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Within the Gorinchem-Waardenburg dike route there are various visible and invisible cultural-historical elements. Think of Fort Vuren, the Dalem Lock, Gorinchem Fortress and the New Dutch Waterline. How do you handle these carefully and how can you take them into account throughout the process? Vestigia BV's heritage engineers have mapped this out in an innovative and sustainable way.
"The current dike reinforcement is a logical part in the history of the dike," said Jeroen Flamman, senior KNA (Quality Standard Dutch Archaeology) archaeologist at Vestigia BV. "That has happened several times over the centuries. However, it becomes a different story if, for example, you shift the dike or widen a dike base, then there is a chance that you will disturb the archaeology." To map the latter, the Count Reinaldalliantie engaged Vestigia BV. Vestigia is the research and consulting firm in the field of archaeology and cultural history. The heritage engineers have a passion for the past and think along with the client. "We are called in at an early stage of a construction or development process. We make the risks for both the underground, aboveground and underwater heritage transparent. Our role is twofold. First, we look at the interfaces in terms of cultural history and natural history landscape with, in this case, the plans for the dyke reinforcement. Think of literal interfaces such as an archaeological site. There may also be theoretical interfaces, such as project plans that are detrimental to the image of the historic landscape. Once we have a picture of the interfaces, we can then determine what follow-up steps are necessary and when."
In their analysis, Vestigia's heritage engineers divided the entire Gorinchem-Waardenburg route into zones. Some zones have a high archaeological expectation, others a low one. "A high archaeological zone means that the area was suitable for housing in the past and we may therefore encounter historical elements. If work takes place in those zones, we do drilling surveys and dig test trenches there to determine where archaeology may be found. That's how we zoom in on what we might find."
A good concrete example is the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie, which has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since last year. What is the impact of dike reinforcement on this former defense line? Vestigia has mapped that out in an innovative way. "Environmental impact assessment is not sufficiently focused on this type of heritage. This is why, for the first time in the Netherlands, we did a so-called Historical Impact Assessment (HIA), or cultural-historical impact assessment in the way UNESCO likes it. Through the clear representation and the collective and individual description of the historical elements of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie and the interface with the dyke reinforcement, the HIA gives a very good picture of the impact of the plans on the individual elements of this piece of Unesco World Heritage, but also on the cohesion between them. Sustainability is also an important aspect. By definition, heritage is sustainable. After all, it has been around for several decades or hundreds of years. Where possible we preserve it on site and fit it in sustainably, if not, we unlock the information and keep it in the archives."
The added value of heritage engineers is great, according to Flamman. "If you start a big project and you're not prepared for what you might encounter along the way, the impact is all the greater. By visualizing the interfaces of the plans with heritage in advance, you can anticipate rather than react."
