Upper Harz Water Management - Foundation will eliminate problems at Harzer World Heritage
The World Heritage Foundation aims to eliminate issues in the Oberharzer Water Management system. The work is expected to begin in 2025 and will also consider the further parts of the Harz World Heritage Site, including the Old Town of Goslar and the Rammelsberg Mine, announced Stiftungsdirektor Johannes Großewinkelmann. Previously, the Lower Saxony Homeland League (NHB) criticized the condition of the Harz Water Regale.
The historical water system is not adequately maintained, criticized the umbrella organization of the Lower Saxony Homeland Associations in the June-released so-called Red Notebook. The annual publication, which has been appearing since 1960, is a status report on home care from the NHB's perspective. Previously, the NDR reported.
Broken channels, missing monitoring
Some channels have suffered significant substance loss, such as the Lautenthaler Artificial Channel in the Innerstetal, according to the publication. In general, there is a lack of inventory or systematic monitoring for the World Heritage Site, summarizes Harz Environmental Protector Friedhart Knolle.
The maintenance of the 200 square kilometer area of Oberharzer Water Management is a significant task. It requires continuous maintenance and appropriate financing, said Stiftungsdirektor Großewinkelmann.
The Foundation has begun this year to improve and expand the internal structures for the preservation of monuments and will also develop a management plan required by the UNESCO Cultural Organization in the coming years.
Originally consisting of 107 ponds, water channels, and runs with a total length of 340 kilometers, the system was created between the 16th and 19th centuries as an energy storage system to drive ore mining, pumps in mines, and elevator shafts. Sixty-three ponds are still preserved and serve flood protection or as bathing lakes.
At the beginning of 2025, work on inventory and improved monitoring is expected to begin. Financing for the complex tasks is currently being prepared. The State of Lower Saxony and the Harz Districts and Communities will continuously support the World Heritage Foundation - also with special funds. Public funds are currently, however, more limited than desired.
The Foundation has used the information in recent years to make the World Heritage Site more accessible to visitors and visitors. Three new information centers or modern exhibitions in various museums have been established.
- The World Heritage Foundation's work on the Oberharzer Water Management system, which includes the Old Town of Goslar and the Rammelsberg Mine, is under scrutiny due to historical concerns, as mentioned by the Lower Saxony Homeland League (NHB) in their annual publication, the Red Notebook.
- UNESCO's Cultural Organization has required the Foundation to develop a management plan, which they have begun working on this year, aiming to enhance and broaden their internal structures for monument preservation.
- Stiftungsdirektor Johannes Großewinkelmann highlighted that the maintenance of the 200 square kilometer Oberharzer Water Management area is a substantial task, requiring continuous maintenance and suitable financing.
- The historical water management system, which was developed between the 16th and 19th centuries for energy storage, ore mining, and pump operation, has seen some deterioration, with significant substance loss in certain channels like the Lautenthaler Artificial Channel.
- In an effort to address these issues, the Foundation has established three new information centers and modern exhibitions in various museums, making the World Heritage Site more accessible to visitors, utilizing the available resources and public funds.
