiated. There are people who could not imagine themselves living out of the town. But many say, that rural areas have got real magnetic force, securing silence and isolation from street rush.

People with high incomes and long work-practise are especially interested in country-living (just like in Poland). These people stress mainly the advantages of the surrounding, the quality of the environment, beauty, close-to-nature landscape, silence, placidity and different resting-possibilities in comparison to the city ones.

The serious problem of the German countryside (the same situation takes place in Poland) is their population ageing. The share of old people is getting higher also due to the pensioners inflow (people, who come back to their country roots) – whereas the young, active people immigration would be most desirable.

Over-population of the cities and high flat-prizes are another reasons of migration to the villages. The differences between Eastern and Western lands are relatively significant. The result of mentioned migration is the change of countryside function and general look (re-urbanisation). This is the basic reason of typical pen-yard farms decreasing in number.

ECOLOGICAL AND BIODYNAMICAL FARMS

In the nearest future, especially in agricultural villages, the main stress will be put on the development of ecological and biodynamical farms. Modern German agriculture may be described as highly efficient, securing the food self-sufficiency of all the nation. The arable lands cover 49% of the country area. Basic cropping-plants are: wheat, barley, rye, oat and corn with one of the highest crops in the world. The vineyards (about 100 thousand hectares) and orchards (about 70 thousand hectares) are numerous on the Rhone and Mosel valley-slopes. The high stress is being put on the animal husbandry development (pigs, cattle, poultry, sheep, horses). In the Eastern lands – former German Democratic Republic national property – the farms of more than 50 hectares (97% of arable lands) prevail, but being privatized after German reunion. In Western part the family-farms of less than 10 hectares dominate. Bigger family-farms (more than 50 hectares) are only 11%.

It may be noticed that the number of farmstead buildings transformed into dwelling-ones has significantly increased. Even so, that the majority of mainly young Germans from Western lands are interested in buying the old buildings to renovate, the new-building houses may also be seen – most often not high, with large gardens, modern outfit and full comfort – non-different from up-to-date city residences.

THE DECLINE OF TRADITIONAL COUNTRY PROFESSIONS

The majority of modern German village people are not employed in agriculture but in other sectors, mainly in the neighbour towns or big cities.

Such professions as: smith, miller, carpenter, tiller and many more have declined totally at German countryside. New workshops, and service points, such as gas-stations or repair shops.

The countryside is commonly characterised by peculiar social connections (for example neighbourly ones), strong structure and norms (customs, folklores, holidays etc.) and rural architecture, clothes, food etc

With the beginning of industrialisation group of the people inactive in agriculture have used cottage-work as new possibility of earning money. In South-Western Germany a lot of permanent places of employment have been created because of small firms location just at the countryside. The farms maintaining themselves only from agriculture are exceptions now. The villages became the living-sites for non-farmers basically!

During multi-year transformations the consciousness of countryside cultural value, as historical form of colonisation, was created and shaped.

The majority of the commons tries – as the part of “countryside renovation” programme – to protect cultural goods from degradation or even declining. The trace of cultural and national heritage is being noticed in rural architecture. The villages with multi-year history are especially worth protecting.

CONCLUSIONS

Generally, the condition of German countryside may be evaluated as good. German country is dynamic, modernised and supported with full infrastructure. The roads are good, as well as highways, the transport and communication and full technical infrastructure. It may be assumed that the villagers take profits from all the services available to big city-dwellers.

German countryside is still more “urban”. The basic reasons of rural areas popularity are silence, placidity, nearness of the Nature, less threads of violence and easy access to everything what city can offer.

The changes at German countryside, taken as the effect of urbanisation, are typical attributes of modernity. In present times the towns and cities are still increasing their influence for countryside look and villagers’ lifestyle.

REFERENCES

1. Beyerlin U., 1997. Dezentrale grenzüberschreitente Zussamenarbeit als internationales Rechtsphenomen, “Archiv des Völkerrechts”, t. 27, z. 3.

2. Dorfenentwicklung. Das Luftbild als Planungshilfe, 1984. Ministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft, Umwelt und Forsten Baden-Württemberg.

3. Fürst D., Ritter E. H., 1993. Landesentwicklungsplanung und Regionalplanung. Ein verwaltungswissenschaftlicher Grundriss, Düsseldorf.

4. Goppel K., 1991. Raumordnung und Recht, “Raumforschung und Raumordnung”, nr 2-3, Berlin.

5. Haindl E., Landzettel W., 1991. Heimat – ein Ort irgendwo?. Mensch. Dorf. Landschaft., Materialien zur Ländlichen Neuordnung – Heft 28. Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Forsten, München.

6. Hübler K. H., Kaether J., 1999. Nachhaltige Raum- und Regisnalentwicklung – wo Bleibt sie? Befunde, Perspektiven und Vorschläge, Wissenschaft und Forschung, Berlin.

7. “New Europe Shaping”, 2000. Strategic Targets for 200-2005 – European Commission information for European Parliament, UE Council, Economical and Social Committee and Committee of the Regions [in Polish].

8. Malchus V. Frh., 1991. Perspektiven für die Regionen an den EG-Binnengrenzen, Raumforschung und Raumordnung, Berlin.

9. Olechowik-Adamowska L., Stettner-Stefańska B, Ławecki Tomasz, 2004: The travel through United Europe countries, “Swiat Ksiażki” (The World of Books ed.), Warsaw [in Polish].

10. The Annual of International Statistics 2003, 2003, GUS, Warsaw [in Polish].

Responses to this article, comments are invited and should be submitted within three months of the publication of the article. If accepted for publication, they will be published in the chapter headed 'Discussions' and hyperlinked to the article.