The DPA (Department of Architecture)
of the Politecnico of Milan, together with the GRAI (Grouppe
de Recherche sur l'architecture et les infrastructures)
of the Ecole d'Architecture de Versailles (F), and the Raymond
Lemaire International Centre for Conservation in Leuven (B),
has managed a research programme within the EU programme "Culture
2004" concerning the Atlantic Wall one of the last major
defence lines of this century, built by German occupation
forces in the period 1939-1944 along the coasts of France,
Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Norway. During
this period more than 12.000 heavy concrete bunkers were built
a number impressive in quantity and in the cost and labour
involved. Many prisoners were forced to work on the construction
and lost their lives there, intersecting private stories with
social history.
The project underlines the Atlantic Wall's
architectural, aesthetic, and cultural landscape value as
a transnational cultural heritage, preserving a shared memory
on European soil an heritage to be safeguarded and protected
through the creation of The Atlantic Wall Linear Museum.
The infrastructure, a unique example of its
kind, is of great interest for many reasons, including the
architectural quality of its vast building system, the ability
of these objects to define a new aesthetic canon for modernity,
and the relationships they have established with their natural
and urban contexts essential elements for interpreting cultural
landscapes.
The military fortifications, moreover, represent
the most widespread heritage of European culture, preserving
a public and collective memory of WWII.
The state of abandonment of much of the Atlantic
Wall jeopardizes both its existence and the values it represents.
Preserving this collective memory and public history is essential
for a Europe intent on building its own future.
Following are the actions promoted and fulfilled
by the project. The
Atlantic Wall Atlas
The publication of an atlas, presenting an historical documentation
of maps of the areas concerned, is the first concrete step
towards recognizing the infrastructure's value, and indispensable
for the creation of a Linear Museum. The atlas also
comprises a series of photographs proposing a critical analysis
of the infrastructure and the relationship it has formed with
its surroundings. A specific photographic campaign, by
Guido Guidi, served both as a testimony and an interpretation
of the structures.
The Travelling Exhibition
The Atlantic Wall Traces: Cultural Heritage, Collective Memory
and Common Roots for the Forthcoming Europe presents, in a
concise and evocative way, a selection of materials (maps
and photographs) proposing critical interpretations which
will stimulate the development of a collective, shared consciousness
of the architectural, aesthetic and landscape dimension of
this immense cultural heritage.
The main objective of the exhibition is to
oppose the process of the Atlantic Wall's disintegration resulting
from public neglect, and to reappropriate, on a European scale, its
specific character as a testimony of memory resistance
and as a possible monument for the creation of peace.
The International
Convention
The Atlantic Wall Traces: Cultural Heritage, Collective Memory
and Common Roots for the Forthcoming Europe promoted a critical
discussion of the work, research and objectives undertaken,
and served as a forum for exchanging ideas and interpretations
of the Atlantic Wall infrastructure. The diverse analytical
approaches and proposed papers by representatives, partners,
participants as well as other outside parties involved, are
included in the Atlas.
The promotion of an Atlantic Wall Linear Museum,
underlining a common historical and cultural identity within
the context of the European Union, is one of the main objectives
of this convention.
The Web-Gateway
The Atlantic Wall Linear Museum website is be the only place
where objects, landscape and memory can effectively meet and
relationships can be drawn between a multitude of elements,
emphasizing certain characteristics.
As a didactic instrument capable of reaching
a large audience over a vast territory, the Web-Museum represents
a shared archive for conserving and displaying following the
strictest museum traditions a heritage whose value and vastness
contribute to legitimizing the existence of a Europe both
geographical and socio-political. |
