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Fig. 8.2
Hedgerows as an example of a landscape element in which we can identify all the five
components of landscape memory
fragmentation of the landscape, which influences regional cultural identity) or an
information component (information about former ways of agricultural manage-
ment). The only transformed component is the functional component but this is
more a shift in weight rather than a replacement because both the delimitation func-
tion and the ecological function can be performed at the same time. From this point
of view, all the components are in a clear relation to each other and from a long-term
perspective the development of agricultural levees as landscape components is not
discontinuous.
A similar example would be that of cemeteries, which represent unique multi-
functional landscape features. The primary implicit function of cemeteries is to
embody memory (of life and landscape) and they are simultaneously an architec-
tural testimony to the cultural history and religiousness of an area (Hupková &
Havlícek, 2008), a source of information about the character of historical and more
recent societies and communities (Hristova, 2006; Miller & Rivera, 2006; Rugg,
2006) and, last but not least, a feature performing ecological functions. The last-
mentioned functions are made possible by the fact that cemeteries form an area
that is inwardly heterogeneous but outwardly sharply delimited (even more so in
an urban landscape), with relatively slow development. Similarly as in the study
by Westcoat, Brand, & Mir, (1991), cemeteries can also be interpreted not only
as surface systems interconnecting ecological and sociocultural values but also as
real three-dimensional systems reaching both above and below the ground - it is in
this intersection that their essence lies. On this basis, we can observe the physical,
functional, cultural and informational components of landscape memory.
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