The Archaeological-Ecological Centre Albersdorf (AÖZA)
Since 1997 the Archaeological-Ecological Centre Albersdorf (AÖZA) in the country
of Dithmarschen in the western part of Schleswig-Holstein is working on the
aim to re-establish a cultural landscape from the Neolithic for about 5.000
years ago on an area of about 80 acres. To realize the idea the project takes
the following concrete steps:
- By a mostly natural, but on the base of a landscape-plan controlled
development the AÖZA wants to establish in a long-term perspective a type
of landscape which reminds in its structure, proportion and in other aspects
of a Neolithic environment. The principle theme for the landscape-development
is a half-open pasture woodland, which is formed by the domestic animals
of the first farmers. The first domestic animals - sheep and cattle of
old species - have already begun with their "work" for the landscape-development.
- In a second step the AÖZA is - since the summer of 1999 - building up
a "Neolithic village" as an open-air museum on the project area in the
immediate neighborhood of original prehistoric grave monuments.
- The third and completing step will be the opening of a permanent exhibition
about "Mankind and Environment in Prehistory" (which was planned for the
year 2005).