Living Danube Limes - The Built Space as Tool for Living History

The theme of exploring the built space as tool for living history is part of the project that UAUIM is involved in as partner: “Living Danube Limes - Valorising cultural heritage and fostering sustainable tourism by LIVING the common heritage on the DANUBE LIMES as basis for a Cultural Route”, from the Danube Transnational Programme.

The project proposes a contemporary experience on the Roman historical frontier along Danube, that contains, on the Romanian territory, a large number of archaeological sites, many of them still not explored or inaccessible. The Danube Limes could become a new Cultural Route in Europe, in a larger network of frontier systems, from Hadrian’s Wall in Great Britain, till the Northern parts of Africa and the Near East. The Danube Limes represents paradoxically, in the same time, a strong territorial limit, but also an important connection element for Europe.

The first part of the research discloses the relationship at a territorial level, at different scales, between the historical sites and natural and anthropic features, in order to configure the future Cultural Route in Romania. A fully reconstructed Roman boat from the IVth century will sail along Danube till the Black Sea. Along the route, several areas and archaeological sites were identified in order to host projects, architectural, urban and territorial interventions as basis for living history scenarios.

From iconic urban and architectural interventions, next to the archaeological sites, to new harbours, to the Wine Road, thermal settlements, or in the end, the final point of exile, where the Danube reaches the Black Sea, the projects developed by the Department of Architectural Synthesis, propose living history steps through functions and built spaces that reconstruct scenarios from the Roman life. The contemporary built space enhances the discovery and revival of history and becomes a tool for the Living History concept.