 |
|
Suggestions for educational and recreational itineraries
around the fortified town
Places and their significance change over time. There
are three levels of historical analysis - memories, historical
records and artefacts. Places start to have less to do with remembrance
and more to do with day-trips, becoming less of a memorial and
more of a tourist attraction. Places move from being a memory
to becoming historical records and artefacts.
Interpretation of the past is often regarded as problem-free.
It is assumed that we can somehow know the past simply through
investigation and that by carrying out sufficient research we
can step back in time and fully understand what the world was
like a hundred, five hundred or a thousand years ago. This leaves
aside questions such as: whose history are we interpreting and
from whose perspective? When interpreting the past, present and
future, the periods are often dealt with as separate entities
and not part of a continuum, subject to ongoing processes, causes
and consequences.
But one can go further than this and argue that all historical
moments should be seen as an integral part of much larger historical
processes which are still in progress. So the question: "What
about the future?" is posed. This is not necessarily meant
to be prescriptive, but its interpretation could also bring out
alternative scenarios for future orientation, which could be used
as a starting point for getting citizens to participate and become
involved in its planning. Involvement of local people in drawing
up plans for interpretive trails (natural or even heritage trails)
is important both for acceptance of the project itself and to
reinforce local identity.
Visiting any interpretative site is a social experience for most
people. The dynamic relationship between the place, the contents
to be interpreted, the visitors themselves and the social group
they belong to, together with the meaning gleaned as a consequence
of this interaction, provide evidence on the social nature of
experience.
We know that exhibits or trails which visitors can physically
interact with are more effective for the learning process, providing
that this interaction illustrates concepts central to the process
being interpreted.
The history of the walled town cannot therefore be presented as
a simple list of historical facts and dates. The main objective
is rather to show living history - a history that is endless.
To be successful in attracting and keeping visitors, we first
need to know who these people are and what they expect from their
visit around the wall (what do they already know? what are they
interested in?). Further questions are: How can these expectations
be fulfilled and how can they be combined with those of other
target groups?
The answers to these questions will show the way to making our
interpretation relevant to a wider audience.
The choice of presentation methods must therefore be based on
this analysis, but without forgetting that "hardware"
is rather less important for interpretation than the "software".
Collection of ideas:
- Estimations ("Guess the age of the wall!",
...)
- Hidden stations; search games "seeks and find"; "find
a certain part of the fortress!", etc.
- "The wall is alive", the wall as a storyteller (stories
about battles, floods, fires, etc.)
- Stations with borderline experiences (tour of mountain ridges,
hanging stations, rope gardens, etc.)
- Discovery of historical changes by means of turntables, glass
plates, telescopes, etc.
- "What do I still not know" "what have I learned"
- stations, playing at "examinations"
- Living history – the living future
- The individual within the community
- The stone and the brickwork
- The wall as an element and network of a town
- The town as an element and network of a region
- The community and co-operation giving strength and security
to the wall
|
|
 |
 |