DONA(U)VAN

DONA(U)VAN

A MOVING PROJECT ALONG DANUBE SHIFTING LANDSCAPES

Matteo Carli, Giulio Mari, Alberto Oss Pegorar

graduation thesis in landscape architecture at IUAV Venice University professors Stefano Munarin, Paolo Ceccon, Laura Zampieri, Enrico Anguillari 2008 - 2009

DONA(U)VAN is a research project on the Danube river conceived as an european infrastructure, hydrographic basin in an archipelago of nations, liquid border between landscapes, meetings and stories.

An itinerant process of reading and writing through an hydrographic basin of 817.00 km2, along a river of 2.888 km, 10 nations, 4 capital cities, 8 languages.

A one year long process, divided in three main stages: the first as an itinerant and explorative experience of a three months journey, from the sources in the Black Forest to the delta in the Black Sea; the second as systematization and synthesis of the journey materials and deepenings; the third as elaboration of a project scenario in the delta area.

The choice of this river arises from its possibilities to offer a transversal reading of the complex system in which it flows through, the river as a “point of view”.

In this sense the river is intended as a transnational vector, crossing Europe from west to east; a becoming fluid landscape, that is a continuity factor permitting a reading and representation from an ‘islands and borders’ to ‘gradients and passages’; a common term between a wide range of scales, that allows their crossing and interrelation.

These previous statements led to start the research process along the whole river through an itinerant approach, organized using as tools: a mobilhome as a moving unit, as a device of relations, displacement and working place; a network of contacts (institutions, local actors, universities, associations and friends) that could offer a sort of access keys to the territory; a “journey diary” as a tool of daily synthesis and representation through mappings, texts, images, videos.

After the exploration period, followed a process of re-writing and re-elaboration of the questions emerged from the journey experience, through synthesis charts representing the sites and contexts different scales, and a glossary that allows the catalo-

gation and the crossed reading of the danubian topics and subjects.

At the same time it has been developed a study of the river from a physical-morphological point of view, taking in consideration the river forms, dynamisms and transformations, in the two scales of river basin and geographical unit. The crossing of this two reading systems led to define the river as a sequence of shifting landscapes. A synthesis of six fragments representing the river through its transformations (management, navigation...), reactions (river answers) and repercussions (consequences on territorial settings).

After having followed, described and represented the Danube river, the research wanted to experiment how the consciousness of the river in its continuity and complexity, could participate in the elaboration of a project scenario on a local scale.

Between the sequence of shifting landscapes, the Delta area has been chosen as the context more capable to represent and talk about the river and its basin’s complexity.

A context which physical setting inherits the effects of the upstream dynamics and transformations, and that consequently represents the most fragile and changing part of the river body.

In its cultural setting the delta configures a place of diversity, escape, isolation, hybridation, representing a transnational cultural condensation of the danubian basin. A territory which actual perspectives aim to rediscover a specific identity in a fragile context.

The guidelines for the project scenario developed in Sulina (the last city in the delta, the eastern of Europe) have been the re-signification of the great operations and the exogenous transformations; the confrontation with coastal growth and erosion dynamics; the re-placement in a danubian transnational context.

DANUBE : A POINT OF VIEW

a transnational vector

across Europe from west to east

a becoming fluid landscape

from an ‘islands and borders’ to a ‘gradients and passages’ representatio

a shared reference

a common term between a wide range of scales

MOVING PROJECT

moving unit

mobilhome as a device of relations, displacement and working place

contacts

territorial access keys

journey diary

daily representation through mappings, texts, images, videos

The mobile unit is conceived as a device of public relation, displacement, working and discussion space.

During the three months journey from the Black Forest to the Black Sea, the approach consisted in a bottomup reading of the territory, explored by walking, sailing, crossing and measuring its thickness.

A network of contacts (institutions, local actors, universities, friends‌) has guaranteed specific access keys to the territory and its practices.

The journey diary is an instrument of daily synthesis, elaborated during the journey.

It consists in a continuous paper ream that lists and represents stage by stage the single readings of the river observed and experienced from different points of view.

