Paper Short Abstract:

This paper examines how memory sediments are inscribed in the landscape of Ralsko, Czech Republic. Through three case studies—a ruined castle and two abandoned villages—it explores the intertwined naturecultures of vegetal, and artificial material remains, reframing landscape heritage as dynamic and relational.

Paper Abstract:

This paper examines the layered memory sediments of Ralsko region, Czech Republic, an abandoned and dramatically transformed landscape shaped by military history, uranium mining, drastic exchange of its human inhabitants and the disappearance of villages. Drawing on three case studies—the ruins of Děvín Castle and the abandoned villages of Dolní Novina and Černá Novina—it investigates how landscape memory is inscribed in diverse materialities, both natural and artificial. These examples reveal the intertwined naturecultures of vegetation and artificial material traces, reframing the notion of “heritage” to include the dynamic interplay of human and non-human agency.

Děvín Castle stands as a ruin where stone and vegetation coalesce, creating a hybrid memory site of resilience and decay. Similarly, Dolní Novina and Černá Novina, with their ruins of previous uses as well as remaining fruit trees, veteran trees, and other vegetal legacies embody landscapes of care, neglect, and transformation. These sites highlight how human actions, ecological processes, and material afterlives converge to sustain memory within the landscape.

By adopting a natureculture perspective, this research challenges traditional binaries of natural versus cultural heritage. It demonstrates how the memory sediments of Ralsko’s landscape emerge from the entanglement of living and non-living elements, fostering relational and inclusive heritage practices. This paper contributes to a broader discussion on unwriting conventional narratives of abandonment and instead reimagining landscapes as more-than-human assemblages shaped by intergenerational memory and care.