Files: Heritage and Water

Throughout the past centuries, the Dutch developed a mutual relationship with water; they used it to their advantage, and became experts at managing it. ‘Heritage is not only about the object. It’s also a way of telling stories, and a search for meaning and significance. And thus a process,’ is what Frank Altenburg of the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency said at a 2012 conference in Recife, Brazil. Recife’s urban plan still illustrates the historic forms of water management that the Dutch introduced in the 17th century, and exemplifies a source of historical context which can be relevant for present-day water management challenges. In the Netherlands, this is already happening. In Kampen, for example, heritage serves as a source of inspiration for the protection of the historical river city against high water.

Overseas, the Dutch have also influenced water management, likewise leaving behind heritage sites that show this historic relationship. These remnants are part of what we now call ‘shared cultural heritage’. The aim of this framework is to give an overview of the historical relationship between the Dutch and water – within the sphere of shared cultural heritage – and to illustrate how this relationship can strengthen present-day water management expertise and practice.

The relationship between water and heritage is a relevant focus for both the Netherlands and the various priority countries, as both the water and heritage sectors can learn from each other’s history as well by using shared cultural heritage as a source of management expertise. So what does this relationship entail exactly? The table below gives a schematic overview.

The shared cultural heritage and water framework contains the following chapters:

• Coastlines (United States of America)
• Urban Planning (Brazil)
• Protection (Sri Lanka)
• Waterways (India)
• Water Provision (South Africa)
• Agriculture (Suriname)
• Water Hazards (Japan)
• Climate Change (Indonesia)
• Habitat (Australia)
• Construction (Russia)