A description of the experiences of exploration and relation, through different instruments such as mappings, diagrams, texts, videos and images, that constitutes fragments of a danubian reading.

SISTEMATIZATION AND SYNTHESIS

TOPICS RE-WRITING AND RE-ELABORATION

synthesis charts

representation of sites/contexts different scales

glossary

crossed catalogation of danubian topics and subjects

MORPHOLOGICAL ATLAS

danubian scale

forms, dynamics, sediments, transformations

geographical units

forms, dynamics, sediments, transformations

SHIFTING LANDSCAPES 6 fragments of Danube

transformations

operation for the control, managment and exploitation of the river and its basin

reactions

river feedback to transformations

consequences

ripercussions on territorial settings

Sulina cemetery

CULTURAL PATCHWORK

m

Vojvodina/Slavonia

CULTURAL FRACTURE ZONE

SLAVONIA-VOJVODINA CULTURAL BASIN

MINORITIES

multiculturalità  fatto sociale statisticamente rilevabile, che implica il convenire, entro i confini di un medesimo spazio geopolitico, di differenti etnie o comunità o singoli individui provenienti da culture antropologiche differenti. es.  1. Bač, “La zuppa è affare di Milan che appende il paiolo sopra il fuoco di un bidone.

Carpa, pesce gatto, luccio, paprika, pomodoro, acqua e altri ingredienti più o meno segreti. La ricetta è la stessa dall’Ungheria fino alle Porte di Ferro ma ognuno rivendica la propria come la migliore e così si apre la gara con Osijek. Questa sera il Danubio è una pentola, da fiš è diventato riblja ciorba, da linea di confine è diventato ricetta.”  2. Osijek, “Nikola è vegetariano, ha un atelier, nella Kazamat, lavora con la paglia, medita. Ogni tanto va a Lug in Baranja ad aiutare i genitori con la fattoria, cani, mucche, campi. La sua famiglia ha radici lontane in Germania, probabilmente nella Foresta Nera . Nato a Osijek, si è spostato con la famiglia a Straubing, in Baviera per poi andare a studiare a Belgrado poco dopo la guerra e infine ritornare a Osijek.”  3. Sulina, “Un muro basso in cemento spunta nel prato brullo poco fuori il paese.

Una porta in ferro arrugginito con la stella di Davide nel mezzo e poco più in là un recinto in ferro e un’altra porta, questa volta con croce, stella e mezzaluna. All’interno un vitello bruca l’erba fra lapidi in rovina che affiorano qua e là e lontani nomi che parlano d’oriente e di viaggio.” disp. [FIS -Ungheria, Slavonia, Vojvodina-, INSEDIAMENTO -Bač, Osijek-, CIMITERO -Sulina-, QUARTIERE -Braila-, ISOLA -Delta-, NAVE -Danubio-]

AUSTROHUNGARIC EMPIRE

GERMANY

CZECH REPUBLIC

SLOWAKIA

OTTOMAN EMPIRE AUSTRIA HUNGARY

ROMANIA CROATIA

BOSNIA

cultural fracture zone between west and east Europe

serbs

historical border between Ottoman and Austrohungaric Empire

hungarians

Slavonia

slovaks

Vojvodina

croats

SERBIA

CRNA GORA

montenegrins roumanians russniaks

FISHERMAN’S SOUP

NIKOLA FALLER

DONAUSCHWABEN

ULM

AUSTROHUNGARIC EMPIRE

STRAUBING

19 89

BELGRADE

BLACK FOREST

OTTOMAN EMPIRE

04 20

00 20 OSIJEK

BELGRADE

PANNONIAN PLAIN / FISHERMAN’S SOUP Hungarian halászlé, Serbian: fiš Croatian: riblja čorba, riblji paprikaš

german people’s displacements from 1638 (Donauschwaben)

Nikola Faller’s displacements

Donauschwaben’s settlements

Nikola’s ancestors’ displacements (Donauschwaben)

500 g small fresh water fish, or fish head and tail.

