Rum och rörelse - analys av alléns betydelse för människa och landskap

Abstract

Within literature, politics and science, there is a claim that “tree avenues are important”. But the question and the goal for this essay are to explore the pretext to how and why. Planting tree avenues is a 4000 year old tradition and they are a common element in the Swedish and Scanian landscape since the 18th century. They were first mainly planted by aristocratic land-owners or on their initiative, but since the 19th century also by farmers. In the essay the aspects of tree avenues importance is divided into three categories: visual, social and functional. Visually avenues can be experienced both externally and internally, they are architectonical structures built of living components and the can be seen as a line across the landscape. In the social aspect, mans relation to avenues are discussed through for example; landscape-preference, avenues as a room, as a cultural heritage and genus loci. Functionally avenues for e.g. help preventing wind erosion, works as a landmark and helps orient when driving. A case study was made in an area with six estates and a well developed system of avenues. The study showed that the avenues are important for the areas identity as a cultural heritage and as a place. Their importance has changed over time and has probably meant and symbolized different things to different people at different times. As part of a cultural heritage and a developing landscape they enhance the readability of the landscape and the context. Visually they enhance the experience of the estate and works as important optical borders among the big fields. Functionally they are as important as in any open landscape – but especially they lead the way and explain the infrastructure. The visual and functional importance’s can enrich the social, but the social cannot do the reverse. Finally avenues have been planted in Scania for 300 years, which means that it is a tradition. This means that it is not only a physical cultural heritage, but also an intangible. A 300 year old tradition must mean that avenues are of importance to both man and his landscape.