1- 1/2kg fresh water fish (prefer carp) 2 big onions 1 Tbls. mild paprika 1 tsp. hot paprika 1 tomato and green pepper fresco in Ulm

tema THE VUKOVAR/BAC CASE

HR

SRB

esempio

UNTIL 1991 _the island is under the vukovar municipality _free crossing and use of the island beach

dispositivo FROM 1991 TO 1995 _danube as front line durig the civil war _refugees displacement

1 km

AFTER 1995 _border line redefinition _the island is under the Bac municipailty

special transborder passport _ new ferry boat from Bac to the serbian farms in Croatia from Vukovar to the croatian farms in Serbia “transborder farms”

FROM 2006 _cooperation projects between vukovar and Bac _new ferry boat and free access to the island beach

DONA(U)VAN

The different context scales that every river fragment recalls are represented through synthesis charts.

With the intent to verify which are the influence margins of the river, it emerged a complex system where local, transnational and environmental scales and political, cultural and personal instances are overlapping.

The Danubian Glossary is a tool for the cataloging and crossed reading of themes and subjects encountered, by defining recurrent words along the river.

The description of common examples found in different locations and possible synonyms builds up a lexicon of the Danube basin for an inedited reading of its complexity.

ONGOING PROJECTS

WACHAU WIEN-BRATISLAVA

GABCIKOVO

SZAP-MOHACS

UPPER COURSE

STRAUBING-VILSHOFEN

NAVIGATION Hydraulic measures, such as river regulation, dredging, weirs, and dams.

CALARASI - BRAILA

STRAUBING-VILSHOFEN

million t/a 20

WACHAU

NAVIGATION 20 km long section (3 fords) to be better maintained for navigation.

10

canyons and floodplains

0

bedrock 0,4

WIEN-BRATISLAVA

NAVIGATION, RIVERBADSTABILISATION AND ECOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENT Riverbed improvement by adding coarse gravel to the river basin.

Dikes.

Minimum fairway depth (2.8 m) is to be improved as far as possible by adapting the river basin, i.e. by dredging

suspended load

UKRAINAN CANAL APATIN

headsized boulders

LOWER DANUBE

km

bed load

0,2

SULINA CANAL

braided

0

gravel meandering

sand

GABCIKOVO

0

NAVIGATION, POWER GENERATION Partly built – remedial measures needed; ongoing discussion about alternative scheme of operation

10

0,75%

20 cm

1,38%

SEDIMENT COMPOSITION

SEDIMENT TRANSPORT, SLOPE

FORM

SZAP-MOHACS

NAVIGATION Elimination of bottlenecks and fords, maintenance issues, ecological rehabilitation, improvement of tourism and recreation, protection of drinking water.

APATIN

NAVIGATION, UNSTABLE BANK PROTECTION, FLOOD AND ICE PROTECTION Bilateral negotiations planned.

KM. 2888 FURTWANGEN > breg sources ( farthest source point )

Black Forest Naturpark

PAKS (HU) - BELGRADE (SRB)

Donauquelle sources monument wet meadow

reservoirs floodplains with high ecological quality impounded stretches strongly regulated stretches free-flowing stretches projected canals polders

PAKS (HU) - BELGRADE (SRB)

NAVIGATION River regulation and border correction.

Identified 20 bottlenecks for navigation, 7 have high priority.

LOWER DANUBE

NAVIGATION New river bed regulation plans.

+ 1100 m

longitudinal section

CALARASI - BRAILA

NAVIGATION Bottom sills, bank protection, groins, river bed calibration and stabilization.

UKRAINAN CANAL

NAVIGATION Works on the future revival and creation of the protecting dike.

SULINA CANAL

NAVIGATION Bank protection.

Black Forest

cross section

Naturpark Obere Donau

KM. 2815 IMMENDINGEN > danube disappears for for infiltration in carsic soil

SIGMARINGEN ?

MUEHLHEIM

danube

Danube

DONAUESCHINGEN

180 m

Aach

IMMENDINGEN

aach

10 km

LAKE CONSTANCE Rhine

cross section

10 m

80

0

m

sources

m 700

0 80

immendingen

m

700 m

The Morphological Atlas_ Danubian Scale aims to organize

1 km

a knowledge base on the dynamics of transformation and reaction investing the river.

A series of maps made at the entire hydrographic basin scale, cross interrelated themes (sediment flow, agriculture, navigation, wetlands, floodings…) to allow a continuous look into policies within national borders.

The Morphological Atlas_ Geographical Unit Scale analy-

zes the river in ten different units.

Topics as sediment, river morphology, anthropic transformations, effects in the flow, riverbed and ecosystem balance, highlight the more physical nature of river. The morphologicalprocessual theme becomes then the access key to the successive definition of shifting landscapes.

Naturpark Obere Donau danube

14 km

The shifting landscapes were synthetized in 6 sections of the river, of 100 km length.

In each part are represented significant anthropic transformations (dykes, dams, adjustments, agricultural use‌) and the consequent river reactions in time, at a urban and sociocultural level.

At a technical cartography are associated more sensitive materials such as texts and images, where the river emerges as a palimpsest of a single danubian representation.

PROJECT SCENARIO : DANUBE DELTA

physical setting

a context inheriting the upstream dynamics and transformations the most fragile and changing part of the river

cultural setting

a place of diversity, isolation and hybridation a transnational cultural patchwork an historical inheritage missing an actual correspondence

perspectives

rebuilding a specific identity in a fragile context

SULINA

the last city of the Danube re-signification of exogenous transformations and dynamics relation with coastal growth and erosion dynamics re-collocation in a transnational danubian context

D SK

MD

A

UA

H

HR SRB

RO

BG

DANUBE EXPO SYSTEM

DANUBIAN SCALE

transnational participation to the Danube Expo

faleza projected path pavillon C.E.D.

waste water + rain water collection

groundwater clean water output

WATER SYSTEM phytodepuration system independent structures

i

sett

. Ro

C.A

Tulcea

ACCESSIBILITY SYSTEM

Co ns

tan

ta

Sf. Gheorge

The guidelines of the project scenario developed in Sulina (last city in the Delta) were the resignification of the large operations and exogenous transformations; the confrontation with the dynamics of coastal growth and erosion; the relocation in a danubian transnational context.

A continuous path along the Sulina channel jetty becomes a new urban infrastructure and logistical device, and a measuring tool of a danubian territory in becoming.

existing road existing waterway new path new pedestrian/bike path private boat public transport cruise boat new boat stop existing boat stop

Within the urban context the project tries to reactivate the spaces it crosses.

From the old structures of the European Danube Commission, to the new private pensions, from the “faleza� (riverbank promenade) with its socialist blocks to the touristic harbour.

An urban infrastructure defining new accessibilities and at the same time a technical infrastructure collecting wastewater and rainwater to be treated.

The abandoned free port basin is the central space in the program of the Danube Expo, the water depuration and area re-naturalization.

The infront area, throughout operations of dig and carry over, hosts a phytodepuration system of the urban wastewater and a derived wetland in continuity with the port basin.

This concrete infrastructure of path and waters, folding in different conformations, configures the new park accesses and a water pavilion as Danube Expo main building and logistic platforn for the organization of other moving pavilions on barges.

The Sulina beach access is marked by the main pavillon that faces the basin where it divides to lean on an existing coastal groin.

This concrete strip leaning on the sand becomes the meter and the level that detects the movement of the dunes and the gradual growth of this latter part of Europe.

In the last stretch of the jetty, the project aims to make accessible to different vectors (boat, pedestrian, bike) the end of the river.

Evaluating the dynamics of the currents and the future growth trends, the different devices of access and stop are able to receive the process of transformation in the surrounding ground and water.

The dynamics of coastal growth and erosion are closely related to the presence of Sulina channel jetty.

The project, overlaying on the jetty, constantly tries to consider possible future developments as strategic elements in the program and forms.

The reconversion of a large exogenous structure as the jetty and the use of a processual lexicon, builds a paradigmatic planning for the entire course of the Danube.